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A few years ago, an episode of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives introduced me to Jawai – a fact that will, undoubtedly, make wildlife enthusiasts roll their eyes. While I found the show itself questionable,, it left me with an image that hasn’t quite left me since: an open jeep bouncing over giant boulders, in search of a fleeting glimpse of the elusive leopard. That’s part of why I found myself at Storii by ITC Hotels in Jawai in the peak of summer. Why stay at Storii Jawai? The moment you enter Storii Jawai, you can see granite formations on all sides, with scrubby greens cutting across the landscape. It's unlike most wildlife destinations you may have seen. There are no dense forests here or dramatic jungle cover. Just rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. The ruggedness is rather beautiful. Half the fun is just looking around, whether from the open deck of your villa, during a buggy ride, or while wandering around the property. After a while, the idea of a big cat casually lounging on top of one of these boulders doesn’t feel far-fetched at all.As for the experiences, they’re designed to make the most of the setting. One evening could involve dinner in a private canopy, another in a dining room that’s unapologetically grand. Somewhere in between, there are peacocks to feed and wildlife stories to swap. What are the rooms like at Storii Jawai? Spread across 8.5 acres, the boutique resort has only 15 rooms, ranging from garden cottages and deluxe suites to tented safari villas and plunge pool cottages. I stayed in the latter and my days quickly fell into an almost comically predictable rhythm: breakfast, safari, pool, lunch, nap, repeat. That doesn’t mean I didn’t make use of the sit-out, which also has a swing. Over the three days I was there, I found myself reading a book, sipping coffee or simply sitting with the breeze (only in the early mornings or late evenings, because Rajasthan afternoons are not kind).Inside, the room is done up in soothing shades of brown and white, with a four-poster bed taking centre stage. But if you somehow forget you’re in leopard country, the décor is quick to remind you. Leopard motifs on the blinds, leopard-print cushions, leopard-inspired rugs, and framed photographs of – you guessed it – leopards. By the end of my stay, I was half expecting one to turn up and ask how I was enjoying the room.The bathroom is large and well laid out, with separate shower and toilet areas, plush towels, toiletries from ITC’s in-house range, and yet another black-and-white photograph of a leopard keeping watch. The highlight, though, is the plunge pool. Calling it a pool for swimming would be ambitious, but it’s perfect for cooling off after a safari or dangling your feet in with a book in hand. There are sun loungers alongside as well, though in the afternoon heat they feel more decorative than functional. What is the food like at Storii Jawai? Most of your meals will be consumed at Amaraa, the property’s all-day diner, which looks like a colonial-style bungalow from the outside. Indoors is a grand dining room with chandeliers, arches and a cabinet displaying an assortment of curios: an earthenware piece, a lamp and, naturally, a leopard figurine. One thing becomes pretty clear: the leopard theme is not up for negotiation. Yet again, one is seen prowling across an elaborate botanical mural. The resort really doesn’t want you to forget where you are, in case the landscape outside wasn’t reminder enough. The chairs, meanwhile, continue the theme with black frames, striped upholstery and animal print. It’s a lot, but it works. Breakfast is available whenever you'd like, which is particularly useful if your holiday schedule involves ignoring alarms. The spread covers everything from poori bhaji, kachori and poha to eggs, pancakes and pastries. Lunch and dinner swing between local favourites and continental comfort food, though the green Thai curry turned out to be a surprise contender. What you shouldn't miss is the Storii Box, which arrives in a multi-tiered dabba (yes, like those old-school tiffin boxes). Inside is a full Rajasthani spread: laal maas, gatte ki sabzi, ker sangri, daal baati and panchmel dal. Usually, Rajasthani meals can feel heavy, but this one was surprisingly balanced and didn’t send me into an acidity spiral afterwards.Storii Jawai also has a bar lounge, The Ember Room, which feels like a gentlemen's club fit for royalty. At the time of my visit, the bar licence was still pending, although the space already looks ready for someone to dramatically order an Old Fashioned and discuss drawn-out battles over inheritance.You can also step out onto the lawns for high tea: sandwiches, cookies and the occasional kachori thrown in for good measure. After all, it’s Rajasthan. What are the facilities like at Storii Jawai? There's plenty to do here for all age groups. Ollie’s Corner, a glasshouse-style kids’ club, keeps younger guests occupied with activities and an outdoor mud-play area, so yes, parents do get a break. The pool, set against the rugged hills, becomes the default plan once the sun slips out of sight. And after a morning out in the open gypsy, being tossed around those rocky slopes, the deep tissue massage at K by Kaya Kalp Spa is pretty much all you need to reset everything. There’s also a fitness centre, for anyone still ambitious enough to think a treadmill is a better idea than a safari. What's the wildlife experience like at Storii Jawai? Guided safaris head out twice a day (morning and evening) in open gypsies driven by local guides from Jawai, and ‘drive’ is putting it mildly. The terrain is wild enough that at several points you’re basically tilting along granite slopes. There are moments when the jeep feels almost perpendicular, clinging to the rock. It takes a while just to settle into this landscape. A good 20-minute drive in, you start crossing Rabari villagers herding goats across the road, life carrying on in the middle of all this dust and stone, before the boulders fully take over. Our driver, Ishwar, made it look annoyingly easy. Alongside us was a Rabari villager with a stick, who accompanied us through this stretch as our unofficial bodyguard. We kept going, scanning what mostly looked like empty rock until it wasn’t. After a fair bit of boulder-hopping and patient staring into stone, we ended up spotting four leopards over the course of a three-hour evening safari. For most, the prize is the leopard sighting but there are other stops worth pulling up for. The Jawai Dam, for one, is all green and open water after all that rock — making you reach for your camera before you’ve even fully stopped the jeep. Crocodiles lounge around here too, mostly unbothered, like logs adrift. And while you’re on this long drive, the team at Storii Jawai packs up high tea or breakfast, so the rumbling in your stomach doesn’t get mistaken for a leopard growl. What's the service like at Storii Jawai? It’s not a huge property, which works in its favour, because service is quick and seamless. The staff are warm, always smiling, and seem to know the landscape inside out. Ask them about it and you’ll end up with a few leopard stories you didn’t ask for, but will probably end up listening to anyway.  Getting there By air – Maharana Pratap airport, Udaipur (150 kms away), Jodhpur airport (168 kms). By rail – Jawai Bandh station (about 15 km away) and Falna station (about 50 km away.  

 Time Out says When the Lal Haveli was built in 1871, it’s unlikely that anybody imagined it would one day house guests drinking craft cocktails in the lounge. The Johri has taken the historic building (once used as a pivotal centre for India’s Independence Movement)  and turned it into a place of such bejewelled opulence that it’s quickly dominated the hotel scene in Jaipur. This is no small feat, given the lavishness of Rajput hospitality is known by folks far and wide.    Why stay at The Johri? There’s something about the hotel that makes it the most meaningful of all things: genuine. The architecture, while decadent and reminiscent of Rajput, Mughal, and neoclassical elements, doesn’t feel contrived or out of place in the middle of the bustling Johri Bazaar. Designer Naina Shah seems to have imbued the place with the soul of the city – with additions like bone-inlay detailing and hand painted murals, the restoration of the old haveli has been done full justice.  Another plus is the location. It’s an interesting choice to place a luxury hotel inside the thick of a bazaar. While some may be initially taken aback by how busy the winding marketplace is, I’d say it adds to the old-world charm. One step out of the hotel and you’re immediately in Old Jaipur, with the City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar within walking distance. The market itself is a delight, and is lined with some of the city’s best gem shops and textile houses. Some will be pricey given the prime location, but it’s nothing a smart haggle can’t fix.    What are the rooms like? Each of the five suites is named after a gemstone or precious metal: Manak (ruby), Neelam (sapphire), Moti (pearl), Panna (emerald) and Sona (gold). The decor’s rich, but restrained. A sort of lived-in luxury charm.  Manak, for instance, is decked out in dusty rose with candy cane details. Neelam’s got pale blue walls and black-white columns they only unearthed during the restoration process, plus a cushioned vintage swing. Moti’s done up in ivory and comes with a private verandah. Sona features warm amber tones and ornate cornices, and Panna’s walls are packed with pastoral frescoes.    Where to eat? The vegetarian restaurant at The Johri has earned its stripes: back-to-back Condé Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards (2023 and 2024) and a spot on the World's 50 Best Discovery List. I say that because while hardcore carnivores will most definitely turn their noses up, you’ve got to have trust in the awards – the food is JUST that good.  The menu is seasonal and draws inspiration from Jaipur’s walled city. Local ingredients are cooked in a way that’s nothing like your usual North Indian fare. Curries are spiced, but surprisingly light. Seasonal vegetables shine in every dish – don’t miss the palak (spinach) chaat or the nihari, which swaps out mutton for jackfruit. Cocktails deserve equal billing, and are all made by an in-house mixologist who usually, if he’s free, will sit down with you to understand your palate before mixing up something bespoke.  By late afternoon, the Pukhraj Lounge becomes the star. High tea service is a big deal here. The lounge itself is done up in hand painted murals of Rajasthan’s flora and fauna. By evening, it transitions to a cocktail bar serving house favourites. For a hotel with just five suites, the food and bevvie game punches well above its weight.    What are the facilities like? It’s a small hotel. You won’t find a gym or pool here. What you will find, though, is a very-well done massage, lots of quiet personal time, and top-notch personalised service.   Closest transport: Nearest airport is Jaipur Airport, 12 kms away. Book now: Via The Johri's website

Touted as the pioneer of wellness stays in the country, Ananda owes half the heavy-lifting of that claim to the Himalayas alone. The palace gazes down at the Ganges (mostly green-blue here in these parts) on one side, and up at the mountains on the other. It’s somewhere between hazy mist and forest.  The rest is an expanse of gem-like gardens and white heritage-style buildings,  all under the steady gaze of the Viceregal Palace, the erstwhile home to the Maharaja of Tehri Gharwal, still kitted out with the century-old furniture, antique four-posters, vintage tapestries and Belgian mirrors. The result, though, isn’t all heady opulence. There is some groundedness here that most heritage palace hotels sidestep.  Who is it for? Wellness is the brisk aim here. The palace will form merely the backdrop; most of your stay will likely be spent between the spa block and your elegant, neutral-toned room, which owes very little to royal nostalgia.  What I mean to say is: if you’re after a glamorous holiday replete with several outfit changes and late, booze-fuelled dinners, this is not it. This is a disciplined, schedule-driven affair. You will wake early, be in bed by 10pm, and probably eat far less than usual.  Travel light – there’ll be a soft white cotton kurta-pajama set waiting for you in your wardrobe, replenished twice daily. You will live in it daily and silently be thankful, considering the amount of oil in your body and hair from the spa treatments. I’d say there’s something deeply liberating about not caring how you look, though.  Within hours of arrival, you’ll be sitting with an Ayurvedic doctor who evaluates your dosha, sleep patterns, stress levels and digestion. An itinerary follows. Early morning yoga, an afternoon Vedanta lesson, three controlled meals, and two massage treatments a day. Your schedule is full. There is no sightseeing agenda. The only real outing’s a slow walk through manicured gardens and stepped landscapes with gentle fish-scale waterfalls that are scientifically proven to lower blood pressure.  Excursions into Rishikesh for the evening Ganga Aarti can be arranged. If you turn up in your Ananda uniform, chances are you’ll be discreetly ushered into a front row without asking. That’s the sort of reputation this place carries. Basically: Ananda’s for those who want to detox without feeling like they’ve checked into a hospital, and obviously, for those who don’t mind paying for it. The guest list is illustrious, so there’s plenty of brag value. The minimum stay is three nights, and rates are all-inclusive. You may momentarily calculate that the same sum could finance extravagant palace feasts elsewhere. Here, every meal’s tailored to your body type and the goals of your programme: personalised, plated meticulously and intentionally smaller than you might expect. That restraint is part of the luxury. The rooms For the price point, you might question the size of the rooms and the amenities at first. But the devil’s in the details, and that’s why you sleep better here. The muted colour palette, pillow menu, high-thread-count sheets, and that view of the Ganges all add up. There is a flat-screen television that feels slightly out of place, albeit necessary in a five-star property, I suppose. The minibar is alcohol-free and stocked only with healthy options. The spa The highlight of the property is its 2,230 sq m spa, which stands in clean-lined contrast to the old palace buildings behind it. Modern spaces. Himalayan rock saunas. There are 24 treatment rooms, each cocooned enough to feel entirely private. The main spa lobby features a high skylight that filters sunlight into a round, knee-deep pool below. Signature therapies range from holistic Ayurvedic rituals and Tibetan facials to classic Swedish massages. The Kama Suite, designed for couples, offers a more indulgent experience with specially selected oils intended to be both sensual and spiritual. Beyond the treatment rooms lies a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy area complete with a steam room, sauna and a Kneipp circuit. The spa boutique’s almost reason enough to linger, stocked with Ananda’s own products, yoga mats, books, clothing and jewellery. It’s the only kind of retail therapy encouraged here.

Laalee might quite possibly be the artsiest boutique hotel in Jaipur, but that’s hardly surprising given the owner, Shan Bhatnagar, is an artist. Despite that though, you’d expect art, but not the sheer quantity that Laalee houses. Right off the bat, I’m amazed by the fact that not a single wall’s left unadorned: traditional Pichwai art with lotus and cow motifs; paintings of Lord Krishna, his gopis, and the rest of the ensemble; a massive painting of Shrinathji in the double-height lobby with two staircases. It’s a full-scale flamboyance, a head-on Pichwai takeover, all courtesy of Shan.  Laalee sits at the edge of the walled city – it’s where Jaipur town first began spreading beyond the four original gates. What you get is a modern neighbourhood that harkens back to older days – it’s close to everything you’d want to visit, yet blissfully removed from the honking, dust, and relentless traffic of the city centre. It is, after all, the posher, everyday bit of Jaipur. Not touristy at all.  Why stay at Lalee Don’t mistake the artistic flourishes for a lack of competence. Though once a private residence, Laalee needn’t hide behind the lavish storytelling to prove its worth. Sham and his wife, Devyani (a stellar chef) have refined the place to near-five-star standards, and sure, you may find yourself craving a patch of neutral wall, but Laalee owns the fact that it’s a maximalist’s dream. With the candlelit terraces, rose petals flung around, and Manganiyar music drifting through the night, and you barely notice the lack of a view. Not that you miss much. Shan’s painted his own imagined cityscape on the terrace wall anyway. Most of the nine rooms in the hotel look much the same, except for the rooftop suite, which comes with a private terrace. Some rooms are Pichwai-clad from floor to ceiling, and all of them are kitted out with bedding, crockery, and lamps from luxury Indian decor brands, all designed specially for the hotel. Like most boutique hotels in Jaipur that began life as homes or mansions, the bathrooms lean compact. There’s no Dyson hairdryer or freestanding tub, but there’s more than enough happening outside the bathroom walls to keep you occupied. Where to eat at Laalee The food here’s seriously underrated. Devyani’s a chef, so you can imagine that the meals are top-bloody-notch. Ideally, you’d have at least one meal a day here, including the coffee made from rocket espresso from Milan. You can eat at the alfresco space on the ground floor alongside the pool, the indoor dining room, the library bar, the coffeeshop, or the terrace.  The menu’s diverse, and includes a lavish eight-course tasting menu that hops from  Italian-style baadal jam to a Lebanese-leaning chaat with hummus and sumac. The winter thali lifts recipes from Devyani’s grandmother’s old notes, including an anti-nausea chaat masala she invented specifically for Devyani’s childhood road trips to the mountains. You’ll also find reimagined Kayastha favourites like gram flour samosas and hot, crispy jalebis. If you’re a cocktail connoisseur, you could consider hopping on over Native Cocktail Bar, which is a short drive away. 

Many a traveller, upon setting foot in Jaipur, has expressed a certain disappointment at not finding the sand dunes they expected of the Rajasthan capital. Fortunately or unfortunately, the city’s long outgrown its sandy frontier days, but worry not: if the desert’s what you after, Teela offers a glimpse of it without having to travel all the way to Jodhpur or Jaisalmer.  This one’s not for the rugged camping folks. This is luxury camping, set across a vast, untouched expanse of family-owned land, framed by the Aravallis, wild pampas grass and towering cacti. It’s admittedly an hour outside of the main city, and yes, there are network issues, but Teela’s offering something that the heritage hotels in the city can’t – a break from the fort fatigue, and a fun little escape to the wilderness.  What are the rooms like at Teela? There are two types of accommodation at Teela: the geodesic domes and the Luna Airstream caravans. From the outside, the domes look fairly simple. They’re made from modular steel pipes wrapped in high-density waterproof fabric with curved PVC windows, which is also your first clue that this is very much a cool-weather escape. Inside is all very high design too. Each dome’s got a small kitchenette, a dressing area and a lounging corner set beneath the wide panoramic windows. It’s a clever balance between comfort and good design – the air-conditioning does a decent job of keeping both the hot and cold weather in check (though it doesn’t always put up the strongest fight against the peak summer heat). It’s also got some nice touches: Marshall speakers, a tea chest, a Barefoot Luxury kit, which includes artisanal toiletries. The attached bathrooms are also luxuriously fitted. No lugging yourself to the dusty outhouse here.  The Luna Airstreams are priced higher, and come with a few added indulgences. These include a private patio where the caravan is fitted in, along with an open-air hot tub. Your butler will happily draw your bath and scatter rose petals if you’re in the mood for a little desert romance. In fact, each of the rooms come with a butler, which proves more necessary than indulgent, particularly given the hilly terrain that occasionally requires legs of steel. If you decide you’re done with trekking up and down the dunes for the day, your butler will even summon a jeep to bring you back.  What can you do at Teela? This is where Teela truly shines, and the property has no option but to rise to the occasion of keeping guests entertained throughout the day, given that it’s totally cut off from the city. Mornings begin with a sunrise trek, followed by breakfast by a tiny, serene lake. Evenings veer fancier, with private film screenings under the stars on a helipad that happens to be on the grounds.  There’s a bunch of adventure activities if you’re interested, too: paintball matches in the sand, ATV circuits, Polaris drives, and exploration trails. Plus a trampoline.  Where do you eat at Teela? Given Teela’s remote location on the edge of Jaipur, all meals are enjoyed on the property. Lunch is served at The Rait, a sunlit concrete and glass restaurant with large windows that frame the desert. The menu brings together Indian and European influences, with a strong focus on local produce sourced from farmers in the nearby Achrol village. The kitchen’s particularly well known for generous Rajasthani thalis. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, they’ve also got a Jungle Rasoi experience, where you can learn to make your own rotis with locals inside the forest, and later enjoy the meal on low woven beds under the warm sun.  For dinner, guests can request a private dining experience set under the open sky, with low seating, carpets, flowers, candlelight, and a thoughtfully curated menu.

A slightly bougie New York-style slice shop by the folks behind the legendary Leo’s Pizzeria

A quick-service stop for clean food, including bowls, wraps, and smoothies

This iconic spot for quick bites and selfies predates much of today’s precious-courtyard-café-in-Delhi template

A Hawaiian-Japanese concept with a focus on light, made-to-order food

Arguably the most elegant and sure-footed South Indian restaurant in Delhi NCR

A Rajasthan-themed supper club, run by Guddu and his two daughters

Skip your usual coffee order and go straight for the specials menu of this chain

Turns out there’s a common time for good music on vinyl, good coffee, and swell baked goods

Walking in here is like entering jazz: experimental food and drink, but a sense of calm around you

A Hauz Khas café big on smoothies, protein, and general wellness