Rambagh Palace, a TAJ Hotel

Since the Fifties this splendid, sprawling palace has been at the top of Jaipur’s luxury hotel market. Rambagh Palace began its life as a guest house for Rajasthan’s royals, and the more things change, the more they stay the same — it’s a part of the Taj hotel group now, and is more or less a guest house for the modern version of royalty: the well-heeled high-end travelers who keep the world’s five-star hotels in business.

As far as the experience goes, it’s more or less what you’d want it to be. Rather than design-hotel surprises, the Rambagh Palace aims for an old-world aristocratic fantasy — and, for the most part, it succeeds quite admirably. Many of the basic rooms have been renovated and are nothing if not comfortable — but if you’re really after the full effect then you’d be well advised to move up to the suites. Not just for the space and the added comforts but for the design as well; this is where you’ll find antique style to match the Palace’s public spaces, plus views of the gardens, and butler service as well, which you don’t need us to tell you is a good thing.