Vivaana Culture Hotel

Originally the home of the Nimani family, this captivating place is now owned by Delhi-based entrepreneurs Atul and Devna Khanna. The pair painstakingly renovated these two 19th-century havelis in the sleepy village of Churi Ajitgarh, Shekhawati, and opened their idyllic boutique hotel in 2010. A masterpiece in itself, its walls are adorned with magnificent frescoes, both inside and out, and the original courtyards, stone columns and stained-glass windows have been left in place. The suites and rooms are all unique, spacious and beautiful: one has bright-white walls, stylish silver lighting and duck-egg blue haveli doors; another is covered from floor to ceiling in exquisite paintwork. There’s a large swimming pool and, beside it, The Elephant House Spa, which was once home to the Nimani family’s elephant, Rani. In the evenings, you can sip a cocktail on the main lawn to the haunting notes of the sitar and the tinkling of a nearby fountain. Likewise, a scrummy breakfast of porridge, mutter ki bhaji and paratha can be enjoyed in the warm morning sun, surrounded by flower beds and ivy-covered walls.