By the time we arrive in Jaipur, my senses are firing on all cylinders. I expected India to be vast, intense and overwhelming, but the scale of the place and the great swell of people are still staggering. And now it’s Holi, the festival of colours, spring and the triumph of good over evil.
The streets are laden with tremendous open-mouthed sacks of naturally coloured powders made of neem, turmeric, kumkum and any number of herbs that, according to Ayurveda, are really good for you.
This must explain why everyone is drenched in violent shades of magenta pink, yellow, green and blue — and fully intends to share the health effects with us through generous applications delivered by hand.
The scene on the streets, set against the sublime pink hue of the city, is astonishing, and as we make our way to Jantar Mantar, the 18th-century astronomical observatory built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II — a passionate stargazer and mathematically minded monarch — I am not surprised to find that the instruments in this garden of science are built on a gigantic scale.
They dwarf the humans, as if to put us in our minuscule place in the context of the vast, marvellous universe out there. Also, we are now indistinguishable from the colourful crowds we have just braved.
Up at the Amber Fort, another gargantuan, full-scale architectural production that puts the Game of Thrones VFX to shame, a small temple at the gates is given over to dancing in a shower of colours.
Elephants take starstruck tourists for rides perched on highly embellished howdahs, adding to the delights of mirrored great halls and rooms upon rooms unfolding and collapsing into each other like a Mughal kaleidoscope built of red sandstone, coloured glass and extreme whimsy.
Villa Palladio Jaipur fits so seamlessly into the Pink City that I can barely believe it exists, despite the undeniable fact that I am very much inside it.
The Villa opened its glorious doors in September 2022 and sprang fully formed, like an oneiric Rococo confection that meets a Rajasthan mahal illusion, from the minds of Italian entrepreneur Barbara Miolini and Dutch designer Marie-Anne Oudejans.
The full effect of this vibrating red mahal is joy. Imagine you have taken up residence in a jewel box, or find yourself in a parallel universe where the Queen of Hearts and Marie Antoinette have decided that life is much more to their liking in Jaipur and have established themselves in a folly designed to elicit only happiness.
The footmen have escaped from that hotel in Budapest and are now to be found in turbans and floral block-print uniforms, subtly making all your wishes manifest. The bedrooms reinforce the princess vibes on steroids, while, happily, the nine rooms offer a private sanctuary from the sensory overwhelm outside.
Poolside, a sweet pavilion dispenses cocktails as a full moon rises over the palm trees, and in the stables, a foal with the corkscrew ears of its great sires — the majestic desert-bred Marwari, ancient steeds to Rajasthani warriors — is taking its first fresh steps into life. Pinch me — I must be dreaming.
From the May issue of Wanted, 2026
