Samode Haveli

When Jaipur's capital moved down from Amber, the family who served as Prime Minister at the court were granted one of the prime residential sites in the new city. Rawal Sheo Singhji built Samode Haveli on it over two centuries ago, and here is the part that matters: the Samode family still lives in it. Their legacy runs back some 500 years as Thakurs of Amber with the title of Maha Rawals, and the dining is overseen by the owning family themselves.

Frescoes you sleep inside

The 50 rooms spread across three sections of the building in four categories: Deluxe rooms, Deluxe suites, the Haveli suite and, at the top, two Sheesh Mahal suites that keep their original frescoes and mirror work. Period and four-poster beds meet marble bathrooms with standalone Elizabethan tubs; the walls carry hand-painted murals and the courtyards billow with bougainvillea.

Dinner at the family's own stepwell, lit by a thousand flickering lamps.

Eating runs from the signature restaurant (buffet breakfast, buffet or a la carte later) to a poolside bar and a lobby bar set among fruiting trees and fountains. The set piece is private dining at the Haveli's own stepwell, lit, in the hotel's words, with a thousand flickering lamps, or under the poolside gazebo.

The old city as a house guest

Guided walks of the old city are complimentary: the morning walk leaves at 6.30am, lasts two and a half hours and is led by a member of the Samode team. Winter adds a terrace sundowner with kite flying taught by the hotel team over panoramic old Jaipur; there are cooking demonstrations with the chefs and even a fresco painting class. The gym and spa sit in their own unit overlooking the pool. Practicalities: five minutes' drive to the City Palace and Hawa Mahal, fifteen to Amber Fort, 6 km to the railway station, 17 km to the airport, and about four hours from Delhi. Sister houses (Samode Palace, Samode Bagh, Samode Safari Lodge) can string into a circuit.