~ The vibe: An ode to Rajasthani design with meticulous butler service, exquisite dining, and an emphasis on wellness Location: Kukas, Rajasthan, India | View on Google Maps Loyalty program: Accor Live Limitless | From $650 ~ |
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The Afar take—a modern-day palace inspired by history
Opened in July 2024, Raffles Jaipur makes a dramatic first impression, even in a city known for palatial retreats. A hand-cut marble inlay floor dominates the entire hotel, which is filled with scalloped archways, intricate moldings, handcrafted furniture, velvet banquettes, and generous amounts of gold. It feels right at home in the culture-rich capital of Rajasthan, famous for its ornate Mughal and Rajput palaces and forts. The second hotel in the region from luxury brand Raffles (the first was Raffles Udaipur, which debuted in 2021), Raffles Jaipur is a new building, yet the 50-room retreat feels ingrained in local history. Located in Jaipur’s town of Kukas, the hotel is styled after a zenana, or queen’s palace, and features latticed interior balconies and niches from which a queen might traditionally gaze upon happenings.
A doorman in a Rajasthani turban greeted me as I stepped out of my vehicle at a gold-accented cotton Shikar tent, a tradition for traveling royals in the Mughal era. After a friendly security check, I was escorted past a sandstone–columned reflecting pool surrounded by orange trees and into a grand hotel lobby with a painted domed ceiling featuring celestial golden birds to signify good luck.
Who’s it for? Culture buffs and tranquility seekers
The palatial setting and tranquil vibe are perfect for honeymooners, while appreciators of craft, heritage, and design will enjoy being surrounded by the impressive artisanal work throughout the hotel. While the hotel may not overtly cater to kids (don’t expect children’s menus or high chairs), there were plenty of families with little ones staying, including myself, and the staff were accommodating and helpful when we needed support. The hotel offers access to a dedicated kids’ play area with a child-minder and appropriate activities at sister property Fairmont Jaipur next door, though we didn’t use it.
The Writers Bar at Raffles Jaipur.
Courtesy of Raffles Jaipur
The location—in the heart of Rajasthan
The Raffles Jaipur is in the heart of Rajasthan, 17 miles from Jaipur International Airport, and 20 minutes by car north of the famed Pink City after which it is named. It is surrounded by the green Aravalli Range, best admired from the showpiece rooftop infinity pool, which is flanked by pavilions with keyhole arch openings and leopard sculptures. Some of the region’s most captivating landmarks, including Amber Fort (five miles away), lie within easy reach.
A doorman in a Rajasthani turban greeted me as I stepped out of my vehicle at a gold-accented cotton Shikar tent, a tradition for traveling royals in the Mughal era.
The rooms—a showcase of regional craftsmanship
Around a central palm tree–studded atrium are long guest room hallways. The 50 guest rooms and suites were designed by Randolph Gray Design’s Clive Gray. Each accommodation has a large balcony featuring either a plunge pool or a soaking tub.
Our room, designed in a buttery yellow, was a fantasy of golden murals, a canopied bed, engraved brass tables, painted ceilings, local artwork, and camel bone inlay furniture, plus silky hand-knotted rugs—a specialty of Jaipur. The platinum-toned marble bathroom with a matching claw-foot tub and carved stone sinks made me feel like I was inside a jewelry box. Amid this old-world opulence, all the modern luxuries remained, such as USB charging ports, curtains that operate with the tap of a bedside button, and a smart toilet. I wasn’t thrilled with the highly sensitive motion-detecting lights in the toilet room and beneath the bedside tables, but I’ll admit we didn’t move much anyway after melting into the plush beds after a long day of sightseeing.
A guest room at the Raffles Jaipur.
Courtesy of Raffles Jaipur
The food and drink—regional cuisine in transporting settings
Of the four on-site restaurants, the signature dining experience is Arkaa, a sight to behold with mirrored thikri artwork, leopard-print seating, and gilded touches everywhere; a flautist even occasionally accompanies breakfast. Outside, through glass doors with brass leopard handles, there’s a small but delightful al fresco dining area with a long, embossed metal table, floral fabric ceiling, and jali screens.
Arkaa serves progressive North Indian cuisine with an emphasis on vegan and vegetarian dishes that were customary in a Mughal court’s women’s quarters, featuring ingredients from the area’s micro farms. For those with food allergies, the menu offers clear symbols denoting 14 common allergens. I was initially lost trying to navigate the menu of interesting regional specialties; however, servers were ready to advise me. My favorites included do phool, tandoor-grilled broccoli with a creamy sauce and crispy mushroom “chips,” the Old Delhi Chicken Tikka that must have had more than a dozen spices working in concert, and the outrageously savory, falling-apart-on-your-fork lamb and rice dish gosht dum biryani.
The tea and cocktail lounge Safir, with its golden fountains and two-story-tall taxidermied palm trees from California, feels transporting. It’s ideal for grazing lunches and light snacks (my daughter and I adored the lamb sliders and mushroom pakora), along with traditional afternoon tea with leaves from London Tea Exchange. Tea-based cocktails and champagne become more popular into the evening, when musicians play evocative ragas.
The Writers Bar riffs on the original Raffle Singapore hotel’s bar of the same name, which pays homage to literary luminaries who left their mark on the Singapore hotel, like Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The pale blue space with exquisite Jaipur-style decorative paintings on soaring bookshelves (with a 3,000-some collection) serves Rajasthan-inspired cocktails (saffron martini, anyone?) and a selection of tasty small plates that easily add up to dinner. A spiral staircase leads to a hidden wine cellar.
Staff and service—attentive and detail oriented
I checked in just weeks after the opening and occasionally felt the newness of the hotel when the flow of housekeeping service wasn’t quite in tune with our outings. But for the most part, I felt like an honored guest, thanks in large part to my butler, Snehal, who introduced herself via WhatsApp prior to our arrival. Snehal offered to unpack for us, but I was too embarrassed at the idea of someone seeing inside our bags after weeks of traveling with a baby and three-year-old to accept the help. However, as Raffles intends, we ultimately relied on her a lot. She made and rearranged a spa reservation and later delivered the earrings I had left behind, babysat our sleeping daughters one night so my husband and I could have a quiet dinner, and called in the hotel doctor when my husband had a fever before ordering him a fortifying meal of kitchari.
Snehal also set up everything from guided excursions and artisan master classes to hikes in the surrounding hills and dining experiences in a local village home. She could even arrange a day-trip visit to the Taj Mahal or a leopard safari.
The Raffles Jaipur echoes the vernacular architecture of the region.
Courtesy of Raffles Jaipur
Accessibility
The hotel’s restaurants have wide doorways and do not require steps or ramps to enter, and there is an accessible restroom for guests. However, there are no rooms specifically designated as accessible, and the rooftop pool does not have a lift.
Spa and wellness
The jasmine-scented spa is a maze-like space of more than 6,500 square feet of treatment rooms, complete with hot and cold mineral pools, a hammam, and a sauna. The spa truly enhanced my stay with its extensive offerings, which focus on Eastern techniques and utilize luxurious ingredients and materials—think 24-karat gold, pearls, and saffron oil. My prescribed treatment, after a chat with the spa manager, was a posture alignment therapy with a visiting practitioner whose unique stretching, massage, and energy work left me feeling restored.
There’s also a state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness studio, plus yoga classes and guided meditation sessions (including chakra meditation, trataka, and ancient candle-gazing meditation). I got both my cardio and my meditation in at the rooftop pool. Between laps, I stopped to admire the layered mountains, chattris (dome shaped pavilions), and nearby pink Hindu temple, its shikhara poking out above the trees like another mountain peak.
