India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (286 page)

Samode Haveli, Ganga Pol, Jaipur 302 992.
0141/263-2407,
-2370, or -1942. Fax 0141/263-1397.
www.samode.com
. [email protected]. 40 units. Low season (May 1–Sept 30) to high season (Oct 1–Apr 31): Rs 10,950 deluxe double; Rs 12,500 deluxe suite; Rs 15,000 Sheesh Mahal, Rs 13,500 Haveli suite; Rs 2,700 extra bed. Rates include breakfast; taxes extra. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
Dining hall; bar; airport transfers; children’s playground; doctor-on-call; fitness center; spa pool; steam room; Internet and Wi-Fi free. In room: A/C, fan, TV, minibar.

Moderate

Alsisar Haveli
This is the most elegant, well-maintained heritage property in its price category in Jaipur, offering excellent value for money. Built in 1892 and still owned by the amiable Kachchwaha clan of Rajputs, it has all the traditional elements of Rajput architecture—scalloped arches and pretty cupolas, painted ceilings and colored glass windows, and a maze of corridors and stairs around and through inner courtyards. Rooms vary in size, but all are furnished with antiques. Ask for deluxe no. 110 set around the cool, inner courtyard with plants and birdsong or the wonderful suites (107, 108) off Sheesh Mahal. You can take tea around the pool, or retreat to the tables on the lawn for total peace. The lounge is beautifully furnished, but the dining hall sets the place apart. Unlike the oppressive rooms so typical of heritage properties (like Samode Haveli), Alsisar’s is filled with light; the food (local Shekhawati fare) is tasty; breakfast will run you Rs 350, while lunch and dinner (both buffets) costs Rs 550 plus taxes.

Sansar Chandra Rd., Jaipur 302 001.
0141/236-8290
or -4685. Fax 0141/236-4652.
www.alsisar.com
. 37 units. Rs 3,900 double; Rs 4,550 deluxe suite; Rs 850 extra bed. Rates exclude taxes. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; doctor-on-call; Internet (Rs 100 per hour); Ayurvedic massage; pool; room service. In room: A/C, TV, Wi-Fi (Rs 100/hr.).

Narain Niwas Palace
Like Alsisar, Narain Niwas provides you with an opportunity to live in a heritage property for relatively little money (though Alsisar still has the edge in terms of atmosphere, ambience, decor, and service). Built in 1928 by Gen. Amar Singh, the 3-hectare (7-acre) property is still a green oasis surrounded by the city, but some of the spaces have started to show signs of wear in recent years. Look out for the newly renovated rooms (nos. 51–57); individually furnished with antique beds and chairs, these feature pretty frescoes and block-print fabrics (on rather thin mattresses) and are close to the pool, opening onto a particularly lush part of the garden—an essential balm after tackling Jaipur’s streets. Avoid the monstrously overpriced new “garden suites.” Buffet-style meals are taken on the lawns or in the dark, claustrophobic dining hall, which, like the antiques-filled lounge, features scalloped arches decorated with frescoes.

Kanota Bagh, Narain Sing Rd., Jaipur 302 004.
0141/256-1291
or -3448. Fax 0141/256-1045.
www.hotelnarainniwas.com
. 31 units. Rs 4,200 standard double; Rs 5,500 suite; Rs 6,500 Kanota suite; Rs 9,500 garden suite; Rs 1,400 extra bed. Breakfast included; taxes extra. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
Dining hall; bar; doctor-on-call; Internet (Rs 50/hr.); Ayurvedic massage; pool; room service; table tennis; yoga and meditation. In room: A/C, fan, TV in some, minibar, Wi-Fi (Rs 112/hr.).

Shahpura House
Located in the heart of a relaxed residential neighborhood, yet only 10 minutes (3km/1 3⁄4 miles) from the city, one of Jaipur’s best-value hotels was built just half a century ago by a noble member of the Shekhawat’s Shahpura clan (Shahpura is 65km/40 miles from Jaipur). It’s still a family run affair and the aristocratic owner has dressed the place in what might be termed “haveli style,” with decor that runs from framed black-and-white family photographs to elaborate chandeliers to detailed frescoes. Accommodations are very comfortable, with marble floors, antique furniture, block-print curtains, and beds covered with smart white linen. The cheaper deluxe rooms are more boxy, but if you can book no. 206, you’ll have a spacious bathroom, large bed, and a window overlooking the pool. Of the decently priced suites, no. 306 has a balcony overlooking the pool.

Devi Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur 302 016.
0141/220-2292
or -2293. Fax 0141/220-1494.
www.shahpurahouse.com
. [email protected]. 32 units. Rs 3,500 deluxe double; Rs 4,500 suite; Rs 5,000 royal suite; Rs 800 extra bed. Taxes extra. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; airport transfers (Rs 400 one-way); complimentary station and bus stand pickup; currency exchange; doctor-on-call; pool; room service; Internet and Wi-Fi (Rs 60/30 mins). In room: A/C, fan, TV, minibar, Wi-Fi in some (Rs 120/hr.).

Inexpensive

Another budget option—though nowhere as nice as Diggi Palace (below)
Umaid Bhawan
(
0141/220-6426,
0141/231-6184, or 0141/220-1276; fax 0141/220-7445;
www.umaidbhawan.com
;
[email protected]
) is an old haveli in a residential street offering dark but clean rooms—all with A/C—which have the usual antique furnishings and attached showers; ask to see a few as they are all different. It also has a nice pool out front. Deluxe Rooms go for Rs 1,500 but rather ask for a Royal Deluxe Room overlooking the pool (Rs 1,800) which comes with A/C and fan. Internet and Wi-Fi are Rs 60 per hour.