Upcoming India Trip - Working Out the Siteseeing, Shopping and Dining Details for Jaipur
 

We leave for India in about three weeks. Our second stop is Jaipur (see posts elsewhere with questions on Agra and Delhi). We are staying at Rajvilas for three nights before we proceed on to Ranthambore Nat'l Park. That will allow us two full days of siteseeing and shopping. We will have a driver and a guide at our disposal but it is not mandatory that we use them all of the time. We will probably want to sitesee in the morning and shop in the afternoon.

From my research, it seems that the "must sees" are City Palace, Jantar Mantar observatory and Hawal Mahal (Palace of the Wind) on one day and Amber Fort and Palace on the other day. Jaigarh Fort is sort of near Amber Fort and sounds interesting - is it worth taking the extra time to go there? Any other "must sees" in Jaipur and environs?

As for shopping, I have seen good recommendations for jewelry (Gem Palace, Amrapali, Surana), textiles (Anokhi) and handicrafts (Rajasthali). Any other comments or suggestions?

I am sure we will dine at our hotel at least one night. We do not normally eat lunch but prefer to snack on granola bars and fruit. Other dinner options include Suvarna Mahal at Rambagh Palace (one poster said they got sick from eating here!) and Niros. Can anyone share their experiences at these places or provide other recommendations?

Thanks, all for your help.

topping...

Craig,
We had dinner at the Rambagh Palace which I recommend. We ate in their formal dinning room though there was also an outdoor buffet.The food and the service were excellent. It is certainly worth visiting the palace especially if you have read the memoirs of the Majarajah of Jaipur, "A Princess Remembers".

In addition to Anhoki we liked Soma which is fairly close by car. The stones really are best in Jaipur...you'll see many more settings and designs which are superior to most of what you'll see elsewhere.

Have a great trip!

You should ask your hotel for recommendations. They will have an interest in providing you with good reputable options! We stayed at JasVilas and they gave us really great info on where to shop. After all, you are their guest and they want you to be happy and your stay to be a positive experience and that very much includes great eating & good shopping, to me!

We bought some lovely bracelets and rings at Gem Palace in the Rambagh Hotel. Expensive but they made spectacular gifts.

We did not like the service or the food at Rambagh Palace. Super expensive and tiresome, lazy, rude staff who could not even take our order correctly. My English is poor but understandable!

Our favourite cheapie cafe in Jaipur was
Handi opp GPO in MI Road. Ate there twice for lunch and food was cheap & delicious and we were lived to tell the tale! Magic dhal and chicken curries. Naan bread to die for! I wish I was there NOW!

For great silver jewellery try Bilaji just near Handi in MI Rd. Also Silver Mines closeby had lovely stuff. Like a garnet bracelet which I loved but was more than my budget. I think they wanted US75 for it!

I bought some lovely little silver elephants and a gorgeous tiny image of a buddha head for 1100 r's (US25) at Jaisalmer Arts & Crafts on Amer Palace Rd. They have some unique pieces and the staff are very helpful. Bargain hard there. Prices are around half of what we paid in Myanmar and Laos for beautiful silver ornaments. My family loved them and they make cheap unique gifts.

Jaipur is a fabulous city and one of our favourites. Don't miss the many bazaars and the fabulous street food therein!

If you have a driver and a guide, it will be very difficult for you to break away from them for shopping. If you do, tell us how you did it!
Lyndie's obviously explored Jaipur well, plus you have already shortlisted some of the more reliable shops.

For dining, try the Jai Mahal Palace hotel too.

rajhelp50 - we will only have the guide for 1/2 day on most days - siteseeing in the AM, shopping in the PM.

I would def go to see the Rambagh - it is completely different from Raj Vilas, an old restored palace, very impressive. If you do not want to eat there have a drink - they ahve a dance performace by local artistes daily in the evening so try and check timing and go for that. If you order a snack and some drinks they will let you watch. The go on somewhere more local for dinner. Anokhi in Delhi is much better stocked and more central than Anokhi in Jaipur so ditch that if you can go in Delhi. Cottons in Jaipur is an interesting store - Cottons, at 2 Achrol Estate, Jacob Road, Jaipur near Soma. Another gorgeous Jaipur hotel for an evening excursion and dinner is Samode Palace - www.samode.com. Frankly, Anokhi, Soma, Cottons all have Delhi branches so you can always shop in Delhi in case you decide to go a bit far for dinner eg Samode.

Again you got the 'must do's' right. Food - again stick to the hotels, some good reccomendations by other posters. I agree with Hobbes - do the major shopping in Delhi. If you are staying in Rajvilas, go and eat at either the Rambagh or Samode or both. Do visit the main bazaar in Jaipur. You can do Jaigarh fort can be visited provided you have the time, if you get a bit rushed - drop it.