The Cecil Oberoi is reputed to be the finest hotel in Shimla – I haven’t tried any of the others, so I can neither confirm nor deny if this is true. However, I can confirm that it is a very odd place indeed. 

The original part of the hotel was built in the late nineteenth century, it consists of a huge atrium, which was originally open to the sky, but now has a glass roof. Around the atrium are galleries, where the original bedrooms are situated. At the bottom of the atrium is a huge lounge with a bar at one end and lots of traditional sofas, chairs and coffee tables. A grand piano sits in the middle and in the evening the resident pianist tinkles away playing tunes from the 1920s and 30s. 

The atrium reminds me of one of those that might be in one of those huge ocean cruise liners. All the fittings are in mahogany wood and gold, giving it a touch of the ship Titanic or perhaps the Queen Mary. It could also be compared to the Marie Celeste as I don’t think I’ve seen more than a handful of people in it at anyone time! To be fair, this is probably because it’s not peak season for Shimla and it’s still quite chilly, I’m sure it’s fuller when the weather warms up.

The Oberoi hotel underwent a large renovation and extension at the end of the twentieth century, a whole new wing was added, which includes the dinning room, pool, spa, gym, activity centre, billiard room and library and a block of new rooms (that includes ours). Given the hotel is on top of a steep hill, the additional block is quite strange to navigate. From the entrance lobby to get to our room we descend a grand staircase, then take a lift up two floors. To go the pool we go down the lift two floors then down another grand staircase, to the spa and gym, keep going down two more flights. It’s all decked out in wooden columns, panelling and gold, with potted ferns and potted aspidistras. Navigating the extension feels like entering the Crystal Maze ‘Edwardian Zone’.

From the entrance lobby, the restaurant is found at the bottom of the grand staircase. Before entering the restaurant there’s another ‘country house style lounge’ with tables set up to play chess and a real fire – one of the staff was attempting (unsuccessfully) to light the fire last night, holding newspaper over the opening to get it to start – but it wouldn’t. It is cold out, but it’s not that cold in the hotel, so it must have just been for effect.

The dining room is where we find most of the guests – almost entirely old, retired, white Brits. Watching people over breakfast this morning was hilarious. I suspect most of them have come here to find a little bit of England, and to be fair, it does look the part. But clearly the food and service are not like they have a home. I heard one couple trying to order a cup of tea – they just wanted tea, not to be offered a choice of Darjeeling, English Breakfast, Earl Grey or Ceylon.  They want PG tips – and for heaven sake, not warm milk!

When offered the breakfast menu the older couple on the table opposite us almost turned pale when they saw the Indian breakfast specialities. I was quite enjoying my potato doughnut with a chilli dhal and coconut chutney, but I half expected them to speak the line from the film Shirley Valentine and ask if they could just do them ‘egg and chips’.

We have most certainly landed in the ‘colonial club winter retreat’. Thankfully we’re only here for one night before we head to Delhi for a final few days. I’m quite looking forward to being back in a big cosmopolitan city, but Mike isn’t looking forward to the pollution. Delhi is infamous for the smog. Unfortunately he has picked up a nasty cold, and I think I might be getting it next, so the thought of breathing more muck when the cold makes it difficult to breath isn’t something to look forward to. 

There’s a small pharmacy next to the hotel, so I’ve purchased some cold and flu medication – well I hope that’s what it is, are as unlike a UK chemist where all the drugs are boxed and branded, here the pharmacist just puts some silver packaged pills in a paper bag – we could be taking anything! If the pills don’t work, we could check into the ‘hospital and sanatorium’ which is next to the chemist, but as it’s run by the Seventh Day Adventists, I think I’ll pass and take my chances with the random pills.