Shimla, Himachal Pradesh · luxury

Wildflower Hall, an Oberoi Resort, Shimla

★★★★★

Wildflower Hall stands in twenty-three acres of cedar forest at Chharabra, about a dozen kilometres above Shimla, at twenty-five hundred metres. It was once the residence of Lord Kitchener, and the house is grand: panelled halls, log fires, deep verandas. The rooms are large and warm, and most look out over the deodars to the snow line. There is a heated indoor pool that seems to run into the forest, an outdoor jacuzzi in the trees, a spa, and terraced gardens. It is set well away from the town, which is the point. The staff arrange the drive into Shimla, the toy train, and walks straight from the grounds. It is the finest stay in the state, and the reason many trips base in Shimla at all.