8.00
Whether you land at Jaipur International Airport or brave the pre-dawn, five-hour drive from Delhi, The Oberoi Rajvilas is a welcome respite for a weary traveller, inspired by a Mughal fort with lavishly appointed luxury tents and suites featuring sunken marble bathtubs and stately furnishings. The 13-ha resort, with its flowering gardens with roaming peacocks, also has a spa and a 280-year-old Shiva temple on site where guests can take part in a traditional Hindu Puja or Aarti blessing ceremony carried out by a local pundit (priest).
9.00
The heat in Jaipur can be oppressive in the middle of the day, so freshen up and head out to sightsee early with a private guide and a car (save the auto-rickshaws for another time). Stop to grab a street-side lassi, a signature sweet or salty yoghurt drink, which is served in earthen cups from Jaipur’s legendary lassiwallah (MI Road), a roadside institution that has sold lassis to everyone from Shilpa Shetty to Amitabh Bachchan since 1944.
9.30
It’s time to explore Jaipur’s wondrous sights. Head to the hilltop Amber Fort to marvel over the intricate chambers, gardens, frescoed arches and ivory inlays of the ancient Rajput capital.The grandeur of the City Palace, with its blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture, miniature sacred texts and royal costumes exhibits, is also not to be missed, while the pink-hued Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is one of the world’s most photographed structures for a reason: its honeycombed, salmon-coloured latticework windows once used by royal ladies to peer down to the streets without being seen.
13.30
Rest your feet with a lunch in the regal surroundings of Samode Haveli (Ganagapole, Tripoliya Bazaar, +91 141 263 3179), a rambling and beautifully restored 19th-century mansion that once belonged to the royal family of Samode. Now a hip heritage hotel with carefully maintained original Rajput architectural elements, Rajasthani antiques and family portraits in gilded frames, the haveli’s spectacularly opulent dining room features hand-painted floral murals and serves a mix of Indian cuisine and international staples.
15.00
Hit the bazaars and you will quickly realise just how much there is to buy in Jaipur, which is renowned for its artisans, jewels and antiques. Grab a copy of Love Jaipur, Rajasthan by Fiona Caulfield for the story behind the city’s best leather-makers, jewellers and textile emporiums, stopping at multi-storied Gem Palace (shop no. 348, MI Rd., Jayanti Market; +91 141 237 4175) for rubies galore and Hot Pink (Narain Niwas Palace, Kanotha Bagh; +91 141 510 8932), the boutique of Parisian jewellery designer Marie-Hélène de Taillac for chic homewares and silk tunics in vivid colours, and leaving some space in your suitcase for blue-and-white pottery, a time-honoured Rajasthani art form since the 14th century.
Jaipur Blue Pottery Art Centre (Amer Road near Jain Mandir; +91 141 263 0116) has an excellent selection, with walls lined with snaps of visiting celebrities and politicians. For textiles, head to the factories on the outskirts of town, where you can watch artisans block-printing by hand. The good news for the time-pressed traveller is that you can order robes, saris, dresses, bed linen, pyjamas or cushions (whatever you desire) to be made on-site and delivered in the evening to your hotel.
19.00
You will no doubt be exhausted after such a sensory day, so return to the hotel for a soothing Ayurvedic spa treatment or a dip in the pool, and take it easy with dinner at Surya Mahal, which showcases veg and non-veg Rajasthani specialities – try the outstanding dahl and Rajvilas’ famous chicken curry –and in the cooler months, an outside courtyard with live folk music and dance. Jaipur doesn’t have much in the way of nightlife; instead, finish your day with a refreshing gin and tonic at any one of the city’s opulent hotel bars.