Tom Finally, the day of departure to India came! We were both excited yet anxious. Having done our India travel visa and completed our homework on the flood situation in Kerala as well as safety precautions to take in India, it was finally the day to take our first flight to India!
Indigo Flight from Singapore to India
The flight from Singapore to Chennai departed at 5:45am (T2 Changi International Airport) and arrived at Chennai (T3) at 7:15am. Hence, the flight time from Singapore to Chennai was about 4 hours. India is 2.5 hours behind Singapore.
Onboard, we found the cabins to be clean and spacious. The cabin crew was also professional and the overall flight experience onboard Indigo was pleasant.
The flight itself costs about $250 per person one way but it took us all the way to Jaipur (7 hours of total flight time). However, since it was a budget flight, no meals were provided. Upon arrival in Chennai, we had to navigate our way from the Chennai International Airport (T3) to the Chennai Domestic Airport (T1). To do so, we had to literally exit from the airport and re-enter the domestic airport. Nope, the international and domestic terminals at Chennai are not connected internally 😲
Walking from Chennai International Terminal to Chennai Domestic Terminal
As it was the first time we ventured out of an India airport alone, we were cautious. Though there were many people looking at us, we just walked out in a “wildly confident” manner. Thankfully, we were only approached by one driver, touting his service to town. After exiting, we followed the signs and made a left turn. There, we saw an uniformed security personnel and asked him for the direction to the Chennai domestic terminal. He politely pointed us to the lift, which we took and it led us to the “seemingly endless” stretch of travelators – at the end of which, was the entry to the domestic airport.
However, just before we entered, there was another security check. For the rest of the trip, we came to understand that at all airports in India, there would be a security check FOR EVERYONE before they even entered the airport. Hence, you would always need to have your itinerary ready (on your handphone) before you head to the airport. For domestic flights in India, you can enter the airport approximately 3 to 4 hours before the flight and for international flights leaving India, you can enter the airport approximately 6 to 8 hours before the flight. There’s a range because it sometimes depends on how strict the security guard is. To be safe, stick to the lower end of the range.
Our flight from Chennai (T1) to Jaipur (T2), departed at 10:35am. That gave us some time to check out the Chennai Domestic Airport and grab a bite before the flight…
And our first meal in India was…drum rolls…
KFC!
The meal of 3 small pieces and 2 large pieces of KFC chicken, with rice and mojito (sans rum) came up to 460rupees (or approximately $9.50SGD). Of course, some of our best fried chicken was had in USA/Mexico (think Golden Corral/Hometown Buffet). The size of the chicken was a little small but tasted close to the standard in Singapore (but not as good as USA’s KFC). We then began to explore the airport a little…
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If you’re concerned about the “state/condition” of the Chennai Domestic Airport, we are happy to report that the terminal is modern, clean and spacious. There are even familiar cafes such as Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf as well as restaurants such as KFC and Pizza Hut. There was also a restaurant that served local cuisines – a pity that we didn’t try it then due to concerns about food hygiene. On hindsight, having visited several parts of India and transited at many airports in India, food hygiene at airports in India are relatively good and we should have gone local instead.
After a walk around the entire airport, we headed to our gate to await for our flight. At this point in time, our hand-carry luggage was yet to be scanned. Hence, we asked the service staff at the gate whether there would be another security check before we boarded. The conversation went something like this…
Us: “Hi, would there be another security check before we board the flight? We want to know whether we need to empty our water bottles.”
Service Staff: “No issue (smiles), 100ml only.”
Not understanding the meaning, we repeated our question and we received the same reply 😅
But to answer this question, there wasn’t another screening. Hence, there’s no need to empty your bottles before the flight from Chennai to Jaipur.
Transfer from Jaipur Airport to Hotel Pearl Palace Jaipur
As travellers, we’re so thankful for applications such as Uber and Grab (but not Grab in Batam), as it allows us to typically get a cheaper ride anywhere in the world. Moreover, these ride-hailing apps also tracks whether the driver is taking the correct route (heading in the correct general direction) to your destination, providing an additional layer of safety for passengers. This time we took Uber from Jaipur Airport to Hotel Pearl Palace…
After exiting from the transit area, while still within the premise of the airport, we took a seat and found a driver via Uber. In India, it is actually very common for drivers to call the passenger and confirm the location of pickup before heading over. This time, it was no different. However, as we were on roaming and did not want to incur roaming voice call charges, we decided not to pick up the call and instead messaged the driver through the Uber app. For quite a while, we could see on the map that the driver did not move. However, since he did not reject us, we also did not reject him and persisted in waiting (the beauty of Uber – where a driver would be penalised if he rejected a passenger). After waiting for 5 minutes, we saw him moving and we knew it was game on. Before long, he arrived at the airport. We recognised his car plate and boarded promptly.
The journey from Jaipur Airport to Hotel Pearl Palace took 15 minutes and costs all of 200 rupees (or $4SGD!).
Checking in at Hotel Pearl Palace Jaipur at Chilling at Peacock Rooftop Restaurant
Hotel Pearl Palace is actually located along a small road, away from the main road. Hence, it would be good if you can recognise the pink facade of the hotel and direct your driver to drop you in front of the hotel…
As we booked our stay at Hotel Pearl Palace via Agoda, the check in process was smooth (Agoda works really well in Asia). An attendant showed us to our room and we were immediately won over by the interiors…
There were a few things that we liked about our room at Hotel Pearl Palace. The room itself was beautifully decorated with Indian-themed prints. It was brightly-lit and spacious – as advertised. There were also many channels on cable which allowed us to “zone-out” channel surfing each evening 😛
Best of all, the highly rated Peacock Rooftop Restaurant is located right at the top of Hotel Pearl Palace. Just walk up the flight of stairs (up 3 levels) and you’re there. Easy peasy.
However, what we did not like was the toilet. While allowing natural ventilation, the window in the toilet was not fully covered. Though we did not see any windows (or faces) facing our toilet directly, we were cautious about privacy in the toilet. The other minus was that water was only available for a fee. Though it was only $1 for a chilled 1.5litres of water (acceptable by Singapore standards), as we found out, it was relatively expensive for Indian standards. We were able to get the same volume (different brands) for half the price at local supermarkets. Nonetheless, for the convenience, we bought water at the Peacock Rooftop restaurants for the next couple of days at Hotel Pearl Palace.
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Dinner at Peacock Rooftop Restaurant
Just before dinner, we took the opportunity to check out the hotel and the fort (Hathroi Fort) within the vicinity of Hotel Pearl Palace…
From the rooftop of Hotel Pearl Palace, we were able to see an ancient fort in the vicinity. The fort is known as Hathroi Fort. The walk from Hotel Pearl Palace to Hathroi Fort took about 7 minutes. Right at the entrance of the fort, there are a couple of homes. Hence, do respect the serenity in the vicinity. The fort looked like its been abandoned for some time now. Wild grass and even a wild peacock roamed the grounds. After a couple of quick shots, we headed back to Peacock Rooftop Restaurant for dinner…
Peacock Rooftop Restaurant is one of the top restaurants in Jaipur. Not only does it offer amazing views of the Jaipur city skyline, Hathroi Fort and daily sunsets, it also serves up an amazing and tasting menu. After trying Kalyan Rooftop and Indoor Restaurant right opposite, we knew that Peacock Rooftop Restaurant definitely comes out tops. If you’re not sure which restaurant to visit, you won’t go wrong with good service, great food and awesome views at Peacock Rooftop Restaurant!
After browsing through the menu, we found that the tandoor was only available from 6:30pm onwards. As we were early, we waited for a whilst before ordering these dishes…
Rustic Grilled Chicken (320 rupees)
Singapore Fried Rice (200 rupees) – Not to be missed right? 😛
Kandhari Tikka (320 rupees)
Paneer Reshami Masala (250 rupees)
Pot of Masala Tea (80 rupees)
Virgin Mojito (130 rupees)
4 bottles of drinking water (@ 50 rupees each)
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With Central Goods & Services Tax (CGST) and State Goods & Services Tax (SGST) at 2.5% each, the total bill came up to 1565 rupees (or about $30SGD). Considering the amount of food that we had as well as guaranteed food hygiene (Peacock Rooftop Restaurant has its own filtration system), the price was still acceptable. Plus, the food tasted GREAT!
We were actually pleasantly surprised by how amazing the food tasted. The grilled chicken was chunky yet moist on the inside with a western brown gravy on top – a perfect combination. With the “Singapore Fried Rice”, there was actually a bit of “wok hei” (slight charred taste)! Surprise surprise! Wonder if the chef had actually worked in Singapore before…hm…
Needless to say, the tandoori chicken was well marinated and the juices were all sealed and locked within. Lastly, the paneer, though a little spicy, complemented the fried rice well. We’re actually salivating as we’re writing this post 🤤
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We hope you have enjoyed this first post of our India Travel Itinerary. The amazing meal at Peacock Rooftop Restaurant certainly allowed us to start the trip on a great note. Stay tuned as we find out all the attractions at Jaipur has to offer on day 2 of our India Travel Itinerary in Jaipur!
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You have just completed a post from our 13 days travel in India. Find out more about this trip from our posts below!
India Travel Itinerary Day 1: Singapore to Chennai to Jaipur (Hotel Pearl Palace) via Indigo
India Travel Itinerary Day 4: Train from Jaipur to Agra – Our first views of the Taj Mahal
India Travel Itinerary Day 11: Arriving in Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty after Kerala Boat Cruise
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Top 6 Things to do and Attractions in Leh Ladakh India
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