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Gem of an Experience

Northwest of Varanasi, at the bottom of the Golden Triangle is the Rajasthani city of Jaipur. This is quintessential India. The men show off handlebar mustaches and bold red turbans while the women don brightly colored silk saris, gemstone embedded nose rings, and bangles. It’s lively, yet seemingly less crowded than places like Delhi and Varanasi, and is in close vicinity of numerous historical sites. Amber Fort tends to top travelers’ lists, some riding an elephant to these popular ramparts. This place isn’t void of the touristy snake charmers and strolling trinket salesmen, but it’s a fantastic exhibition of elegant alabaster relief work, mirrored mosaics, and latticed windows. One of my favorite sites is the lesser-known Galwar Bach, or Monkey Temple, on the far east side of town. Locals come to bathe in waters believed to spring from the Ganges as well as to visit the local temple. Hundreds of monkeys hang out with ganja-smoking sadhus (holy men) and can be fed by hand—the monkeys, not the holy men. Everywhere you look in this pink-walled city are architectural gems, from the Palace of Winds façade and City Palace to the impressive gates leading to old Jaipur.

Bazaars selling garlands of marigolds, fabrics, and colorful bangles line narrow pedestrian lanes, creating a labyrinth of shoppers’ utopia. This city is also famous for gemstones, with some of the world’s best gem cutters. Needless to say, these sites prompted the construction of many hotels to host the flocks of travelers. The Taj Group converted opulent Rambagh Palace into a luxury hotel and in April of 2007 added a full-service Taj Spa to the privileged list of amenities. The fifteen signature ‘Taj Spa’ properties rebranded the former ‘Jiva Spa’ title, and hired a staff to infuse treatments with authentic Indian wisdom as well as incorporate elements of Vastushastra, the traditional Indian canon of space planning, into the design.

On my journey, I visited The Oberoi Rajvilas—which turned out to be my personal favorite—an opulent hotel just outside Jaipur encompassing a 250 year-old Shiva temple. In fact, I found it so enchanting that I decided to marry there a year after my original visit. Fashioned after a traditional Rajasthani fort, the protective turrets guard over 32-acres of exclusive grounds and clusters of 72 ultra-private rooms within its pinkish-toned walls. Decorative details like Mughal-style frescoes made from ground semi-precious stones, 500-pound handmade brass doors, and antique crystal chandeliers brought fairytale imagery I conjured up as a little girl into existence. While my husband-to-be did ride a white horse to the ceremony, Rajvilas surpassed my storybook standards preceding my wedded bliss with several days of pampering at the spa.  Within a restored courtyard mansion or haveli, the spa offers both western and Ayurvedic therapies. The Mendhi ritual of decorating my hands and feet in traditional henna followed a relaxing Ayurvedic Abhyangam  (four-handed massage), Anna Lepanam body wrap, and milk-infused rose bath. Indian foot-bathing rituals marked the beginning of each treatment, not to mention warded off any notion of cold feet.

During a previous visit to Jaipur, I took a few extra days to visit one of Aman Resorts’ newest additions to their luxury chain, Amanbagh, in the village of Alwar, 93 miles northeast of Jaipur. Driving across the desert landscape dotted with the intermittent royal palm and the Aravalli Hills framing the horizon, I felt overwhelmed by the solitude and joy of being completely removed from the stress and chaos of the city. Stepping into the cool marbled opulence of Amanbagh comprised of 21-havelli suites and 16 pool pavilions felt like an oasis. Yoga sessions, massages, and Ayurvedic remedies rejuvenate before embarking on the rest of your whirlwind tour. And, like The Oberoi Rajvilas, who provides transfers to their tented resort and spa, Vanyavilas, Amanbagh will also transport guests to their deluxe-tented accommodations, Aman-i-khas, complete with a spa tent, in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve 112 miles southeast of Jaipur. While this protected national park boasts the country’s finest safari-style accommodations, it is one of the smallest of the 27 comprising ‘Project Tiger’—an initiative founded in 1973 to protect the endangered species. Ranthambore serves as a sanctuary to numerous wild animals including hyenas, jackals, and an approximate 50 tigers lurking in the underbrush. To better your odds at a spotting, plan to stay at least a few days and go on multiple safari outings.  

The Venice of India

Udaipur’s appeal depends solely on one thing, a lot of rain. Without the heavy rains in monsoon season, Udaipur’s centerpiece, Lake Pichola, is but a dusty pit. With the exception of a recent drought, this is usually not the case and this popular tourist destination in the southern part of Rajasthan is one of the most picturesque in India. Intricately carved temples and palaces line up along the waterfront like a neat row of uniformed soldiers. The City Palace hovering above, like a well-decorated lieutenant. One of my favorite pastimes in Udaipur was to perch myself on a rooftop overlooking the boats traversing back and forth to the two floating palaces, one of which is the historic Taj Lake Palace Resort, which has an impressive signature spa where you can partake in a pre-wedding bathing ritual specific to the Mewar Region’s royalty, sans having to exchange any vows.

Tucked behind this pristine lakefront façade is a walled maze of narrow passageways with shops famous for selling handmade papers, silver jewelry, folk toys, and wall hangings. One thing I learned the hard way, Udaipur is not famous for manicures and pedicures. Unless you are at a high-end resort, steer clear of the local shops offering these services. Masters at shaving a man’s face with a straight edge, the local mani-pedi I treated myself to included a plastic bowl of dirty water, wooden tools, and a cheese grate, topped off with old clumpy polish. For aesthetic expertise, I recommend the spa at The Oberoi Udaivilas just outside the old city. Every year this resort receives accolades as one of the world’s best, and the spa treatment rooms situated around a two-story rotunda extend services that parallel these rave reviews. Guests can opt for intensive Ayurvedic programs or Thai, Balinese, and Hawaiian therapies, as well as participate in private sessions of yoga, meditation and pranayama (breathing techniques).

Migrating South

While it’s not impossible to visit both Northern and Southern India during one visit, it’s wise to choose one or the other in the name of time. If you feel like this is your once-in-a-lifetime trip and the Ayurvedic healing rituals of India fascinate you, then you’d be remiss not to go to the source. While many claim that the southern state of Kerala discovered the ancient science of healing, it simply thrives here due the lush tropical climate, which facilitates the growth of key herbal ingredients. 

The airport in Kochi (Cochin) serves as the departure point from which to explore this green state. You will most likely route through Mumbai (Bombay), where you can stop over to explore the bustling Colaba district and visit the spa at famous Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel facing the commonly photographed monument, Gateway to India. Taj Club & Spa at the Wellington Mews Luxury Residences Mumbai, inarguably the most contemporary spa in Mumbai, extends both beauty treatments and authentic Ayurveda within the six treatment rooms. While stays in the luxury residences are a minimum of one month, you can book treatments at the separate three-tiered spa. A semi-circle of floor-to-ceiling glass encases the relaxation area and the pool on a private rooftop transports the exclusive number of guests from the hubbub of South Mumbai. I spent hours in a private session with a yoga instructor practicing asanas and pranayama as well as discussing mudras and Hirdayakasha Dharana, which is a concentration on the heart space. He provided gentle guidance, unwavering presence, and sincerity, giving even more credence to the Taj Spa motto, Atithi Devo Bhava, meaning, `The Guest is God.’   

To truly get a sense of the Keralan terrain, covered by rice patty fields and verdant jungle, take a backwaters tour aboard a traditional rice boat converted into a houseboat called a ‘kettuvallam.’ Many travelers head to Alleppey’s port since most of the houseboats dock here. But I decided to check out Kumarakom Lake Resort, given its affiliation with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and discovered that in addition to the 50 individual cottages on the 25-acre property, they also have a fleet of kettuvallams. I opted for three nights aboard a houseboat, instead of the typical overnight journey, in order to traverse deeper into the lily pad covered canals lined by small villages filled with hardworking ‘dhobi wallahs’—people twirling laundry overhead and beating them against rocks. After meeting with the onsite Ayurvedic doctor and experiencing the somewhat rustic treatments performed by therapists wearing picnic-table gingham aprons, I determined that while the Ayurveda was authentic and awarded Kerala’s highest designation—Green Leaf Certification—more guests seemed to revel in the huge buffet, cruise-ship style music entertainment and activities like pottery and basket weaving.

Taj Green Cove Resort, in Kovalam, Kerala, proves to be one of the finest Ayurvedic escapes out of the eleven signature Taj Spa properties throughout India. And yet another popular hotel chain with international travelers in Kerala is Casino Group Hotels Earth (CGH Earth). Unlike the name suggests, there are no casinos to be found, rather, wonderfully unique accommodations, onsite Ayurvedic spas, and a fleet of traditional kettuvallams. (See ‘Focus on Ayurveda’ sidebar.) CGH Earth’s seven popular resorts include water-only accessible Coconut Lagoon, colonial-style Brunton Boatyard in Cochin, and the jungle-bungalow accommodations of Spice Village in the Periyar wilderness, in the western ghats of Kerala, just to name a few.

My last day aboard my houseboat, I awoke at dawn to temple music wafting over the still waters from a nearby village. I peered out the fake stained glass window in my cabin to see subtle movement: a boat captain bathing in the river before his morning prayer ritual, a little girl rowing a wooden canoe to deliver food to a nearby kettuvallam, a man in a sarong riding his bicycle on the adjacent levy. It reminded me that despite the many advances being made across India, there is a distinct tranquility—detectable even among the organized chaos—that will rise above any kind of industrial revolution. Peace emanates from the people, regardless of wealth or lack thereof, and this is what forever maintains India’s status as the world’s spiritual superpower.