Wildflower Hall, An Oberoi Resort

Lord Kitchener, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, chose a wooded ridge at Mashobra, 13 kilometres above Shimla, for his summer residence, and he laid out its gardens himself. Wildflower Hall, An Oberoi Resort, stands on that ridge at 2,515 metres, a rebuilt house in a forest of deodar cedar and pine with the snow peaks of the Himalayas on the horizon.

History

The original Wildflower Hall was Kitchener's home during his command, between 1902 and 1909, and it took its name from the meadows around it. After Independence the estate passed to the state and became a hotel run by Himachal Pradesh Tourism, a modest one. In 1993 the building burnt down. The Oberoi group took on the site, rebuilt from the foundations and opened the present hotel in 2001, the group's second resort in the hills after The Oberoi Cecil in Shimla itself.

Architecture and design

The rebuilt house follows the style of the colonial hill station: pitched roofs, deep verandahs, timber and stone. Inside, the public rooms have wood panelling, fireplaces, Persian carpets and Kitchener memorabilia, the Cavalry Bar in particular. The hotel has 85 rooms and suites, most with mountain views, and the top floors look straight at the snow line. The gardens that Kitchener laid out were replanted, and walking paths lead into the forest from the lawns. In winter the snow settles on the cedars and the place is at its best.

Rooms and suites

Rooms have teak floors, Persian rugs and marble bathrooms with tubs set by the window, and the upper categories have four-poster beds. Suites add sitting rooms, dining areas and terraces facing the valley. Every room has a view either of the forest or of the mountains, and the sunrise over the peaks is the reason to leave the curtains open.

Dining

The Restaurant serves a mixed menu of Indian and European dishes, with a terrace overlooking the valley for summer lunches. Lutyens is the formal dining room, named after the architect of New Delhi, with Himachali dishes among its specialities. The Cavalry Bar, with its regimental memorabilia and a fire, is the evening room, and tea on the terrace is a ritual of the afternoon.

Wellness

The Oberoi Spa has treatment rooms and a heated indoor pool whose windows face the cedars. An outdoor heated jacuzzi sits above the valley with the mountains in view. Activities arranged by the hotel include mountain biking, archery, river rafting on the Sutlej, picnics in the forest, horse riding, nature walks and, in winter, ice skating at Shimla's rink.

Weddings and events

The hotel takes small weddings and corporate retreats, with function rooms indoors and the lawns for ceremonies against the mountains. Snow makes the setting in winter; access by hill road is the constraint, and the hotel's size keeps gatherings modest.

Location

Mashobra is 13 kilometres from Shimla, the former summer capital of British India, and the hotel is reached by a winding hill road. Shimla's small airport at Jubbarhatti is around 35 kilometres away but flights are limited; most guests fly to Chandigarh, roughly four hours by road, or take the narrow-gauge Kalka to Shimla railway, a UNESCO World Heritage line that climbs through more than 100 tunnels. Shimla's Mall and the Viceregal Lodge are the main sights; the Himalayan views at dawn are the reason to stay. Among the luxury hotels in Shimla and its hills, this is the only one in a forest of its own.