The one thing that strikes you about the Royal Heritage Haveli in Jaipur, is the enormous positive vibes that the Haveli gives beginning from the entrance where a big statue of Sai Baba sits serenely to the luxurious rooms and its bath area where the décor is done up in typical Jaipur motifs in bright blue, reds and yellows. Jaipur has a plethora of hotels, forts, havelis and boutique resorts but very few have the characteristics to set it apart from the rest when all boasts of same history, architecture and cuisine.

The service, the warmth of the staff and the activities that you have in the hotel sets it apart which is what you will get in this boutique. that was once the hunting lodge of the royals and much later a school. Built in the 18th century  by His Highness, Madho Singh Ji of Jaipur, The Royal Heritage Haveli opened its doors after 150 years as a boutique hotel . Now owned by Maharaj Jai Singh of Jaipur, the Royal Heritage Haveli is run by his niece Angelique and her husband Pradip and managed by Niraamaya. This is one of the only boutique hotel that also gives you classes in polo. This is done in collaboration with Vikramaditya Singh of PoloFactory who is also making an effort to breed the iindigenous Marwari horses, a dying breed for Polo. If you are a guest here it’s the Marwari horses you will be riding for your polo classes.

Sambhavi Singh showing us the Marwari horses

Vikramaditya Singh of Polofactory. He breeds the indigeneous Marwari horses and makes them Polo ready
We spent a weekend here experiencing the hospitality that was refreshing and made much more enjoyable by Sambhavi Singh daughter of Angelique and Pradip Singh. She is charming, a passionate horse lover, and an avid self learnt cook supervising many of the dishes in the menu.  There's a such a beautiful charm staying in a haveli which is entirely different from staying in a five star hotel  always buzzing with active concierge, luggage being carted across the lobby and cars halting every second on the porch.

There are 19 suites in the boutique beautifully done up in Indo-Europeon décor with intricate frescos on the ceiling. The suites come with a living room, large beautiful bathrooms, stocked mini fridge and a tea bar. Every suite is within a walking distance of the pool, the dining area and the spa.

Dining experience

The Kigelia, the dining restaurant offers the tastiest Indian cuisine as well as continental fare. Our stay included a special traditional food cooked by Sambhavi who whipped up a tasty safed maas which ideally is made with mutton but at our request she replaced it with chicken. This was cooked on firewood along with achari papad with the recipe taken directly from her nani's cook book. "On a holiday my nani made me cook this every morning for 14 days so that I get it right," she says. On our first day after a delicious afternoon lunch that consisted of laal maas and other Rajasthani cuisine these two dishes were part of our dinner. It's a summer evening and quite humid but Sambhavi is undeterred by the heat as she explains the cooking method as well as the ingredients required. Her concentration is only distracted for a minute second as a coffee table she has designed and ordered is delivered for the Cafe Samsara she has opened and she screams in delight.

The Neeramaya Wellness

Neeramaya Retreats are known for their Ayurvedic wellness. The second day of our stay was scheduled to experience the Neeramaya wellness at the Spa. We could choose from the Ayurveda or the Aroma therapy massages. After the regular health consultations we were escorted to the treatment rooms where the therapist began to knead, prod, press and massage the city-tired pressure points, gradually taking you to a world of relaxation and slumber.

The boutique is a perfect place to halt a hectic city life although surprisingly it is located in the Jaipur city itself. It allows you to slow down and do things which you probably have been thinking about doing the entire week but haven't got down to do it. So just take a leisurely walk in their well manicured garden, smell and taste some home cooked meal, better still be a part of the cooking experience with Shambhavi, take a dip in the pool, enjoy a hearty cup of masala chai or just ask to go for a ride on the Marwari horse. It's really that simple to make your weekend a delight.

The Royal Heritage Haveli by Neeramaya Retreats

 Safed chicken is slow cooked in firewood

The white chicken is served

All photographs by Sanchit Kesharwani