India is known for many things, like its culture, its foods, and certainly its palaces. You can find palaces used by Indian royalty in the past all over India, where parts of them are allocated to being tourist attractions because 1) the royal family that owns it uses that to maintain a revenue or 2) the Indian government annexed it. However, some palaces have been converted into heritage hotels, where you can actually stay in one of the rooms there and enjoy the lifestyle of being a wealthy guest at a palace, almost like royalty. I actually got a chance to stay at the Narain Niwas Palace Hotel, which lies at the heart of Jaipur, Rajasthan (sidenote: Rajasthan is known for the high density of palaces and forts that still are maintained to this day).
Narain Niwas is in the dead center of Jaipur, so you would think that the usual Indian noise pollution would be a hassle; however, when I went into the gates of the hotel, the noise almost immediately died down. All I could hear were the sounds of exotic birds and peacocks (more on that later). The palace overwhelms you when you get inside the gates with its well maintained architecture. Compared to that of the other palaces that are partially dilapidated, this was tidy and held several servants that still maintained its beauty.
All the rooms very by location; my room was converted from the guest rooms given back in the day, so they were not as large and extravagant as what I expected. On the upside, though, I got to have a great view of the courtyard of the hotel. Three restaurants were on location, as well; one was an Indian style restaurant that had traditional Rajasthani acts, like dance performers and puppeteers, the second was an Italian restaurant with outdoor seating on couches and a bar in the back (there are mocktails, which are nonalcoholic cocktails, that were refreshing, like a good mint cooler), and the last one was in the palace itself which served breakfast, like omelets or rotis.
Also, many peacocks and other birds reside on the hotel grounds. They are not owned by the hotel (because that would illegal), but they stay there and are fed nuts and seeds since the outside of the palace boundaries are wild and loud and unpredictable. I actually got to see and take photos of a male peacock with its plumes out, trying to attract a female that was standing next to the pool. Many parrots also fly around and stay in the trees in the courtyard. It is a pleasant sight and a pastime to observe them.
The only downside to the hotel was that my room did not have WiFi reception. Don't get me wrong, the hotel's main building has WiFi connection, but the rooms that were a bit further from the main building were made of stone and, I am assuming, concrete. Then again, you can just put your phone down and enjoy the fresh air.
Staying at an Indian heritage hotel is an opportunity unique to anything else in India. While commercial hotels like Crowne Plaza and Marriott are there, it won't give the experience and culture that a heritage hotel holds in its gates. When you go to India, try staying at one of them; you won't regret a single thing.
