Rude Travel by Vir Sanghvi: It’s Rajasthan every month!

When the pandemic began, I wondered how Rajasthan would cope. It is a state where tourism is crucial to the economy and as people stopped travelling, tour guides, hoteliers and restaurateurs began to feel the pinch.

But then, a funny thing happened. People started travelling again. And while they went to destinations all over India, there was one big favourite.

And it was — you guessed it! — Rajasthan.

I started going to Rajasthan during the pandemic, when flights were still to resume, because it was easy for anyone from Delhi to get to. I drove four hours to Rajvilas, in Jaipur, the original Vilas, and the first of a new generation of world-class resorts in India when it opened in the late 1990s. There were strict Covid protocols in place but the hotel was just as wonderful as I remembered it. I loved it so much that I went back again a few months later.

Struck by the proximity of Rajasthan to Delhi, I began to look for other options. I went to Amanbagh, near Alwar, a hotel like no other in India, and was blown away by the magnificent Ed Tuttle-designed villas.

I enjoyed the experience so much that when it was time to drive back to Delhi, my wife and I decided we would rather spend a few more days in Rajasthan. On impulse, we drove to Jaipur and to the wonderful Rambagh Palace hotel, which is so superbly run these days that memories of royal Jaipur and modern luxury merge wonderfully well.

Then we began looking for other places we could drive to. I had heard that the Leela chain had recently acquired the former Marriott on the road to Jaipur and had upgraded it. Deciding to take a chance, we drove to the Jaipur Leela and were startled to find that it was a secret luxury destination. Forty of the villas had private pools and courtyards even though the hotel charged much less than the Rambagh or Rajvilas.

Last month, we decided that it was silly to treat Rajasthan as a driving-only destination and took a flight to Udaipur. We had originally intended to stay at the lovely Udaipur Leela but the hotel was full when we wanted to go, so we went back to an all-time favourite: Udaivilas.