Handker ❤️s Adventure: Jaipur

Everything to do, from where to stay, explore and relax in Jaipur, India

 

Jaipur, India: There’s not enough room in one blog post for me to describe the magic to be experienced in this enchanting city. Drawn by the traditional textile crafts of the area, I first visited with an Ace Travel camp in 2019, and have been smitten ever since. It’s heritage and modernity, museums and shopping, and above all: the artisan craft culture is out of this world. Come along with me as we tour the Pink City! And check out our instagram highlight for even more photos and stories from India.

 

Where to Stay 

In Jaipur, there are many heritage hotels that have been converted from palaces. This is an incredible opportunity to experience the culture and art of the city. I’ve stayed at both Diggi Palace and Samode Haveli.
Highly recommend the Samode Haveli! They greet you in the palace’s formal parlor with a lime soda while you get checked in. Even if you did nothing else, this hotel property would be a lovely place to lounge by the gorgeous pool, enjoy sunset drinks and snacks on the rooftop bar, and wander around the maze of rooms. Here are just a few of the views on the property:

 

The food at their restaurant is great! We ate there several evenings because we were too tired to cross the Bazaar again!

 

 Where to eat:

Lunch/snack: Anokhi Cafe Delicious Lime Soda, salads, desserts.
LMB: a sweets shop, but also full high-end restaurant
Tapri Central: amazing rooftop, but also a local artisan shop in the lower level.
Bar Palladio: A modern take on traditional Jaipur interior design, and serving Italian dishes alongside world-class custom cocktails.

 

 

While streetfood is definitely a “no” for tourists who would rather not spend some of their precious travel time out of commission, I highly recommend getting street chai–served in earthenware pottery! (It’s heated–surely the bacteria are long gone).

 

 

These samosas (fried dough with vegetables and curry inside) do look delicious!

 

Sights to See

Anokhi Textile Museum: A Museum dedicated to the traditional art of block-printing, this is a must-see!! And on the way there, you can visit this amazing step well.

 

 

Shopping

This is the real deal, folks. This is not a drill! The best shopping you can imagine for artisan textiles.  

My favorites: Heritage Textiles:  SO. MANY. GORGEOUS FABRICS!  Ask for Mukesh if you want them to make you a custom outfit. They get it done in a couple of days and deliver it to your hotel! You can bring a sample that they mimic, like I did here. Be aware, though, the block print fabric is pretty thin, and it is NOT pre-shrunk, so get extra length if that matters to you!

Ridhi Sidhi: Same deal…ask to go across the street and buy block prints in bulk–you have to buy around 5 meters at a time but they have an unparalleled selection.

Honestly, just shopping around the Bazaars is pretty great and fascinating! Check out this art supply store!

 

 

I brought my dollars so I could buy all the goods to share with you in the India Joy Dop!

Peep me with all the money I was about to spend…. (most of those were rupees, for the record…)

 

How to get there:

Fly to Jaipur directly! We decided to drive from Jaipur to Delhi for our flight home, and spent 8 hours on a highway and missed our flight. Highly recommend Emirates if you can. Lots of nice hotels near the Delhi airport if you need to stay there.

 

Must bring items:

insect repellent. Especially in the fall after the yearly monsoon, mosquitos are a real problem. Don’t be like me. I got Dengue Fever on my first trip there by being bitten by a mosquito and was really seriously ill.

Get your vaccinations at your local travel medical clinic.

Bring all the stomach medicine, hydration multipliers, probiotics, etc. Most restaurants are totally fine, but sometimes you forget to brush your teeth with bottled water.

 

Getting around: by Tuktuk, of course!

This is G.S. He was our favorite driver and got us all over the place very kindly. 

 

 

Good night, Jaipur! Till we meet again. Sometime in the future I’d like to plan a travel adventure for people interested in the textile arts. Would you like to join?