Traveling in Style to the Pink City

Jaipur, India's first planned city, was painted pink in 1876 to welcome Albert, the UK's Prince of Wales.

I had occasion to visit India on an annual basis every January and normally went to larger cities like Delhi or Mumbai. One such trip to the subcontinent, however, took me to Jaipur, the capital and largest city of the north western Indian state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is affectionally known as the Pink City and is a captivating destination that blends rich history, stunning architecture, and a vibrant cultural tapestry. Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, it’s a key point of the Golden Triangle (along with Delhi and Agra) and offers a deeply immersive experience into India’s royal past. Its allure lies in the harmonious contrast of majestic, yet rugged forts overlooking the bustling colorful city painted in terracotta hues, which were adopted in 1876 to symbolize hospitality. But, with no direct flights to Jaipur from the US East Coast, the journey took over 24 hours and involved three different flights on just as many airlines.

The Dulles Senator Lounge offered plenty of space as well as shower suites and exclusive boarding.

Starting out from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), my reservations were with Lufthansa German Airlines. Their First Class check-in was at Ticket Counter 3 in the Main Terminal. Once those procedures were completed, I proceeded through TSA Security and made my way to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge. It was located in Concourse B near Gate B50, upstairs from their Business Class Lounge. This was a solid, albeit utilitarian, premium lounge for Star Alliance Gold and First Class passengers. It offered floor-to-ceiling tarmac views providing good natural light, along with a tended bar, hot and cold buffet options and a dedicated, quiet First Class section.

The signature Lufthansa Caviar service featured Kaluga Queen Caviar and all the accompaniments.

My initial flight took me to Frankfurt aboard an Airbus A340-600. Upon entering the aircraft, I was warmly greeted by the purser. She directed me to my Seat 2K on the starboard side of the aircraft and presented me with a glass of champagne, as well as pajamas, slippers, a headset and a menu for that evening’s flight. The forward cabin featured eight intimate seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration across two rows The seats were classic, comfortable, and fully lie-flat, offering excellent sleep quality, though they lacked the high-walled privacy suites found on newer aircraft. Once we were airborne sometime after 6:00 PM, cocktails were served with a trilogy of Amuse Bouche followed by Lufthansa’a signature Caviar service, which was outstanding. I selected the Seared Veal Tenderloin Appetizer served with White Asparagus, Shallot and Tarragon. The next course was a Garden Salad after which the crew served a tasty Tomato Lobster Bisque with Lobster Claw and Tarragon. The Veal Tenderloin was my entrée choice accompanied by a Vegetable Roulade and Potato Flan, along with a glass of excellent California Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. There were no less than eight cheeses to choose from before desert and somehow I found room to savor the Lavender Honey Panda Cotta with a Mixed Berry Compote. I had no trouble catching a good four hours of shuteye after that feast and awoke with a few hours to spare before touching down the next morning. 

The Frankfurt First Class Lounge had all the many comforts of home, like food, drink and showers.

We pulled into one of the B gates in Frankfurt Airport’s Terminal One and I had roughly four hours before catching my next flight to New Delhi. Frankfurt is one of Lufthansa’s two hub cities (the other being Munich) and luckily, the First Class Lounge and Spa in the Non-Schengen area of the airport was located upstairs, next to Gate B22 so it was an easy walk. Unlike the dedicated First Class Terminal for passengers originating in Frankfurt, this lounge offered excellent apron views. Seats were clustered into smaller areas designed for groups or families traveling together, but there was also a row of easy chairs overlooking the departure gates below. After grabbing an invigorating shower, I checked out the food offerings as I had skipped the breakfast service on my arriving freight from DC. Both a full buffet and an å la carte menu were available. The breakfast buffet included many hot and cold breakfast items, including Eggs, Bacon, Sausages, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Beans and Potatoes, along with Sliced Meats, Cheeses, Bread, Cereal, Pastries, Fruit and Yogurt, as well as coffee, tea and various juices. I chose to be waited on and relished the Waffles and Bacon, Juice and Coffee. It was far too early in the day for alcohol, but the bar offered a wide selection of beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. Believe it or not, smokers had a large indoor room in which to indulge their habit that included a small, self-serve bar with emphasis on brandy and other libations that are meant to accompany cigars. I was hoping that room had excellent ventilation! A full-service spa was also available to First Class flyers, but sadly there were no saunas or steam rooms. The spa offered any number of paid treatments, but unfortunately, did not provide any of them on a  complimentary basis. The staff in the lounge were excellent. An attendant found me when my flight to Delhi was boarding, capping off a very positive First Class Lounge experience.

Massive, comfortable seats and personalized service were the hallmark of LH A380 First Class.

My second flight was aboard a giant Airbus A380 and I was warmly welcomed by three crew members at the door, one of whom escorted me to my seat 2A in the second row on the port side.The overall design of the cabin was similar to that of the A340-600 I had flown in on earlier, being very open with only eight seats in total. Despite the lack of privacy around each seat, the cabin had an exclusive feel overall and had very thick magnetic curtains at the rear. This gave one the impression that we were in a fully sealed-off room, with no visible signs of other passengers on board. At the front of the cabin, the finishes were equally impressive, with recessed lighting illuminating bold “Lufthansa First Class” lettering. As soon as I sat down, I was given an effusive welcome by one of the very friendly cabin crew. She offered me a steaming hot, scented towel and offered me a glass of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, the same champagne that’s ordinarily offered in First Class on their sister airline SWISS as well as British Airways. One very unique feature of this particular flight was having the captain come around to introduce himself to every First Class passenger, which was a very nice touch indeed. After yet another wonderful meal and very restful sleep, we landed in Delhi on time sometime after midnight the following day.

Club King rooms at the Hyatt Regency Delhi are beautiful and designed for guests' well being.

In view of our very early morning arrival, I spent the night at the Hyatt Regency Delhi Hotel. This was the largest 5-star property in the city, containing 494 rooms and suites and occupying seven stories in an ideal location in the commercial hub. All I needed though was a place to lay my head and appreciated the comforts of the Regency Club King room with its plush bedding and thoughtful amenities. It was back to the Indira Gandhi International Airport by mid-morning to catch a quick, one-hour direct Air India flight to Jaipur. While Air India domestic Business Class didn’t hold a candle to my First Class Lufthansa experiences, I appreciated the dedicated check-in counters and access to the Air India Lounge. The on- board recliner seats were in a 2 x 2 configuration, which offered more personal space than those in Economy Class. We even had welcome drinks and a choice between Indian or Continental cuisine. At about 1:00 PM, the flight touched down at the Jaipur International Airport (JAI), located only eight miles from the city center.

The Rambagh Palace is an architectural marvel and seen as one of the world's best heritage hotels.

Our meetings took place at the Rambagh Palace Hotel, a premiere, 5-star luxury property  managed by Taj Hotels, famously known as the “Jewel of Jaipur.” The hotel was originally built in 1835 as a garden house and later the residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur. Converted into India’s first "palace hotel" in 1957, it was later taken over by Taj Hotels in 1972. Its 47-acre estate blended rich history with opulent Indo-Saracenic architecture, featuring manicured gardens, 78 restored suites and personalized butler service. My king-bedded room was historically themed with antique furniture, rich textured drapes and had a luxurious and modern bathroom. One interesting feature of the hotel was its Polo Bar, a theme-based lounge renowned for its exquisite, polo-inspired ambiance, featuring trophies, photographs, and memorabilia from the Jaipur Polo Team. The Rambaugh Palace offered a taste of rich history and regal lifestyle and proved to be a great choice for my stay in the Indian Subcontinent.

Lively and beautiful best describes Jaipur. I’ll tell you all about my visit to this historic city in a future post.

Until next time…safe travels.