A palace built for a new century
A new building: the Fairmont was built from the ground up as a hotel, not converted from a royal house. No maharaja ever lived here.
The opening: it opened in August 2012, the brand's arrival in India.
- Opened
- 9 August 2012
- A first
- Fairmont's first hotel in India
- Built
- New, from the ground up
- Brand
- Fairmont, part of Accor
- Address area
- RIICO Kukas, north of Amer
- The brand: Fairmont began in North America with grand railway-era hotels, and is now part of the French group Accor.
- The design idea: the architects drew on the Mughal and Rajput palaces of the region, with domes, arches, courtyards and decorated halls.
- The honest label: like The Leela Palace Jaipur nearby, it belongs to the tradition of new hotels built in palace style.
- Why that matters: you get consistent modern comfort, not history. Our guide to palace hotels explains both kinds.
In the hills beyond Amer
Where it is: at Kukas, on the Delhi road north of Amer, with the low, rocky Aravalli hills around it.
Close to Amer: Amber Fort is a short drive, which matters, because the fort is at its best in the first hour after the gates open.
- Far from the walled city: Hawa Mahal and the bazaars are a drive of perhaps forty-five minutes or more, longer in the evening rush.
- On the Delhi road: guests driving from the capital arrive without crossing Jaipur, and leave for Delhi or Shekhawati on the right side of town.
- The ridge forts: Jaigarh and Nahargarh are on this side of the city too.
- Inside the gates: the highway disappears behind gardens, courtyards and the hills.
- The Aravallis: among the oldest mountains on earth, worn down to low rocky ridges of thorn scrub, where peafowl, nilgai and many birds still live.
- The old frontier: these hills once protected Amer, the Kachwaha capital for six centuries before Jaipur was founded in 1727.
What staying here is like
The Fairmont is built for big gestures: grand halls, wide courtyards and long views to the hills. It suits travellers who enjoy a sense of occasion, and families who need space to spread out after a day of sightseeing.
The decoration: Mughal and Rajput motifs throughout, from arches and domes to painted and mirrored details in the public rooms.
- The rooms: modern, spacious and consistent, with large bathrooms. We won't quote category names or claim one is the best.
- How we choose: by what matters to you, such as hill views, closeness to the pool for children, or distance from the event lawns for light sleepers.
- Easy to move around: lifts and level paths make it simpler for grandparents and small children than an old palace.
- The service: polished and well drilled, used to large families, groups and celebrations.
- Comfort in the heat: in the hot months a modern building with quiet air conditioning is a real advantage.
- Evenings: in the cool months the courtyards and lawns come alive after dark, and dinner outside under the hills is the best hour of the day.
- Quiet hours: early mornings are calm, before the day's events begin. Take breakfast outside if the weather allows.
Reading a palace built in palace style
Jharokha: the enclosed, overhanging balcony window from which royal women could look out unseen. You will see it on Hawa Mahal and on the hotel's facade.
Chhatri: the small domed pavilion on slim pillars, used on rooftops and over royal cenotaphs.
- Jaali: the pierced stone screen that filters light and breeze, used in the old palaces to keep rooms cool.
- Cusped arch: the arch edged with a row of small curves, a Mughal form the Rajputs adopted.
- Courtyards and water: in old palaces they pulled cool air through the building. In a modern hotel they are mostly for beauty, because the air conditioning does the work.
- See the real thing: stand in the courtyards of Amber in the morning, then look again at the arches over your hotel pool. Our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture goes further.
Eating at the Fairmont
The choice: several restaurants and a bar, plus meals by the pool and in the gardens. Names and concepts change, so we confirm them when you travel.
Order Rajasthani: laal maas, the Rajput mutton curry in a fiery red chilli sauce, is the classic.
- For vegetarians: a Rajasthani thali with dal baati churma, gatte ki sabzi and ker sangri, the dried berries and beans of the Thar.
- Jaipur breakfast: ask for pyaaz kachori, the flaky spiced onion pastry the city eats in the morning.
- In winter: bajre ki roti, millet bread with white butter and jaggery.
- Special evenings: we arrange private dinners in the gardens or by the pool. See our page on a private dinner in a palace.
- Eat out once: keep one meal for the old city. Our food of Jaipur guide lists its great breakfasts and street food.
The pool, the spa and the slow afternoons
The pool: one of the hotel's best features, large and open, with the hills behind it. Children love it.
The spa: a full spa with Indian and international treatments. Menus change, so we won't list them.
- Pool
- Large, with hill views
- Spa
- Indian and international therapies
- Best spa slot
- Early afternoon, after Amer
- Book
- On arrival, in the busy season
- What we recommend: an Ayurvedic oil massage, with warm herbal oils and long strokes, after a morning on the ramparts at Amer.
- Fitness: a gym, and yoga sessions that the hotel can arrange. Ask what is running when you are there.
- Go deeper: our page on spas and Ayurveda explains the therapies and how to choose.
What to do from the Fairmont
Amber Fort at opening time
Why from here: the fort is a short drive, so you reach the gates as they open without a pre-dawn crawl through the city.
- Inside: the Sheesh Mahal, the hall of mirrors, is quietest in the first hour.
- Our rule: we walk or drive guests up to the fort, and we don't book elephant rides.
Panna Meena ka Kund and the old town
- After the fort: walk down into the old town of Amer, with its temples, havelis and the geometric stepwell of Panna Meena ka Kund.
- Best light: mid-morning, when the stepwell's criss-cross steps throw sharp shadows.
Jaigarh and the Jaivana cannon
What it is: the fort that guarded the old capital and its treasury, joined to Amber by walls along the ridge.
- The cannon: the Jaivana, cast on the site in the eighteenth century, is often described as the largest cannon on wheels in the world.
- The view: the best view down onto Amber Fort and Maota Lake.
Jal Mahal on the way into town
- Stop at first light: the water palace sits in Man Sagar Lake with the hills behind, and in winter migrant ducks float on the water.
Nahargarh at sunset
- The finale: drive up to the ridge in the late afternoon and watch the whole grid of Jaipur turn pink and gold below you.
The walled city, as one long morning
- How we do it: Hawa Mahal at sunrise, the bazaars with a guide who grew up in them, the City Palace as it opens, then back to the pool.
Two days from the Fairmont
Day one, Amer and the ridge
Dawn: reach Amber Fort as the gates open, and see the Sheesh Mahal before the crowds.
- Mid-morning: walk down to Panna Meena ka Kund and the temples of the old town.
- Afternoon: lunch at the hotel, the pool, perhaps a spa treatment.
- Late afternoon: Jaigarh for the cannon and the view, then Nahargarh for sunset over the pink city.
Day two, the walled city
Early: leave at first light for Hawa Mahal, with a stop at Jal Mahal on the way.
- Morning: the bazaars with a guide, then the City Palace as it opens and the Jantar Mantar near midday.
- Afternoon: back to the hotel to rest through the heat.
- Evening: a private dinner in the gardens, or a night out at the lit Albert Hall and Masala Chowk.
With a third day
- Go further: Samode for lunch, Abhaneri for the stepwell, or a long, slow day at the pool. Our Jaipur itinerary guide has more versions.
Day trips from the north side of town
Samode: a painted palace in an Aravalli village, about an hour away. Come for lunch and the Durbar Hall, or stay a night at Samode Palace.
Abhaneri: the great stepwell of Chand Baori, thirteen storeys of steps cut into the earth, on the road towards Agra.
- Alila Fort Bishangarh: a warrior fort on a granite hill to the north, worth a night of its own.
- Bhangarh: the ruined town under the hills, best seen early, with its legends told as legends.
- Shekhawati: the painted towns begin a few hours north. The Fairmont is on the right side of town to set off.
Families, groups and big celebrations
Weddings: large palace-style resorts like this host many of Jaipur's grand weddings, with lawns, banquet halls and staff who know how to stage an evening.
Your own celebration: we plan milestone birthdays, family reunions and vow renewals. See destination weddings and vow renewals in a palace.
- Good for
- Families, groups, weddings
- Wedding season
- About November to February
- Ask us to check
- The event calendar before booking
- Children love
- The pool and the space
- The flip side: in the wedding season another family's celebration may be in full swing while you sleep. We check the calendar and choose rooms away from the event spaces.
- Families on holiday: space, a pool and level paths. Our family journeys and multi-generation journeys often use hotels like this.
- Children's days: we plan short, lively mornings at Amer, a craft session in the afternoon, and plenty of pool time. See our guide to travelling with children.
When to come
October to March: warm days, cool nights and the gardens at their best. Mornings on the road to Amer can be chilly in December and January.
Peak weeks: Christmas, New Year, the Jaipur Literature Festival in late January and Diwali. Book months ahead.
- April to June: serious heat, often above 40°C. Sightseeing at dawn, then the pool and the spa until evening. Rates are usually lower.
- The monsoon: July to September brings green hills, short storms and very few visitors. The drive to Amer is beautiful.
- Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Jaipur has the detail.
What most visitors miss
Amer town: most visitors leave the fort and drive away. The lanes, temples and havelis of the old town below are where the real life is.
- Jaigarh's view: few people climb to it, yet it gives the finest view down onto Amber Fort and the lake.
- The hills at dawn: step outside early, when the Aravallis around the hotel are blue and the air is cool.
- A walk in the old city: even one hour on foot in the walled city, with a guide, shows you more than a day of driving.
Who will love the Fairmont, and who won't
Families and multi-generation groups: one of the easiest luxury hotels in Jaipur for everyone at once.
Celebrations and weddings: the space and experience to make them work.
- Early risers who want Amber at its best: you are minutes from the gates.
- Guests on the Delhi road: easy in and out, without crossing the city.
- Not for history lovers: to sleep inside real history, choose Rambagh Palace or The Raj Palace.
- Not for old-city wanderers: the walled city is too far for an evening stroll. Choose Samode Haveli.
- Not for lovers of small hotels: a big resort may feel like too much. Try Samode Palace or Bishangarh instead.
How the Fairmont fits our journeys
Arriving from Delhi: on our Delhi, Jaipur and Agra in luxury journey, you reach the hotel before the city and see Amber the next morning.
- With children: our family adventure journey uses its space and pool as the Jaipur base.
- Split stays: two nights here for Amer and the countryside, then one in the walled city, gives you both Jaipurs.
- The alternatives: compare it with The Leela Palace Jaipur on the same road, and with every other choice in our Jaipur luxury hotels guide.
Before you go
Plan the drives: we keep the walled city to one long morning or evening, so you aren't crossing the city twice a day.
Dress for temples: shoulders and knees covered, and shoes you can slip off easily.
- Bring a shawl: winter dawns at Amer are cold, even when the afternoons are warm.
- Carry small notes: for tea, tips and temple offerings.
- Say no to shops: politely decline any driver or guide who suggests one. Ours are paid never to take commission.
- Tell us the occasion: birthdays and anniversaries are easy to mark here with a little notice.
Getting there
From the airport: the drive crosses Jaipur, so allow around an hour, more in rush hour. We meet you at the aircraft door or the arrivals hall.
- Nearest airport
- Jaipur International (JAI), south of the city
- From the airport
- Allow about an hour
- From Delhi
- About four to five hours by road
- To Amber Fort
- A short drive
- To the walled city
- About 45 minutes or more
- From Delhi: about four to five hours by road, and you reach the hotel before you reach the city.
- From Agra: about four hours, with a stop at the Abhaneri stepwell.
- Getting around: your chauffeur waits for you all day. Our guide to getting around Rajasthan explains how we plan drives so the best light is never spent in the car.