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Lord Louis Mountbatten, Jacqueline Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales – these are just a few names from the old guest check-in register of Jaipur’s grandest address.
The palace has lived several lives: from a garden house built in 1835 for a royal wet nurse, to a home for a maharaja’s handmaiden, a royal hunting lodge and a guesthouse. It was only in the early 20th century that the lodge was transformed into a full-fledged palace, designed in the Indo-Saracenic style under the ruling family of Jaipur.
A sweeping driveway lined with neem, ashoka and bougainvillaea trees pulls you away from the honks of Rambagh Circle. Past the huge iron gates clad with the royal emblem, you are led into birdsong and the hush beneath trees that are among the oldest in the desert capital. Inside the gates, you’ll find around a hundred other non-paying permanent guests: the peacocks strutting through the Mughal gardens and keen to share cashews over your evening drinks.
Why stay at Rambagh Palace?
If just the premise of a palace hasn’t convinced you… this is located in the heart of the city at an address that feels almost illicitly expansive, 47 acres to be precise. It’s a hotel for long walks through gardens trimmed to the last leaf and dinners served with monogrammed gold-plated cutlery.
Rates are unapologetically premium, especially in a city that now has a growing crop of palace-style hotels. But hey, you’re paying for pedigree. Taj has been refining its brand of palatial hospitality since 1903, when it opened The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, and Rambagh Palace still remains one of its crown jewels.
What the rooms are like at Rambagh Palace
Most of the 78 rooms cluster around a central geometric garden. Expect four-poster beds dressed in 400-thread-count sheets with Frette bed linen sourced from Italy, silk drapes and deep bathtubs. Portraits of royal lineage and memorabilia line the walls. The furniture may look like it’s a century old, but it gleams nonetheless.
Mirror mosaics and marble inlay floors are another constant, all sourced from the same Makrana mines that supplied the Taj Mahal (!). Bathrooms are stocked with L’Occitane toiletries and Taj’s own Forest Essentials fragrances, including the Motia and Neroli blends created especially for its palace hotels.
Where to eat at Rambagh Palace
Suvarna Mahal, clad with Venetian frescoes and crystal chandeliers, could pass for a ballroom from a lavish Netflix series. The dinner-only venue serves Rajasthani thalis and royal recipes from across India at a pricey ₹6,000+ per thali.
The Verandah’s an alfresco space and an easy favourite for in-house guests at any time of the day. It’s often sold out in the winter months because many locals come here for celebratory occasions or a relaxed evening. It’s especially beautiful after dark, with candlelit tables and live folk performances by Manganiyar musicians and Kalbeliya dancers.
The Polo Bar is further up the Verandah corridor. Step inside for a drink in a cosy room overlooking a marble fountain, with polo trophies and crossed mallets lining the walls as a nod to Jaipur’s sporting heritage.
Steam might sound like a party spot, but in actuality, it’s a Victorian-style mock railway platform, glammed up to Taj standards. You can dine inside or outside the actual railway coach. The menu leans into nostalgia, with street food inspired by Indian train journeys, like the Howrah Junction kathi rolls, Mumbai Central mutton keema pav or soy keema pav and Darjeeling thukpa, sans railway station pricing. But you’re not here for bargain deals, are you?