Review: Raffles Jaipur: First In

Why book?
Raffles Jaipur provides its guest a taste royal life in the Pink City without stepping out.

Set the Scene
A folk musician with a string instrument called the ravanahatta sings songs of the land, and it follows me as I walk into a spectacular circular lobby with statement chandeliers and jewel-toned decor. Everything at the Raffles Jaipur unfurls the further you walk in—and for a first-timer—the space seems like an illusion with its non-linear design: think mirrored doors, decorative windows, and nooks that open up behind passageways. The main section of the hotel is structured around the central atrium wrapped by three tiers of verandas with intricate jaali work across arches. Raffles favorites like the travelers’ palms are scattered around the property in the garden, flower pots, on the staff uniforms, and as giant preserved versions inside the atrium. While it might be among the smaller hotels in the brand’s portfolio, Raffles Jaipur is replete with a sense of place and an inherent sumptuousness that is a throwback to its first outing in Singapore in 1887. Ensconced amid a luxury mile in Kukas village on the outskirts of Jaipur, which houses big hitters like Leela, Taj, and Le Meridien, the property’s size plays to its advantage in a city crowded with sprawling destination wedding hotels and larger-than-life palaces. Located next door to the 255-room Fairmont, Raffles is designed as a delicate foil to this bold sandstone edifice.

When I visited, the final touches were still being added to the property including the lavish two-level spa with its hammams, two mineral pools, and an assortment of treatment rooms. The rooftop is a wide open space with an infinity pool lit by giant mashaals and feels like the royal baths of yore. The adjacent bar and dining area have several enclosed chattri-style domes. Tucked into a niche, a stylish cigar lounge offers a space to retreat with a book and a snifter of fine cognac. Wood, pastel walls, marble, sandstone—from floor to ceiling everything is elegant and befitting a modern-day palace. Inlay work, thikri art, intricate carvings, giant chandeliers channel old-world Rajput royalty while occasional hints of playfulness emerge via a leopard-themed sofas and brass door handles. There is opulence and order in this layered reimagining of a queen’s palace. A changing roster of flautists, sarangi players, and sitarists play ragas according to the hour of day.

The backstory
Tropical gin slings, low-slung rattan chairs across breezy verandas, uniformed doormen, traveler’s palms, a library in a bar—these synecdoches for Raffles luxury have persisted even as the iconic hotel brand has expanded its presence across the world from Singapore to Seychelles, Boston to Bali. Each hotel is a sum of its parts and carries the weight of its legacy that Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist James A Michener described as “To have been young and had a room at the Raffles was life at its best.” And the Raffles Jaipur seems a throwback to the original outpost in ways more than one—checking the boxes for future literary cred, royal patronage, and exclusivity.

The 50-key Raffles Jaipur opens exactly three years after the brand’s first outing in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Conceptualized by the same architect, Clive Gray of Bangkok’s Randolph Gray Design, the two properties are unique. The modernist east meets west lines of Raffles Udaipur are dramatically different from the intricate layered structure of Raffles Jaipur which uses a traditional Rajput queen’s palace as its design inspiration.

The Rooms
The rooms and suites across eight categories fan out around long verandas, each a private oasis with a balcony facing away from the main road and an outdoor tub or private pool. Rooms within the same category are of different sizes following the shape of the building which eschews uniform edges for the varied contours of a palace with its chhattris, minars, and turrets. My Signature Suite is in a pale Jaipur pink kitted with a canopied bed, a living room, plush carpets by Jaipur Rugs, Mughal miniatures on the walls, and a gorgeous teak cabinet with wooden inlay work which holds the minibar and Nespresso machine. The large bathroom has a clawfoot bathtub, a double vanity with marble sinks shaped like the whorls of a lotus, and a separate powder area. Floor-to-ceiling windows (with automated curtains operated by a thoughtful bedside console) and a large balcony with an outdoor tub look out on a forest skirted by the Aravallis. Monsoon season had just arrived, and the arid hills of summer are rendered green and soundtracked by the piercing cries of the peacocks.

Food and Drink

The Raffles signature is the gin sling with every property around the world adding local flavors to the tropical tipple. Here, the Sling is a smooth number that looks as pretty as it tastes. Apart from the gin and the fruit juices, this version includes a hibiscus infusion and a generous dash of Chandrahas, a local brew with a regal lineage that combines over 80 herbs. The result: a terracotta pink cocktail that matches the walls of its home city.

The food across the hotel is a mix of global and Indian flavors along with local Rajasthani fare including street food classics like the mirchi bada, laal maas, and more. The four main dining spaces include Arkaa, a modern Indian restaurant that reworks classics from Rajasthan and North India. Safir in the atrium is a tea and champagne bar and a perfect place for a late afternoon high tea with scones, sandwiches, dimsum, and a selection of fine brews while the rooftop Sehara serves Mediterranean and Italian specialties. And then there is the Writer’s Bar with its distinct design identity: think royal blues, handpainted wall art, a two-floor library, and chiaroscuro lighting that changes according to time of day.

Service
The Raffles hallmark of luxury extends beyond grand marble fountains, chandeliers, and private pools (even though the hotel checks all those boxes) to the little details like a chic wooden keycard and beautifully color-coordinated hardbound classics of English literature placed across rooms, the Writer’s Bar, and even the gym!

While the hotel is still work in progress, what is perfectly in place is the butler service. And it is they who make your stay and experience memorable. There are floor butlers across all levels who are a single point of contact for guests while the Presidential Suite and the two Maharani Suites have round-the-clock personal butlers. Snehal, my butler, is with me from the moment I arrive at the airport, taking note of my smallest requirements. My late arrival is made a tad sweeter by a rose-scented warm bath that she has kept ready for me to soak in. A meal is prepared, and after a quick chat, we decide on a simple aglio-olio pasta. The next day on a whirl into town, she remembers my note on wanting a pair of Jaipuri juttis and finds me the best bargain. We discuss a shared love for street food and together with our driver Roshanji (who doubles up as the best guide to Jaipur), they make sure I get the best mirchi vadas in town.

Accessibility
The restaurants at Raffles Jaipur are accessible for people with limited mobility and there is an accessible washroom for guests. The rooms, however, are not accessible.

Further Afield
Raffles butlers can organize experiences and city excursions based on your interests. Since I had visited Jaipur several times, my itinerary focused on a specific craft—block printing. It included a visit to the Anokhi Museum, which showcases artisans who have been keepers of this tradition, and a whirl through the Bapu Bazaar to shop for block-printed clothes. There are plans to organize treks in the nearby hills followed by breakfast at a scenic spot as well as a local dining experience at a village homestead.

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