Jaipur: What's A Haveli?

The first week of our trip was spent doing the well-traveled "Golden Triangle Tour", starting with Delhi and the second point being Jaipur and ending in Agra and the Taj Mahal. Jaipur was the city I had the least knowledge of so my expectations were pretty low, little did I know it would end up being one of my favorite places... purely because of the gem of a place we stayed in.

To Stay
Our hotel in Jaipur, Alsisar Haveli is one of those places I will remember forever. Haveli is a Persian term meaning "enclosed space". The havelis in India are essentially huge mansions that were previously occupied by royal ministers and have now been transformed into private heritage hotels.  From the outside Alsisar Haveli looks like a complete dump. (Literally there was someone's laundry hanging underneath the shabby sign.) My heart sank and the inner germaphobe in me cringed when we pulled up from the noisy street.

To our surprise it opened up to the most beautiful courtyard, fountain and swimming pool. It was literally like walking into a secret garden. The rooms were detailed with beautiful mosaic tiles and Indian drapery. The people were so friendly and hospitable; staying at the Alsisar Haveli was one of the best experiences of our whole trip.

To See
If you want to experience more than just the hotel :) there is also plenty to do in Jaipur! As the second point of the Golden Triangle Jaipur has a wealth of sights to see. Highlights included the Pink City, within the city walls. All of the buildings were a deep pink hue, a command from Sawai Ram Singh to welcome Edward, Prince of Whales in 1876.

One of the coolest experiences was also taking an elephant ride up to the Amber Fort, which was built to protect the Pink City. Up at the very top you can get a birds eye view of Jaipur.

 Next up, Agra and the Taj Mahal! 

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