Oberoi Rajvillas: The Pinnacle of Luxury
You will simply never experience a resort with this level of attention to detail, or staff so well trained and friendly, as you will at the Oberoi Rajvillas Jaipur. It’s absolutely unparalleled when it comes to its luxury, and all just a few inches (literally) from some of the poorest areas in the world. The dichotomy makes you appreciate the Oberoi even more, and made me truly appreciate how blessed I am in this life in general. The second you arrive here, with rose pedals being thrown, Indian tea being sipped, and wonderful staff introducing themselves, you will see that thriving is a simple as breathing.
Getting here is where the experience of India all began. We were picked up by our driver, Ramesh, who is an absolute gem of a human being. He drove us around 30 minutes through the cow filled streets of Jaipur inside a nice Audi A7, where we were protected from the polluted air of the city. The drive served as an introduction to what we were to expect during our time in India, which really was an abrupt slap in the face. We were hit with the blunt reality of how daily lives of those living here are so incredibly different within the first few minutes of landing, but then, just past the herd of pigs and peeing man, we turned inside the gates and entered El Dorado for all I knew.
Seeing this after driving through the impoverished outskirts of Jaipur was one of the most shockingly beautiful sites in the world. An oasis is the only word to describe this hotel.
To describe the shift in socioeconomic status and social environment outside the gates versus inside is almost impossible. As you turn in the gates, several Indian guards greet you (with a beautifully choreographed sequence), and the damaged roads surrounded by dirt becomes perfect cobblestone surrounded by beautiful flowers. And the royal treatment began immediately upon stepping out of the car, where we were LITERALLY showered with flowers every step from the car, around the fountain, up the staircase and into the lobby, where a special Indian sweet tea served as the cherry on top, along with being adorned with flower necklaces and a bindi. We were checked into the hotel while relaxing on a couch of the lobby, and once we were ready to go to our rooms, we each had a member from their concierge escort us and explain the ins and outs of the hotel. It was a nice personal touch, and showed how far the hotel would go to ensure each and every guest has a perfect experience. Abi, the hotel manager, even placed a tracker on us so he knew where to find and greet us every day (I'm kidding, no trackers involved here, but it sure felt like it at times).
Service: A+++
There is simply no other place in the world that I have ever been which has come remotely close to the feeling you get while being a guest of the Oberoi Rajvillas. You're revered here like a cow. Which seems like it wouldn't be that great. I wrote that sentenced and laughed a bit because it might be the most exclusively Indian simile I could have possibly used. But anyways, when it comes to service, there is no place like this hotel, and you will be in th ebest of hands during your stay here.
There are about as many peacocks roaming around the grounds as there are employees-and that's a lot!
Rooms: A-
Scattered in small one story "mini-complexes" around the property, these opulent rooms are reminiscent of traditional Jaipur royal living, extending the feeling of being a king right to your 4-poster king sized bed. The bathroom is incredible, and the best part is the bathtub which is flush with the floor and finished with beautiful white marble. The only complaint I would have of the rooms is that they don't really take advantage of being on the ground level of such a beautiful property and there is no patio area, so that was a slight bummer. Regardless, these rooms are top notch.
The mini-complexes of rooms, each with it's own courtyard and fountain separating pairs of rooms.
Dining: B+
Indian food is absolutely incredible, and the Oberoi does a great job staying true to the identity of the cuisine, which I appreciated. There are several places to eat or have a snack around the property, including an outdoor restaurant at the back, a classy bar called the Library by the lobby (which had fantastic snacks and appetizers) and the main restaurant just next to the lobby. My complaint here is again relatively mundane, but I gotta be honest here. The breakfast buffet was a bit underwhelming relative to the grandeur of the resort. Everything tasted fantastic, but there not very many options that made me feel truly satisfied.
Amenities: A+
The main pool of the Oberoi Rajvillas, where you are served by personal pool boys (and they can do everything from bring you food and drinks to pool toys to changing the temperature of the pool itself!)
I felt like every corner I turned there was another feature of this hotel that I did not know about. We played a tennis match surrounded by peacocks, pitched and putted on the small golf course, swam in a gorgeous (albeit freezing) pool, did free relaxing morning yoga, worked out in the simple but fully equipped gym, got facials for an hour at the spa, and well, I think you get the point. As the hotel is a bit far from the city itself, they really go above and beyond to make sure that you really do not want to leave the hotel. Every day we went out to see the sights, we were ecstatic to return to the hotel and experience the beauty of the Oberoi.
Location: B+
Look, you really don't want to be smack in the city for quite a few reasons. It's louder, smoggier, and frankly getting around is not that much more efficient thanks to those cows. But at the same time, there were moments I wished we were slightly closer because the twenty minute drive to get from the hotel into the city was not the most efficient thing in the world.
At the end of the day, the service and beautiful grounds of this hotel make it one of the top five hotels I have ever stayed at. You're walking around with peacocks while green parakeets fly overhead. It lead to many moments for me where I found myself at such peace and tranquility that I just stopped and enjoyed my surroundings for a moment. The beauty of this hotel and the way it makes you feel as a result of the people, the nature, and the profound culture is unlike anywhere else, and I felt like I was thriving more than ever before during my time at the Oberoi Rajvillas.