Rambagh Palace Jaipur

The 2 hour drive to Jaipur was beautiful and, although the roads were rough at times, we did not feel unsafe at all. It was a bit of a shock to be back on the tourist circuit in Jaipur. The hotel was very busy with lots of people coming and going on tours, much like in Agra. We were upgraded to an Historical Suite, which was very large and very comfortable. The dcor is the most traditional of all of the hotels, in keeping with the hotel’s origins. Despite being less peaceful at times than we had been used to at Amanbagh, the service was excellent everywhere and we felt very pampered. The gardens are incredible considering the harsh climate and you really do not feel as though you are in the middle of the city. The guides organised for us were excellent. Food was great, although perhaps less authentic than at Amanbagh. I felt that the fine dining Indian restaurant was a bit too formal to be much fun, but the food was good. The other restaurant is better. We spent some time by the (heated) pool which was very relaxing. It’s a shame that the pool area is hidden away at the very edge of the site as there is no view and it gets quite busy in the afternoon. I had a superb massage in the spa. We stayed for 3 nights, which was nice. I think 2 nights would also work if you are pushed for time. 8.5 out of 10.

We had booked flights from Jaipur to Jodhpur via Mumbai (this was the fastest connection now that there are no longer any direct flights). After much deliberation we decided to drive instead as the flight times were far from ideal. Taj organised an excellent driver for us. We left Jaipur at 7am and arrived in Jodhpur in under 5 hours, so this was much quicker than flying. The traffic wasn’t too bad at all and the scenery was beautiful, so I would definitely do that again.