Wildflower Hall, Shimla

I saved the big splurge for last. I'm staying at Wildflower Hall, a Conde Nast 'Top 100 in the World' hotel run by the Oberoi group. On past trips my room at the Mena House Oberoi in Cairo had a close-up view of the pyramids, and the Taj Mahal was framed in my window at the Oberoi Amarvillas. The view here is from a hilltop at 8,200 feet overseeing a cedar forest, and -- in the far distance -- snowcapped Hiimalayan peaks. And this morning I awoke to a spectacular sunrise! Shimla was the principal hill station during British rule of India. The whole government would move up here in summer to avoid the 'beastly' heat. Wildflower Hall is on the site of an earlier cottage that housed a series of Lords and their ladies. Built in 1996, Oberoi's 85-room hotel takes its cue from the British era, with formal gardens surrounding it, and teak flooring, hand-knotted rugs, heavy draperies and roaring fireplaces inside. And costumed Oberoi staff provide impeccable service. There was snow on the deck of the outdoor infinity jacuzzi when I arrived, but it was gone in the morning. And there was a monkey on my balcony, but he didn't stick around for a photo. Who knew there'd be so many monkeys in India; we've seen them most everywhere we've been! I like to be in the thick of things, and I love the chaos that is India. It's maximum sensory stimulation. But after nine days of crowds on foot, beeping horns, and buses, trucks, tractors, cows, motorbikes and bicycles on the road, this feels so very civilized. What a perfect break before my return to Delhi.