The place to stay in Jodhpur

For a change I have been so far off my cockroach scale of hotels, staying in such blissful surroundings that I am still, back in freezing England, basking in the warm glow of remembered comforts. I have a photograph of the former Ras haveli in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from 1907; the great Mehrengarh fort on its rocky hill, one of the most distinctive backgrounds in India; the cow in the foreground of the picture, one imagines, an ancestor of those that still cluster close to the gate of the erstwhile haveli, now the Raas hotel and one of the newest jewels in Rajasthan hospitality.

The hotel is both contemporary in architecture and wholly sympathetic to its 18th century shell and its surroundings next to an ancient step well, amongst the crowded streets and lanes of the old city. An almost aerial view looking down at Raas from the ramparts of the fort shows an oasis with moghul style ponds and cascades, a cerulean infinity pool picking up on the colours of the blue city and cooling patches of green in decorative and kitchen gardens. Green themes of a different variety are clear from above in the banks of solar panels supporting a steady supply of power for air cooling and winter warming and reliable gushing hot water.

‘There’s a place in Rajputana with a fort of old renown
And a liberal-hearted fine old king.
And the traveller who visits that most hospitable town
Hears a lot about Sir Pratap Singh’
(from Rhymes of Rajputana, GH Trevor, 1894)

Nikhilendra Singh, the great grandson of Sir Pratap Singh, Regent of Jodhpur in the late 19th and early 20th century and inspired proprietor of Raas, has left little to chance in this ideal hotel – there are few if any rough edges. The pavilion like dining room with roof top bar offers Indian and European menus of an elegant simplicity to match the carefully spaced linen covered tables, laid with regiments of perfect wine glasses, the better to taste the ever growing numbers of quality Indian wines. Stuffed owls, situated in high alcoves above the tables are one of the few signal failures at Raas, their theoretical object to scare off importunate pigeons whose cooing vibrates regardless through conversation, adding, as they perch cheerfully next to their glassy eyed predators, to the arcadian atmosphere.

Monsoon in Rajasthan has lately continued into the winter, making surprising changes in the Jodhpur desert and adding an unexpected element to high season travel in Rajasthan – gum boots may be required packing. Raas caters for those disinclined to get mud to the knees on shopping trips in the Jodhpur markets with indoor comforts, flat screen televisions in the rooms and a long list of available dvds. There are verandahs attached to rooms that overlook the inner courtyard for reading and relaxing or you can just lounge on your huge bed waiting for room service to keep up the steady supplies of drink and food to your room. Beauty treatments are available or a local tailor will create a new wardrobe or make well fitting jodhpur trousers to be shipped later to your home. There is a spa and a shop selling unusual jewellery, objets d’art and handcrafts a few steps into the courtyard – an umbrella and someone to carry it over you will be available on wet days for those with permeable hairstyles.

The streets of the City are endlessly fascinating, a photographer’s and, of course, a shopper’s paradise. At Raas you are cocooned from the bustle and noise outside by old walls and from the business of the hotel, should you so wish, by movable slatted stone jali screens that concertina shut across the verandahs. At the same time you remain part of the City and only yards away from the life of the market and the hurly burly round the old Jodhpur clock tower. Tuk tuk rickshaws are the best transport, weaving most easily between larger vehicles stuck in a morass of cows, motorcycles and a wedding procession or two – the hotel has its own decorated in Jodhpur blue - cars are best used only for longer journeys and need time to work their way through the streets to the hotel entrance to sweep you up to the Mehrengarh or to other parts of remarkable Rajasthan.

Like the state and perhaps Jodhpur in particular, Raas has a unique character created not only by its bricks and mortar, however beautifully designed, but most of all by its people. The colours of the state may be more muted in the uniforms and calming neutral colours in Raas accoutrements but the charm and flashing smiles of the staff are in keeping with its surroundings and make staying there as easy and friendly experience as staying in a private house whilst knowing full well that professionals are in charge and doing all to make your stay as close to perfection as possible.