It was a few minutes after 2 a.m. local time when, almost fresh as the proverbial daisy after an easy 16-hour flight from New York via London, I stepped into the lobby of The Leela Hotel, New Delhi, in the territory of Delhi, where, despite the ungodly hour, three ladies in exqusite silk saris and an elegantly-dressed gentleman in a dove-gray suit with a pocket square were waiting to greet me.
All three brought their palms together in unison, in the traditional namaste, or “welcome” gesture, as one of the ladies placed a garland of flowers around my neck and another stepped forward to place the bindi, the red dot said to enhance the anja chakra –“the inner voice that guides you without noise” – upon my forehead.
This welcome, regardless of the time of day or night, is typical of The Leela Hotels , which were to be my hosts over the next eight days. But it is also, in all honestly, characteristic of the warmth and graciousness you encounter all across this enthralling country, so that each time I land in India, I’m reigniting a love affair with it that began almost 30 years ago.
From the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas, which rise in the north of the country, all the way to the southeast bordered by the Bay of Bengal; from the Western Ghats (mountain passes) fringed by the Arabian Sea to desert, jungle and beaches of blinding white sand, India has so much to love.
My own trip, this time around, took me to the cities of the Golden Triangle: to the capital, New Delhi; to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal; and on into Rajasthan. At The Leela Palace, New Delhi, which rises spectacularly in the mist in the heart of the city’s verdant diplomatic area, the lobby is abuzz morning, noon and night, thrumming with life yet never noisy. Low bows are performed, hands shaken and deals made here, while the guest rooms exude quiet luxury.
Housekeeping, it goes without saying is superb – clothes hung and refolded; shoes polished to sparkling reflection. Room service takes just minutes to arrive, the most complex order taken down without a murmur and delivered correctly within minutes. A book I was reading and had left open and face down on the nightstand was left closed and face up, a Leela bookmark placed in the appropriate page. This is what Leela Hotels are like.
As for the hotel restaurants, they are superb, from breakfasts and an unforgettable Sunday brunch at The Qube, to top-flight Indian cooking at Jamavar to modern Japanese at Megu and Franco-Italian fare at Le Cirque.
A visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra, 130 miles south of New Delhi, used to mean an overnight stay in that city, but the introduction of the Gatimaan Express, a fast train to Agra from Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin
Station, means you can see the Taj Mahal and Agra’s magnificent Lal Q’ila, or Red Fort – the largest fort in India – all in a day trip and be back in Delhi by evening. Or you can continue on, as I did, to Jaipur, the resplendent capital of the state of Rajasthan.
If the greeting in New Delhi was impressive, at The Leela Palace Jaipur at midday it was pure theater. A magnificently moustachioed majordomo in full ornamental livery uniform opened the car door to greet me and escorted me under a tall and tasseled umbrella (to protect me from the broiling sun), across a tiled courtyard where costumed dancers swayed in perpetual motion. Meanwhile, Indian musicians – some seated, some standing — played traditional songs of welcome on exotic string and wind instruments. A shower of rose petals was sprinkled over my head as I entered. (No, this doesn’t happen at a Days Inn.)
With its gleaning white façades, expansive courtyards, intricate jaalis (decorative screens), ornate thikri (fancy mirror work) and graceful domes – all in the shade of the glorious Aravillas hills – The Leela Palace Jaipur is sheer magic. My suite came with its own plunge pool, contained within a private courtyard, a kind of prelude to the hotel’s very beautiful main pool, where frankly I could have happily whiled away three days on my chaise longue with Vikram Seth’s 1,400 page-plus “A Suitable Boy” and never sallied forth. But sally forth into Jaipur – sweepingly painted salmon pink in 1876 to herald the arrival of the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, and thus known as the Pink City ever after – you must.
And yet, after I had “done” the City Palace Museum, The Amber Fort and Hawa Mahal (“the Palace of the Winds”), I felt The Leela Palace palpably calling me back for an unforgettable Ayurveda-inspired Abhyanga massage in the hotel’s Aujasya Spa; an evening ritual at the hotel’s Durga temple; and later, a cocktail party on the newly-opened Amber Roof Terrace.
There, as an honored guest – Indians say guests are gods, and with this degree of cosseting, you almost start to believe it – I was introduced to His Highness Padmanabh Singh, the 18-year-old, polo-playing, current Maharaja of Jaipur, whose courtesy, charm and dashing good manners, I hope I can say without fear of lèse majesté, were matched only by his dashing good looks.
Time for me when traveling is too often the enemy, so rather than take the thrilling if enervating seven-or-eight-hour road or rail trip down to Udaipur, capital of the former princely state of Mewar in Rajasthan’s Lake district, reader, I confess I flew. You fly, too, if you have to. It’s a quick one-hour flight from Jaipur but on no account miss this wondrous city, surrounded by seven lakes.
Arriving into Udaipur’s airport at dusk, I took the boat across glassy Lake Pichola to settle in at The Leela Palace Udaipur, the shimmering palace hotel with its vast suites facing the lake, its serene swimming pool and its very own 400-year-old temple, all of it pure class and total refinement in a heritage setting.
That boat that took me, by the way, the hotel’s own launch, is EV-powered, the first in the city, and the palace is a proud member of the Beyond Green global portfolio, whose members offer the world’s most sustainable stays.
Unapologetically romantic, a magnet for couples, Udaipur had no problem working its inimitable charm on this solo traveler, too. With mornings spent at the City Palace, browsing its local bazaars and visiting Udaipur’s delightful Vintage & Classic Car Collection (with its 1931 Cadillac Roadster); drinking Indian chai or good coffee at cafés around the lake while sitting on assorted rooftops, each one with its unique charm; or gazing out at the lake as the lights began to twinkle, I had to admit that Udaipur just did it to me, as it will enchant and seduce you, too.
But, as in New Delhi and Jaipur, The Leela Palace is always calling you back. I strolled through the hotel’s farm, foraging seasonal produce and learning about indigenous ingredients that have long shaped Rajasthan’s culinary heritage. I allowed myself a “spa indulgence” and swam in that dreamy pool on afternoons just turning sultry after a mild spring. I watched the evening ceremonial ritual, a soundscape of folk music and traditional Mewari dance, with a pink gin in hand from the hotel’s pukka Library Bar, and then closed each perfect day with a perfect dinner at the hotel’s Sheesh Mahal restaurant, right on the lake, under the stars.
And on my last morning, I participated in a prayer ritual at the Leela’s very own 400-old temple, a simple white gazebo with a lit fire beneath, dedicated to Lord Shiva and his wife, Lady Parvati. Just the pandit and I were present, as I said thanks for such an exceptional visit.
Next stop in Rajasthan, the “Blue City” of Jodhpur. Although there is no Leela hotel in Jodhpur at present, the company plans to expand to at least 35 hotels across India in the next five to seven years (with its newest Rajasthani property, in the desert city of Jaiselmer, slated to open before the end of 2026), so watch this space.
Ravishing Jodhpur, Rajasthan’s “Blue City,” is home to the colossal Mehrangarh Fort, which seems to dominate the city as if suspended from the sky, and Jodhpur’s Jaswant Thada all-marble memorial, completed in 1906 in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singhjill of Jodhpur, gives the Taj Mahal a run for its money. Then there is the Mandore Garden where couples walk arm in arm, families swarm, posers strut, poets reflect and monkeys run free.
Less edifying perhaps, but equally satisfying, I found Jodhpur a shopper’s paradise, with exquisite handmade furniture from Niktan Export, for instance, which you can also shop online and have made to order. (Owner Vinay Tanwar personally oversees the making of each piece and will video each step of the production process for his clients to see and enjoy.) And I loved getting lost in Bantu and Chitranjan Jain’s gallery, Rangmala, opposite the Stepwell, where I shopped for the softest baby cashmere and prized Changthangi goat pashminas. Or, for a less rarefied, completely different experience, you might head to Jodhpur’s Sardar Market – flamboyant, loud and chaotic, a must-see sea of wares spread out around the city’s 19th century Clock Tower.
A couple of days will suffice in Jodhpur, and you’ll leave it with a heavier suitcase for sure. But you’ll also leave with a lighter mind, shaped by Rajasthan’ living beauty, Leela’s disarming hospitality, and India’s quietly spiritual grace – something that no purchase or souvenir can ever replicate.
For the best rates, book directly through The Leela Hotels. You can also have Leela tailor-make you a multiday itinerary or choose to stay at The Leela Hotels on an organized luxury tour, through an affiliate tour operator.
Jeremy Wayne is a travel adviser with Superior Travel of New York. Email him at jeremy@superiortravel.com.
