A congregation of litterateurs, air filled with the whiff of books and voices of authors, what else does a literature lover want? Talking of Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), if you’re not from the host city, you’d surely need a roof over your head. But with people from around the world headed here, it would take a wild stroke of luck to get you a room in town, properties having been booked months in advance. 

To get past the all-booked situation and experience an unconventional stay that also gives a taste of the local culture, people heading to Jaipur to attend the festival are booking unusual properties, including hostels around Diggi Palace that hosts the fest for five days. While hostels offer an opportunity to solo travellers to experience tourism and ‘go local’ with other fellow travellers, smaller heritage hotels that give one an experience similar to a homestay, also provide a glimpse of the days of regals. 

WHEN IN RAJASTHAN, GO RAJASTHANI 

To experience the rich heritage of the desert state, visitors can stay at properties like Tara Niwas, Arya Niwas and Bissau Palace, all located in the heart of Jaipur. Retaining the age-old charm of a heritage building while offering modern amenities, hotel Arya Niwas located at Sansar Chandra Road, is quite popular with tourists, with many returning to stay here year after year. The property has already been booked for JLF days. “Bookings have been closed as we have more than 98 per cent occupancy for January 24-28. The property can accommodate over 100 people. We also have foreign guests who have been coming to Jaipur for over 10 years now and always book their stay at Arya Niwas. Apart from the basic amenities and the cafe at the hotel, it is the heritage look of the place that attracts visitors,”said Tarun Bansal, GM of Arya Niwas. 

POCKET-FRIENDLY STAY

Hostels like Zostel, Moustache, Roadhouse and Doodlerack are also witnessing heavy bookings on the dates of the festival. Zostel, which is situated in the Walled City (Chandi ki Taksal), has been a favourite with JLF visitors. Arun Bagga, its property manager shared, “Located in the heart of the city, Zostel has been booked by a lot of JLF attendees. We will be accommodating over 80 visitors during that time. Hostels are very affordable and solo travellers get to socialise with like-minded people. They can also plan to visit the literature festival together. Some of them plan to go to JLF as well as explore the city together.” 

CELEBRATING CUSTOMS

Hostels like Bunkstop and Blue Beds are also receiving heavy bookings for JLF days. Owner of Blue Beds Hostel, Mahesh Tekwani, said, “Jaipur Literature Festival attracts the greatest multitude of people from around the world, and Blue beds being a backpackers’ hostel offers experiential tourism to guests. To showcase the heritage city of Jaipur, we have curated various events, walks and city night and early morning tours for our in-house guests as well as others participating in JLF.” He added, “The hostel is already booked 80 per cent for the span of JLF. We are doing the following special walks — Pink City walking tour, food tour, hidden gems tour, city lights tour.”

With the Walled City — the old, or the actual ‘pink’ city area — of Jaipur brimming with local food, clothing and accessories, these offbeat properties in that part of town promise an interesting experience for guests staying there during JLF.

BACK TO HOSTEL

• To get past the all-booked situation and experience an unconventional stay that also gives a taste of the local culture, people heading to Jaipur to attend the festival are booking unusual properties, including hostels around Diggi Palace.  
• To experience the rich heritage of the desert state, visitors can stay at properties like Tara Niwas, Arya Niwas and Bissau Palace, all located in the heart of Jaipur.  
• With the Walled City — the old, or the actual ‘pink’ city area — of Jaipur brimming with local food, clothing and accessories, these offbeat properties promise an interesting experience for guests