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| Worth Your Time |
A Royal Villa in Jaipur
Aline Sullivan
08/02/2004
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Travel in India can be almost as exhausting as it is exhilarating. The
roads are crowded with camels, donkeys and the occasional elephant jostling for
space with rickshaws and Mercedes. Shopping—a must in Jaipur if only for the
hand-blocked linens and the incredible jewelry, both modern and antique—can be
nearly as stressful, because haggling is expected. The Gem Palace, Jaipur’s most
famous destination for gems and jewelry, dazzles tourists with sparkling piles
of rubies and diamonds, but prices are sufficiently high to give pause. This is
when we can rely on another benefit of staying at Rajvilas: When it seems like
every one of the nation’s 1 billion people is trying to sell us something, the
Oberoi drivers in their crisp white uniforms and dramatic red turbans are a
welcome sight. Friendly without being familiar, they will take us in style
wherever we wish to go, and even keep children entertained while we peek into
just one more palace, mosque or jewelry shop. (Our driver even thought to bring
along board games for that post-safari picnic.)
Rooms at Rajvilas start at
$395 a night based on double occupancy. The pool villas are $1,500 a night, and
the Royal Suite is $2,250.
Rajvilas Hotel, Jaipur, India
800.562.3764
www.rajvilas.com
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