Hotel
Rambagh Palace
Taj-run former royal residence built in 1835 as a guest house and hunting lodge, with 78 rooms and suites set in formal Mughal gardens south of…
A 1928 garden palace built by General Amar Singh of Kanota, now a 52-room heritage hotel with a pool, antique-filled rooms and the famous Bar Palladio.
Good to know
Narain Niwas Palace was built in 1928 by General Amar Singh, the Thakur of Kanota, as a retreat for his family, and it is still run by the Kanota family's hotel company. The architecture mixes Indian and colonial elements in an Anglo-Indian style, and the house sits among gardens in Kanota Bagh on Narain Singh Road. 'Niwas' means royal abode, and the place keeps the feel of a lived-in family house.
There are 52 rooms across several categories: Classic, Superior and Deluxe rooms, plus Kanota Suites and Garden Suites. Antique furniture and garden views are typical, and because this is an old building, rooms differ in layout and character. The outdoor pool is set among the gardens, and a small day spa offers massages and facials.
The hotel's best-known feature is Bar Palladio, the blue-painted Italian bar and restaurant in the garden that has become one of Jaipur's most fashionable evening spots, with tented pavilions that come alive at sunset. Other dining options include Shikaar Bagh, inspired by the royal hunting lodges of Rajasthan, Imperial Lancers, named after the Imperial Service Troops, and Café Orleans, a French-style café. Private dining in garden gazebos can be arranged.
Guests can join sunrise yoga, take high tea, and watch folk dance and puppet shows, and the hotel can arrange experiences further afield such as leopard safaris at Jhalana and hot-air balloon rides over Jaipur. A shopping courtyard on site sells local crafts. The hotel also hosts weddings and events.
The gardens are the heart of the property and give the hotel a calm feel despite its city location, while the mix of dining venues, from Italian to Rajasthani hunting-lodge themes, means you can eat well for several nights without leaving the grounds.
Narain Niwas suits couples and families who want heritage character and a garden setting at a lower price than the big palace hotels. It is a short drive from the old city, MI Road and the Albert Hall Museum. Book early for the winter season, and reserve a table at Bar Palladio in advance even if you are staying in the hotel.
In 1928, by General Amar Singh, Thakur of Kanota.
52 rooms, including Kanota Suites and Garden Suites.
Yes, an outdoor pool surrounded by gardens, plus a day spa.
Bar Palladio, Shikaar Bagh, Imperial Lancers and Café Orleans.
At Kanota Bagh on Narain Singh Road, Jaipur.
Sunrise yoga, high tea, folk dance and puppet shows, and arranged leopard safaris and balloon rides.
Email [email protected] or call +91 141 256 1291.
Yes, the hotel hosts weddings and events.
Attraction
Hilltop Rajput palace-fortress above Maota Lake in Amer, about 11 km from Jaipur, known for its courtyards, Sheesh Mahal mirror work and UNESCO-listed walls.
Bar
Blue-painted Italian bar and restaurant in the gardens of Narain Niwas Palace, opened in 2013, known for its murals, tented pavilions and evening cocktails.
Thing to do
The old city's jewellers' street near Hawa Mahal, lined with family-run shops selling gemstones, kundan and thewa jewellery in Jaipur's planned grid of pink shopfronts.
Restaurant
Rambagh Palace's formal Indian dining room, set in a hall styled on an 18th-century palace ballroom and serving royal recipes from Rajasthan and beyond.