The Oberoi Vanyavilas
The Oberoi Vanyavilas is a luxurious tented camp in exotic Rajasthan, lauded as India’s leading luxury jungle resort.
The Dining room serves a daily-changing menu of Indian and western dishes prepared with homegrown organic ingredients – guests can dine indoors or in the magical lamp-lit courtyard, while casual poolside fare is also available. Steeped in colonial charm with teak floorboards, an open fireplace and leather chairs, the bar is a refined setting in which to enjoy a single malt, cognac or cocktail. For a romantic treat, guests can book a candlelit private dinner at the hotel’s atmospheric lakeside amphitheatre or fragrant mango orchard, savouring a bespoke menu of decadent regional cuisine while traditional folk musicians play nearby.
The Oberoi Vanyavilas boasts Ranthambore’s only temperature-controlled pool, set amid manicured gardens and flanked by reclining sun loungers and jewel-coloured embroidered parasols. The luxurious spa offers personalised holistic therapies overlooking a tranquil lily pond, along with an outdoor yoga pavilion and air-conditioned fitness centre. Guests can immerse themselves in local culture with enriching classes such as blending delicate spices during a cookery class, spotting constellations through the observation tower telescope and taking an open-air pottery lesson with a local artisan. Further afield, thrilling jungle and river safaris offer the chance to spot elusive Royal Bengal tigers and the gharial, an endangered crocodilian.
Twenty-five luxury tents feel more like lavish mini-villas – each is air-conditioned and regally decorated with an embroidered inner canopy, elegant wooden furniture and gleaming teak floor. Opulent touches include a king-size four-poster bed, walk-in wardrobe and private terrace and sundeck, while the spacious bathroom boasts an evergreen marble shower and claw-footed standalone tub. Mod-cons include a satellite TV and DVD player.