OBEROI CECIL HOTEL, SHIMLA, INDIA

One of the last stops on our 2015 bus tour to India, this hotel will be in my heart forever. An updated hotel from the time of the British Raj, it perches on the side of a mountain in the foothills of the Himalayas. Oversized comfortable sofas and chairs invite you to sink into them in the huge central atrium lit by a large skylight. It was in the lounge that we passed a delightful afternoon chatting with fellow travellers.

Later we moved to a cosy area of the dining room flanked with huge windows overlooking the spectacular valley below.

The essence and soul of any good hotel is the people who work there. Wondering how to accommodate both myself (suddenly and uncharacteristically completely uninterested in food) and my husband, who was eagerly looking forward to his evening meal, I confided in our waiter, Raj. A big smile lit up his face as he said, “Madam, we have just the thing for you here. It is called a “Lime Soda.” It comes either as sweet (with sugar) or as sour (with salt). I will bring you one.” My sweet lime soda turned out to be brilliant.

In our room, an exquisite Persian carpet covered the teak floor. I was reminded of the admonition from the front desk, “If you leave your window open when you leave the room, you may return to find your suitcases open and all your belongings strewn about!” Peering out into the deep blue twilight, I could indeed see monkeys scampering around on a nearby roof.

It was all just part of the magical experience and charm of this beautiful hotel.