The Good Life

G-A-S-P. That8217;s inevitably the first reaction to Wildflower Hall, but first, a lesson in history. While the grounds date back to the times of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, the building itself is just over a decade old, having been built on a faux-Raj model after the original burnt down in 1993.

Inside, there8217;s lots of wood err8230; wasn8217;t that the reason the old building was so vulnerable?, subdued five-star shine and polite but not obsequious staff.

So what8217;s the big deal? According to the Oberoi group8217;s communications department, it8217;s the country8217;s first luxury destination resort. And the occasion for the re-labelling is the resolution of the prolonged litigation with the Himachal Pradesh government: There8217;s an 80-20 deal with the state, which leaves the hotel group largely free to follow its heart.

On offer are a spate of activities: river-rafting on a Sutlej tributary; nature walks on the 22-acre property and into the neighbouring Shimla Water Catchment Sanctuary; horse riding two magnificent polo horses and a cute little pony called Cocoa; mountain biking; golf at Naldehra and archery.

For lotus eater-emulators, there8217;s the Banyan Tree spa, where treatments last from 30 minutes to three-and-a-half hours. And a heated pool and a jacuzzi right at the edge of a ridge. The jasmine tea can wait.

Bliss at Chharabra, at 8,250 ft in the Himalayas, comes for between Rs 7,200 per person per night for a 3-night deal and Rs 6,100 for five nights. Other activities like rafting are priced individually.

Sumana Mukherjee

Fit for a King
THE road to Fernhills Palace in perennially misty Ooty is paved with red muck and fallen trees. It8217;s not actually a palace, but a Swiss-style chalet turned heritage hotel, around 140 years old. Fernhills is owned by SDNR Wadiyar, the Maharaja of Mysore who has tied up with the Welcom Heritage Group for the restoration process.

As soon as you enter the villa, its architecture 8220;a mix of Elizabethan, Jacobian and Victorian styles8221;, you8217;re hit by a cold draft typical of old buildings with high ceilings. There8217;s unmistakable colonial grandeur with Burma teak wood carvings on the edges of the interior walls and the intricately carved ceilings, plus picture-book charm in the way the brick-red structure is set against the surrounding forest cover.

The in-house restaurant Curry and Rice is named after a book by Colonel Atkins and sports murals copied from the book8217;s illustrations. The residence is spread over 50 acres of land with a huge front lawn that awaits the construction of a miniature golf course.

Much of the 8216;palace8217;, south India8217;s first heritage hotel, claims Welcom Heritage, has been restored keeping the original design in mind, but the difference in architecture is evident between the new woodwork and the teak furniture that smells of antiquity.

A night8217;s stay at Fernhills costs between Rs 5,000-7,000. Pick from 40 suites featuring walls adorned with paintings from the royal collection and sporting a quaint mix of antique furniture and new velvet upholstery.

Sulakshana Gupta