While we were reviewing this place before zeroing in on it for our stay, I came across a review that said that this hotel is a ‘heaven in the Himalyas’ and now, after our visit, all I can say is how true! I was tempted to post this place under 'Travel' owing to its scenic and mesmerizing beauty- but the food and stay were equally wonderful..so here it is...
The stay at one of Oberoi’s best hotels was a great decision to make and I thank S for planning this out. It was truly a fairy tale experience (as promised in their website!) and I highly recommend the refined quality of food and service of this Lieu de séjour. We took a flight from Delhi to Chandigarh and hired a cab from Chandigarh to the hotel. Wildflower Hall is located near the village of Charabra, which is an hour’s drive from Shimla. The friendly hotel managers – Storm & Rob Mason, who personally ensure all their guests are satisfied and happy, are worth a special mention. They were there to receive us and welcomed us with glasses of fresh sherbets. The room was neat and had a panoramic view of the Himalayas. The hotel provides a number of recreational activities for its guests, including horse riding, scenic walks trails and mountain biking. Since I didn’t know how to ride a bicycle (let alone riding one on a mountain), we decided to walk the ‘Wild Strawberry trail’. We covered a distance of 3-4 km, looping a mountain ridge and walking through a forest reserve. And boy, wasn’t I amazed! We got to see a number of wild flowers, fruits and plants that were not common in the plains that we live.
That was not the end of my wonderful Himalayan experience. The next morning, we had breakfast at the outdoor restaurant and I cannot describe well enough the breath taking view the place offered. From where we sat, we could see valleys with water meandering in alternating bouts of wild rapids and slow advances, stretches of mighty mountains looking down upon us with their peaks glistening in the sunlight- totally awe-inspiring! We sat here chatting for almost two hours, breakfast on our plates, enjoying what Nature offered us J- how I wish all my mornings started off this slowly and peacefully (without having to make breakfasts and rush to office, that is!). They served both Asian and Continental dishes for breakfast- we got the bread basket and omlettes - the danish pastry was so fresh and lip smacking. A great start to an already beautiful day!
Later during the day, we took a stroll in the hotel grounds and learnt a bit about its history and heritage. This place (it was a country villa by then) was home to a former Commander-in-Chief of the British army- Lord Kitchener whilst he was in India. It seems he had spent a considerable amount of time and effort to plant numerous trees and plants around this area. The Oberoi group then did its best to recreate that style of the British era…J
They even had a fireplace in the lobby beside which one can sit and comfortably read a favorite novel on a cold wintry evening. We sat there for half an hour, while we were waiting for the wine tasting session to start- that day guests in the hotel were invited for a complimentary wine tasting session and wasn’t S thrilled! He tasted around 10 different wines after which he couldn’t differentiate among the tastes anyways..:)…..
The hotel also had a temptingly spacious spa but we could not avail this facility due to lack of time. We had all our meals at the hotel. Needless to say. The food was perfect.
Although a day’s stay cost us around 13 Grand, this place is definitely worth a detour, perhaps for another special occasion!
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