We knew Shimla would be a bit on the chilly side and we brought enough layers to cover ourselves (literally). However we didn’t plan for the Hotel Ashoka. As you approach the hotel you go up some steps and without going through an actual door you are in the reception area. Then as you go to your room, you don’t actually go through any other doors before you get to your room. So the whole hotel, including the breakfast area is at one with the ambient temperature outside (around 4 degrees early morning). Good views though. We had planned to spend 3 nights in Shimla and on night 2 we were upgraded to a bigger room and were given a fan heater. Now we had enough room to swing a frozen cat. The fan heater raised the temperature of a few inches in front of it. The bathroom suffered from a constant loo roll crisis ( they supplied loo roll with 10 sheets on it). If you wanted a shower you had to wait 40 minutes and frankly you needed to be a braver person than me. Having given Shimla a good bit of tourism on days 1 and 2 we decided to up sticks on Day 3 and go back to Chandigarh. The money we had saved following the 2 days of austerity bought us into a swanky Hyatt.
About Shimla…
Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, is a former British summer retreat set in the Himalayan foothills. It’s known for colonial architecture, cool mountain air, pine forests, and views of snow-capped peaks. Key sights include the Mall Road, Ridge, Christ Church, Jakhu Temple, and the UNESCO-listed Kalka–Shimla toy train. It’s a popular escape from the heat and a base for nearby hill walks.
