Rambagh Palace

Rambagh began as a garden pavilion in 1835, grew into a hunting lodge and was rebuilt in the early twentieth century as the principal residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur—most famously Man Singh II and Maharani Gayatri Devi, whose glamour defined princely India's final chapter. Converted to a hotel in 1957 and under Taj stewardship since the 1970s, it remains the definitive palace-hotel experience: 47 acres of Mughal-style gardens where peacocks outnumber guests, wrapped around sandstone facades, chhatri-crowned rooftops and marble corridors.

Rooms range from richly dressed palace rooms to historical suites that once housed the royal family themselves, layered with silk, miniature paintings and period furniture. Rituals sustain the fantasy—arrival ceremonies, evening folk performances on the lawns, and the Polo Bar's trophies recalling the maharaja's celebrated team.

Suvarna Mahal, the former ballroom with gilded ceilings, serves royal recipes from India's princely houses, while the veranda's steam-engine-themed Steam lounge and lawn dining cover more casual hours. The Jiva Spa occupies its own pavilion, and the Pink City's palaces, bazaars and observatory are a short drive away. As an immersion in Rajputana grandeur with modern engineering underneath, Rambagh has no serious rival in Jaipur.