Le Meridien Resort Jaipur Kukas: 5-Star Hotel Near Amer Fort

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Le Méridien Jaipur Resort & Spa sits in Kukas, north of Jaipur — a resort cluster near Amer Fort that also includes Fairmont and Taj properties. It’s a 5-star Marriott-flagged resort, and the video covers a short stay that started with a nice surprise: a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite upgrade to a villa. Here’s what the stay looked like.

Location: Kukas, north of the city

The hotel is in the Kukas area, north of Jaipur city. Per the video’s map, it’s about a 28-minute drive to Amer Fort (Sheesh Mahal) — close enough to base a fort visit from the hotel — and the map also shows Jaipur International Airport to the south.

The Bonvoy Platinum upgrade: a villa

As a Bonvoy Platinum Elite member, the stay was upgraded to a villa. Villas sit on the ground floor toward the back of the property, and there’s plenty of open space throughout the resort — the night shots show long lit walkways through landscaped grounds.

The villas are very spacious, with four-poster beds — and they come with a back yard, which is a rare perk for a hotel room.

Bathroom with a “forest” feel

The bathroom is massive, and the video’s own caption calls it out: a “forest” feel, with greenery visible through the glass around the tub area. It’s an unusual, memorable bathroom design — more spa-retreat than standard hotel bath.

Pool area in the center of the resort

The pool sits in the middle of the resort, ringed by the main building and palm trees — a proper resort courtyard setup. This was the daytime highlight of the property in the video.

Breakfast: the standout

Breakfast gets the strongest praise in the video — a “fabulous breakfast spread.” The plated food includes an omelette with puri and chutney, and the buffet runs to copper chafing dishes and a tea station.

And breakfast comes with live entertainment — a traditional musician performing in the restaurant. That’s a level of morning atmosphere most hotel breakfasts don’t attempt.

They go out of their way for special occasions

The stay coincided with a birthday, and the hotel decorated the bed with a “Happy Birthday” arrangement of petals and leaves — cake design included. It’s the kind of gesture that costs the hotel little and lands well with guests.

Verdict

Le Méridien Jaipur Kukas is a solid 5-star base for the Amer Fort side of Jaipur — roughly half an hour from the fort, in a resort belt with plenty of open space. The villa upgrade made this stay: ground-floor villa, four-poster bed, back yard, and a genuinely distinctive forest-feel bathroom. Breakfast is the other high point, with a strong spread and live music. If you’re a Bonvoy member heading to Jaipur for the forts, this is an easy property to say yes to — especially if the upgrade fairy visits.

Amer Fort Jaipur: UNESCO World Heritage Hill Fort (and Jaigarh Fort)

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Amer Fort — also spelled Amber Fort — sits just north of Jaipur and is one of the hill forts of Rajasthan on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The video’s verdict is blunt: “Amer is a must-do on a Rajasthan itinerary.” We’d agree. Here’s how the day goes.

Getting there: jeep up from the market

The easiest plan, straight from the video: park at the Rajasthan Govt Market and take a jeep up to the fort for Rs 550. On the way up, stop at Panna Meena ka Kund —

— a stepwell that the video says served as the queen’s private pool. And “consider hiring a guide for Rs 400 along with the jeep” — money well spent at a place with this much layered history. The jeep takes you up the cobblestone path to the entrance.

A quick history of the fort

The video gives the capsule version: the fort was built after the Rajputs’ victory over the Meenas, and “the fort was expanded over the decades.” There’s plenty of fusion between Rajput and Mughal architecture throughout. Eventually the capital was moved from Amer to Jaipur — and Sawai Jai Singh II later built Jaigarh Fort on the hill overlooking Amer, which we’ll get to at the end.

Inside: courtyards, Diwan-i-Khaas, Sheesh Mahal

Have the guide get your tickets from the courtyard, then head in to see the splendor. First stop: the Diwan-i-Khaas.

From there it’s on to the main palace entrance and the Sheesh Mahal — the Hall of Mirrors — with its “carved Belgian mirrors.”

The mirror inlay work is astonishing up close — thousands of tiny pieces set into plaster, throwing light around even the dimmest rooms.

The gardens and Maota Lake below

Outside, the Man Singh Palace courtyard has a manicured charbagh-style garden worth a slow walk.

And from the palace’s colonnaded terraces you get the views of the lake below — Maota Lake, with the Kesar Kyari (saffron garden) laid out in its neat geometric beds at the foot of the hill.

Lunch at 1135 AD

For lunch there’s a fancy restaurant called 1135 AD, set inside the fort complex — the video says it’s often booked by VIPs and celebrities, and there are lots of options, traditional Rajasthani included.

The order suggestion from the video: “try the gatte ka saag and ker saangri.”

The evening sound and light show

Stay into the evening and get tickets to the sound and light show at the fort. There are English and Hindi versions available, and they narrate the history over the years as the fort walls are lit up in shifting colors.

Jaigarh Fort and the Jaivana cannon

Don’t skip the second half of the day: there’s a road going up to Jaigarh Fort, and you can drive all the way inside to the top. The marvelous Aravalli views alone justify it —

— and from this vantage point you can see Jal Mahal, Jaipur city, and Amer all in one sweep.

The Jaivana cannon on display at Jaigarh is the star exhibit up here — a massive old cannon under its shelter, a reminder that Jaigarh was the military stronghold watching over Amer.

Practical wrap-up: jeep for Rs 550 from the Rajasthan Govt Market, guide for Rs 400, tickets from the courtyard, lunch at 1135 AD, and the sound and light show in the evening if you can stay. Two forts, one lake, and a stepwell — it’s a full day, and worth every minute.

Jaipur on Visit Karma