It was supposed to be a rainy weekend at The Machan, but no reservations and flaky friends (R, N, T – we’re looking at you) thwarted our plan. So we ended up at the Tree House Resort in Rajasthan instead, forty minutes out of Jaipur. Here are some chronicles from our trip.
The Tree House Resort:
Offering “nests” of various sizes, along with a spa, a (slightly skeevy) pool, a pretty but tiny bar and a bunch of trees, the Tree House Resort is a fun way to “glamp”. We were surprised at how modern our rooms were, seeing that they were literally perched on the top of trees with branches skewering through them, and also enjoyed extensive Rajasthani lunch buffets. Stick to this instead of room service: it’s inefficient, and we have never tasted a worse club sandwich than the one they brought us.
PS: bpb was invited to visit, and was hosted here for the weekend.
The Verandah/Polo Bar at Taj Rambagh Palace:
Jaipur’s most opulent hotel is a fun place to get drinks at, but only if you have deep pockets and a tolerance for really, really (really!) bad kathak dancers. We settled into the lightly populated Verandah with a seriously dangerous Bloodiest of Bloody Mary’s to watch a “traditional live dance performance”, which ended up being more amateurish than most wedding sangeets. They do however, have a sweet old palm reader and delish kidney-bean tarts on the menu.
1135 AD, Amber Fort:
Located inside the Amber/Amer Fort – “the best fort in Jaipur,” our driver assures – 1135 AD is an extremely pretty Rajasthani restaurant with super ambience and food to match, but know this: they do not have an alcohol license. Comfort yourself with a not-to-sweet chocolate milkshake and order a thaali. It’s known to induce food coma, but we guarantee you’ll die happy. PS: Call ahead to make sure they’re open and get a reservation.
Anokhi Café:
A lot like the now defunct Moshe café at Fab India, the Anokhi Café is a fun (but over-hyped) place to grab lunch. Housed in an unremarkable mall, here you’ll find decent bagels, good banana-chocolate cake and lots of expats.
Rasa:
Known for their yummy prints and fabrics, this fashion-interiors store can be a bit of a hit-or-miss. We’re not wild about their cuts, but we did find pretty white-and-blue bird print silk and a kurta for Ganpathy. Rasa stuff can be found in Mumbai too (Bombay Electric stocks it), but at more than double their Jaipur prices.
Bon voyage!
