ARYA NIWAS in Jaipur - Hotel Review with Photos

India › Jaipur Hotels › Arya Niwas Review
Updated: March 22, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Off Sansar Chandra Road, opposite Hotel Vijay Niwas.
• Hotel website: aryaniwas.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)141 237 2456
• Check prices for Arya Niwas

Review of Hotel Arya Niwas in Jaipur, India.

Historical mansion turned boutique guesthouse, Arya Niwas offers a regal stay at affordable rates.

Arya Niwas – Helpful, inexpensive, and lovingly renovated with tradition and charisma.

For those who can’t afford a genuine palace hotel, this former mansion fits the bill nicely: Mughal-inspired design, colonial-era vibe with wicker chairs on the lawn, and a regal lounge-cum-library. Rooms are perhaps not that swish, but are certainly comfortable enough. Most rooms in the older wing have frosted windows facing a corridor/terrace; better are those facing a courtyard or with a balcony overlooking the street. Best of all are those in the newer wing with separate living areas and (almost) private balconies facing the lawn. Also, the travel office is worth using constantly for bookings and advice. The guesthouse is along a quiet suburban side street and there’s little of interest nearby for tourists.

Arya Niwas – The Location

Address: Just off Sansar Chandra Road. Behind the Ambar Tower office block, which is on the main road. The guesthouse is opposite the Vijay Niwas Hotel.
Nearest Metro: Sindhi Camp metro station is 700m away.
Area: Along a quiet side-street in an inner-city suburb. Very little of interest in the area for tourists, but safe and fairly interesting. Main road 100m away is chaotic, however.
How to Get There: From the airport (12 km, 30-minute drive), take a pre-paid taxi or walk outside for an auto-rickshaw. The train terminal (2 km), and main bus station (600m) are also close by.
Handy to: Old City.

Arya Niwas – The Basics

Guests: Most seem to be older Western couples who relish the ambience and relaxed setting.
Views: Most inner-city hotels in Jaipur offer minimal views. Many rooms in this guesthouse face a corridor/terrace along which guests walk. A few face a courtyard and are quieter, while a couple of the room have balconies facing the quiet street. Even those in the newer wing aren’t that much better, except the few overlooking the lawn from their (almost) private balconies.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Certainly not expected – or provided – at this sort of inner-city guesthouse in Jaipur.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)141 237 2456
Email: info@aryaniwas.com
Website: aryaniwas.com

Arya Niwas – Amenities

Pool & Fitness Center: Not expected or provided.
Spa: No separate spa, but massages and other basic treatments can be arranged through the reception.
Activities: Yoga and cooking classes. Special walking and cycling tours.
Other Facilities: Business Center. Proper travel office (rather than just a man with a phone and desk). Same-day laundry. Lounge-cum-library. Money-changing. Souvenir shop.

Arya Niwas – Food and Drink

Restaurant & Bar: The Chitra Cafeteria is low-key, but instantly likable. Big thalis (set meals in steel plates) are a specialty and can be enjoyed on the terrace or in the garden. Vegetarian meals only. And guests can arrange a great-value rate which includes 3 meals.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast is usually not included, but is very good value for a small extra charge.
Room Service: Limited during restaurant hours – 7 am to 10 pm. Some snacks and hot drinks available overnight.

Arya Niwas – Rooms

Room Types: Economy AC Single Rooms • Standard AC Single Rooms • Value AC Double Rooms • Superior AC Double Rooms • Executive Superior AC Double Rooms • Deluxe AC Double Rooms • Super Deluxe AC Double Rooms • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: No smoking in the rooms or public areas, but permitted elsewhere.
Best Room: The Superior Deluxe AC Double Rooms in the newer wing feature separate living areas and chairs on balconies facing the lawn.
For Families: Some rooms can fit in an extra single bed.

Arya Niwas – Local Transport

Walking: Almost nothing within walking distance of any use to tourists, but the area is interesting enough.
Public Transport: The Jaipur Metro is of limited use to tourists – at least until more stations and routes are completed. The nearest station to the guesthouse is Sindhi Camp, about 700m away and attached to the bus station.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: Taxis (unmetered) are poorly-marked and almost impossible to find without help from the hotel reception, and useless in the Old City anyway. Otherwise, Uber and Ola work effectively. However, just about anywhere, including the airport, is accessible by abundant auto-rickshaws. Some are electric and feature 2 small benches.

Arya Niwas – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants

The Bella Italia – Rooftop setting next to the guesthouse. Better selection than just pizza and pasta, with crepes and Chinese also available. Open for breakfast.
Trattoria – Almost identical to Bella Italia, also with plastic chairs on a rooftop. Wood-fired pizzas, but menu is more limited. About 150m further down the side-street.
Alsisar Haveli – Gorgeous old guesthouse with a magnificent restaurant featuring chandeliers, mahogany tables, and traditionally-dressed waiters. Can also eat in the courtyard or along the poolside terrace. Bar attached. 300m towards the Old City.
Hotel Mangal +91 (0)141 237 5126 – Dreary indoor setting but excellent vegetarian food at low prices. 350m walk, along the main road, just opposite the turnoff to the Arya Niwas.
Dera Mandawa – Another lovely guesthouse, about 500m towards the Old City. Bit pricey and limited choice, but superb food in a family-home dining room or outdoor courtyard.

Nearby Bars

No local restaurant serves alcohol. A Wine and Beer shop almost on the corner of the main road about 100m away, but anything brought into the guesthouse must be consumed in the room.

Nerby Shops

Local shops far more useful to local residents than foreign tourists, except a couple of tailors opposite the guesthouse entrance.

Nearby Attractions

City Palace – A frenetic maze of shops, markets, traffic, and more traffic, the Old City is both fascinating and frustrating to wander about. In the center, the City Palace (open daily from 9 am to 5.30 pm) is a marvelous example of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture, and is packed with courtyards, gardens, and museums. The nearest entrance to the Old City, Chandpole Gate, is 900m northeast up the road northeast up the road. The City Palace (2.5 km) is better reached by auto-rickshaw.
Jantar Mantar – UNESCO World Heritage site featuring the world’s largest stone sundial and 18 other instruments. 1 of 5 astronomical observatories built in north India in the 18th-century by Maharaj Sawaii Jai Singh II. Right opposite the City Palace. (2.5 km).
Hawa Mahal – This 18th-century sandstone summer palace features 953 windows which let in cool breezes during the summer, and allowed the Royalty to view the streets below without being seen. Visit early morning to watch the sun’s rays filter through the latticework. (3 km).
Amber Palace – UNESCO World Heritage site, also known as Amer Fort among locals, featuring 4 must-see courtyards (Shila Devi Temple, public audience hall, private audience hall, and Mirror Palace), and sound and light shows in the evening. Open from 9 am to 5 pm daily. (11 km).
Nahargarh Fort – Historic defense fort overlooking Jaipur. Houses the Jaipur Wax Museum by the entrance, and features a second, updated Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace). (17 km).

Arya Niwas – The Hotel

The guesthouse is located in an inner-city suburb.

The Arya Niwas guesthouse is based in a former mansion along a quiet side street in an inner-city suburb.

The friendly staff is very helpful regarding travel advice and bookings.

The staff is very helpful and understands the needs of foreigners, especially regarding travel advice and bookings.

The guesthouse has a lovable colonial-era charm.

The Arya Niwas exudes a lovable colonial-era charm with wicker chairs on the front lawn.

The second lawn features more tables and chairs.

More chairs and tables are set up on the other lawn in front of the newer wing.

The lawn-facing terrace is a good place to enjoy tea or a meal.

Guests can enjoy a tea or meal along the terrace facing the front lawn.

The lounge-cum-library is the sort found in palace hotels costing 10 times more.

Chitra Cafeteria serves Indian food and excellent buffet breakfasts.

The Chitra Cafeteria is delightfully laidback, providing Indian-style food and excellent buffet breakfasts.

Rooms face corridors/terraces and offer no views towards the front.

Many rooms in the older wing face a corridor/terrace, and the frosted windows offer no views at all.

The courtyard-facing rooms are better and quieter.

Better are the rooms facing a courtyard, so fewer guests walk past the windows.

Some rooms in the older wing face a garden and are the quietest.

A handful of rooms in the older wing are even quieter, with porches facing a patch of garden.

Some of the older wing rooms have balconies with street views.

A few rooms in the older wing also feature balconies which face the quiet side street below.

Older wing rooms are standard and a little underwhelming.

Rooms in the older wing are fairly standard and perhaps a little underwhelming considering the overall design and vibe of the hotel.

The several corridors and terraces are breezy and fun to relax in.

The corridors/terraces in the older wing are dotted with tables and chairs offering the sort of views and breezes not available in most rooms.

The new wing rooms offer the best views.

The finest views are from rooms at the front of the newer wing which faces the lawn.

The Superior Deluxe AC Double Rooms come with private balconies.

The Superior Deluxe AC Double Rooms offer balconies which are virtually private and face the lawn.

The new wing rooms are more spacious but still underwhelming.

The décor and furnishings in the newer wing are, perhaps a little surprisingly, not that much better than in the older wing, but the rooms are more spacious.

The new wing rooms come with living areas.

Rooms in the newer wing do provide separate living areas.

The guesthouse is beside a quiet suburban side street.

The guesthouse faces a quiet suburban side street.

The turnoff to the side street for the guesthouse is a little hard to find, but is signposted.

The neighborhood offers little for tourists.

The main road is about 100m away, but has almost nothing of interest to tourists in the immediate area.

Hotel Mangal is the best place for cheap Indian food nearby.

The best place for cheap Indian food is the restaurant at Hotel Mangal, about 150m away along the main road.

The Bella Italia offers rooftop seating.

On a rooftop in a building alongside the guesthouse is The Bella Italia restaurant, which also provides tables and chairs outside.

The Trattoria restaurant is similar to The Bella Italia.

Very similar to The Bella Italia is the Trattoria restaurant, about 150m further down the side-street.

The Alsisar Haveli hotel's restaurant is the finest in the area.

With an exquisite décor and superb food, the finest restaurant in the area is in the Alsisar Haveli hotel, only 300m away.

Guests can enjoy meals in the family dining room of the Dera Mandawa guesthouse.

Within the lovely Dera Mandawa guesthouse, meals are often served in the family dining room.

The Old City's walls are about 900m away.

The outer walls of the Old City are about 900m from the guesthouse.

The Old City is vibrant and frenetic.

Auto-rickshaws are the most efficient means of transport in the Old City.

Auto-rickshaws are the best way to get around the Old City and to reach the City Palace.

The Old City markets are busy after dark.

The Old City is packed with markets. Check rates and availability: Arya Niwas

Hotel Arya Niwas in Jaipur, India

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