Cool interiors of this hot rajastan hotel

Now we're all for the riot of colour you find in many of india's lusher palaces but Jodphur's first boutique hotel, RAAS, is a lesson in understated design with black marble floors, creamy minimalist dark wood and monochrome stone bathrooms. No wonder it has caught the attention of design hotels run by the uber-cool Claus Sedlinger and has just become the groups first member property in Rajastan.The elegant 18th century mansion situated in the heart of Jodhpur has been lovingly restored by local brothers Nikhilendra and Dhananajaya Singh creating the only luxury hotel within the walled city. Floors have been hand-laid by Jodhpur craftsmen and everything from cocktail glasses to blocks of sandstone were transported on bullock-carts through the walled city's labyrinth of alleyways.The 39-room hotel combines three rose red heritage buildings with new buildings sympathetically designed by Delhi-based architects Ambrish Arora and Rajiv Majumdar."Every red sandstone, every pebblewash terrazzo panel is the product of hundreds of hours of local craftsmen. I'd be very happy if people who stay here don't perceive luxury from just a big bed, but the luxury of the handcrafted work done especially for this place," says RAAS co-founder Nikhilendra Singh. That's us. So The Luxury Travel Bible is planning move into one of the seven swish suites with private sitting rooms and ride through the city in one of the hotel's own private tuk-tuks. HD

Luxury link:. www.designhotels.com/RAAS