India Private Tour with Pushkar & Jodhpur + Ranthambore Option

Built in 1931 and designed with a compelling mix of Victorian and Art Deco aesthetics, the 5-star Imperial is truly one of our favorite hotels in the world. Based on the hospitality culture of both the Mughals and the British, you feel a spirit of the British Raj while staying here.  With the largest collection of colonial and post-colonial art and artifacts of any hotel in India, wandering the halls of the Imperial is always fascinating. Each of the 190 rooms and 43 suites is lavishly decorated and have nice marble baths. Amenities here include eight different dining options, a spa, salon, gym, health and racquet club, and a swimming pool.

Built in 1931 and designed with a compelling mix of Victorian and Art Deco aesthetics, the 5-star Imperial is truly one of our favorite hotels in the world. Based on the hospitality culture of both the Mughals and the British, you feel a spirit of the British Raj while staying here.  With the largest collection of colonial and post-colonial art and artifacts of any hotel in India, wandering the halls of the Imperial is always fascinating. Each of the 190 rooms and 43 suites is lavishly decorated and have nice marble baths. Amenities here include eight different dining options, a spa, salon, gym, health and racquet club, and a swimming pool.

Originally built as a guest house for the British East India Company and later occupied as a former Maharaja’s palace, the 10-room, boutique Taj Nadesar Palace is truly a luxurious oasis in the midst of the chaos and noise of bustling Varanasi. The 5-star Taj Nadesar Palace’s modern amenities include flat-screen TVs, contrasting interestingly with the traditional furnishings and history of this impressive hotel, open since 1835. Each of the rooms have four-poster beds and are decorated in rich hues and artwork coming from the Maharaja’s own collection. Is special location is close to Old Varanasi and we especially enjoy the 45-acre landscaped grounds — the rose and jasmine gardens are a treat! The elaborately detailed check-in procedure at Nadesar is among the most unique we have experienced anywhere! A fun experience is taking a carriage ride along the Nadesar’s grounds, where you may learn all about the history of the hotel and Varanasi itself. Amenities here include a dining room, croquet court, fitness center, swimming pool, and a mini-golf course. Having arrived after a week-long hiking trip through Bhutan, Bev and I feel the sleep we had our first night here, to be the most blissful sleep of our lives. The seven-layer mattress certainly helped! We also experienced the newly-opened four-tent massage spa here — a relaxing retreat following our chaotic day of exploring Old Varanasi!

Originally built as a guest house for the British East India Company and later occupied as a former Maharaja’s palace, the 10-room, boutique Taj Nadesar Palace is truly a luxurious oasis in the midst of the chaos and noise of bustling Varanasi. The 5-star Taj Nadesar Palace’s modern amenities include flat-screen TVs, contrasting interestingly with the traditional furnishings and history of this impressive hotel, open since 1835. Each of the rooms have four-poster beds and are decorated in rich hues and artwork coming from the Maharaja’s own collection. Is special location is close to Old Varanasi and we especially enjoy the 45-acre landscaped grounds — the rose and jasmine gardens are a treat! The elaborately detailed check-in procedure at Nadesar is among the most unique we have experienced anywhere! A fun experience is taking a carriage ride along the Nadesar’s grounds, where you may learn all about the history of the hotel and Varanasi itself. Amenities here include a dining room, croquet court, fitness center, swimming pool, and a mini-golf course. Having arrived after a week-long hiking trip through Bhutan, Bev and I feel the sleep we had our first night here, to be the most blissful sleep of our lives. The seven-layer mattress certainly helped! We also experienced the newly-opened four-tent massage spa here — a relaxing retreat following our chaotic day of exploring Old Varanasi!

Only a couple hundred yards from the Taj Mahal, the 102-room Oberoi Amarvilas offers unobstructed, stunning views of the iconic building. This property is modeled after a Mughal palace, with cascading fountains, arched passageways, and gold leaf frescoes. The rooms feature a simple yet classic design, with original Mughal coins and antique Indian fabrics adorning the walls. Amenities here include two restaurants, a bar and lounge, a spa, fitness center, and swimming pool. The Oberoi Amarvilas is truly one of the nicest hotels in all of India.

Only a couple hundred yards from the Taj Mahal, the 102-room Oberoi Amarvilas offers unobstructed, stunning views of the iconic building. This property is modeled after a Mughal palace, with cascading fountains, arched passageways, and gold leaf frescoes. The rooms feature a simple yet classic design, with original Mughal coins and antique Indian fabrics adorning the walls. Amenities here include two restaurants, a bar and lounge, a spa, fitness center, and swimming pool. The Oberoi Amarvilas is truly one of the nicest hotels in all of India.

Located in the foothills of the Aravalli hills, a 90-minute drive from Jaipur, the scenic 37-suite luxury Amanbagh is among our favorite adventure and spa retreats in all of India. Within reach (an approximately one-hour drive) of Sariska National Park and its tiger reserve, wildlife viewing here includes tigers, jaguars, sambar deer, and much more! The exceptional wildlife is a nice compliment to the property’s Ayurvedic wellness spa, which features several treatment options. Set in this relatively remote area, the rose-pink Mughal-inspired design and surrounding lush gardens are quite striking! Of course, no Asia AMAN is complete with a striking pool – in Amanbagh’s case, there is a 108-foot lap pool!

Located in the foothills of the Aravalli hills, a 90-minute drive from Jaipur, the scenic 37-suite luxury Amanbagh is among our favorite adventure and spa retreats in all of India. Within reach (an approximately one-hour drive) of Sariska National Park and its tiger reserve, wildlife viewing here includes tigers, jaguars, sambar deer, and much more! The exceptional wildlife is a nice compliment to the property’s Ayurvedic wellness spa, which features several treatment options. Set in this relatively remote area, the rose-pink Mughal-inspired design and surrounding lush gardens are quite striking! Of course, no Asia AMAN is complete with a striking pool – in Amanbagh’s case, there is a 108-foot lap pool!

The former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur, the Rambagh Palace has been faithfully restored with period cupolas, parapets, marbled colonnade, and massive scalloped archways. Spread out over 47 acres of lush lawns and gardens, the 70 rooms face landscaped courtyards and fountains. We especially enjoy the daily evening folk dance and musicians performing in the upper front lawn. Featured in Peter Coat’s Most Beautiful Gardens in the World, the palace gardens are lush and have an array of exotic birds. You will see magnificent peacocks, babblers, mynahs, red-vented bulbuls — many varieties!  Cultural performers are normally planned at the Rambagh every evening at 7:00 p.m. and are most entertaining!

The former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur, the Rambagh Palace has been faithfully restored with period cupolas, parapets, marbled colonnade, and massive scalloped archways. Spread out over 47 acres of lush lawns and gardens, the 70 rooms face landscaped courtyards and fountains. We especially enjoy the daily evening folk dance and musicians performing in the upper front lawn. Featured in Peter Coat’s Most Beautiful Gardens in the World, the palace gardens are lush and have an array of exotic birds. You will see magnificent peacocks, babblers, mynahs, red-vented bulbuls — many varieties!  Cultural performers are normally planned at the Rambagh every evening at 7:00 p.m. and are most entertaining!

Looking back at notes from our last trip here, we were reminded of a client’s stay at the RAAS Jodhpur in October 2013. In contrast to the more imposing luxury of the iconic Umaid Bhawan Palace, we feel our clients will very much appreciate the unique aesthetics of RAAS. Composed of four historical buildings of rose-red sandstone, the boutique 39-room, RAAS is ideally located northeast of the Walled City and beneath the striking Mehrangarh Fort. The original buildings have been meticulously restored and all rooms have been designed with modern amenities.

Looking back at notes from our last trip here, we were reminded of a client’s stay at the RAAS Jodhpur in October 2013. In contrast to the more imposing luxury of the iconic Umaid Bhawan Palace, we feel our clients will very much appreciate the unique aesthetics of RAAS. Composed of four historical buildings of rose-red sandstone, the boutique 39-room, RAAS is ideally located northeast of the Walled City and beneath the striking Mehrangarh Fort. The original buildings have been meticulously restored and all rooms have been designed with modern amenities.

If you are familiar with the 007 movies, you may recall the 1983 James Bond film, Octopussy, much of it was filmed here at the Taj Lake Palace! The Lake Palace Hotel is an 18th-century marble-palace right smack in the middle of beautiful Lake Pichola, a truly unique setting. With only 83 rooms, the service here is personal and intimate. Although the spa is small, we thought their treatments were of very high quality.

If you are familiar with the 007 movies, you may recall the 1983 James Bond film, Octopussy, much of it was filmed here at the Taj Lake Palace! The Lake Palace Hotel is an 18th-century marble-palace right smack in the middle of beautiful Lake Pichola, a truly unique setting. With only 83 rooms, the service here is personal and intimate. Although the spa is small, we thought their treatments were of very high quality.

For our friends who wish for an alternative to the 5-star Vanyavillas in Ranthambore, we enthusiastically suggest the Aman-i-Khás. Offering daily tiger safaris in 4×4 jeeps similar to Vanyavillas, Aman-i-Khás offers more private, understated accommodations featuring only 10 air-conditioned luxury tents set around a communal outdoor fireplace. Each tent is assigned an experienced “batman” who will accompany you into the jungle along the River Chambal and to the various temples and cultural sites. Similar to our Botswana safaris, Aman-i-Khás offers ample spa treatments along with extraordinary dining options. We particularly recommend the property’s Poornvandana massage, with its long, symmetrical strokes to soothe a high-stress, Western nervous system!

For our friends who wish for an alternative to the 5-star Vanyavillas in Ranthambore, we enthusiastically suggest the Aman-i-Khás. Offering daily tiger safaris in 4×4 jeeps similar to Vanyavillas, Aman-i-Khás offers more private, understated accommodations featuring only 10 air-conditioned luxury tents set around a communal outdoor fireplace. Each tent is assigned an experienced “batman” who will accompany you into the jungle along the River Chambal and to the various temples and cultural sites. Similar to our Botswana safaris, Aman-i-Khás offers ample spa treatments along with extraordinary dining options. We particularly recommend the property’s Poornvandana massage, with its long, symmetrical strokes to soothe a high-stress, Western nervous system!