Khatu Haveli

# Khatu Haveli, Jaipur

When the BBC needed a house that could show eight British celebrities what old Jaipur actually feels like, it chose Khatu Haveli. The Real Marigold Hotel was filmed here in September 2015, with a cast including Miriam Margolyes, Wayne Sleep and Sylvester McCoy living in the haveli for around three weeks, shopping for groceries in the lanes, visiting the local barber and tailors, and joining the Ganesh festival. The three-part series aired on BBC Two in early 2016 and now circulates abroad as The Indian Dream Hotel.

Six generations behind the door

The haveli was built in the mid 19th century by Thakur Sobhag Singh. Khatu itself is a small township about 80 kilometres west of Jaipur, and a popular Hindu pilgrimage site. Six generations of the Khatu family have lived here since, and the family now runs a portion of the building as a small guesthouse. It sits on Bagru Walo Ka Rasta off Chandpole Bazar, inside the walled Pink City itself, half a kilometre from the old city's main east-west artery, with City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar about 2.5 kilometres away.

Three courtyards, six generations, and the old city's noise just past the gate.

Courtyards, terraces, home cooking

The building is arranged around three courtyards, with the arches, verandas, galleries and terraces that define haveli architecture. Rooms come in three types named for where they sit: Heritage Rooms, ground-floor Courtyard Rooms and a rooftop Single Room with a fort view, all with air conditioning, Wi-Fi, tea and coffee making and LED televisions. Breakfast is included, and the family kitchen will cook a Rajasthani dinner if you let them know earlier in the day. This is not a hotel with a heritage theme; it is a family house that admits guests, which in our book is the better thing to be.