Seclude Shimla Taraview: the 150-year-old bungalow above Mall Road

Shimla has a version of itself that most visitors never see. It is not the one with the crowds pushing along Mall Road or the queue for the toy train photo op. It is quieter, older, tucked into Old Shimla among tall deodars, and it is where Seclude Shimla Taraview has been sitting, mostly unbothered, for about 150 years.

The bungalow only recently opened its doors as a stay, which is part of the appeal. This is not a new build dressed up to look old. It is genuinely old, colonial in structure, with lime plastered walls and two lion statues guarding the garden, the kind of detail that reads as decoration until you realise it has just always been there. We think that's the difference between a heritage hotel and a heritage home wearing a hotel's name for a while.

There are six rooms, and the website is refreshingly upfront that none of them feel the same. Cosmos has a spiral poster bed and old furniture. Milky Way is compact, built for two, with a study nook that seems aimed squarely at anyone who claims they're going to finally write something on this trip. Nebula leans vintage, frilled bed trim and all. Shooting Star has a Dhajji wall, a nod to the old construction style that keeps the colonial mood intact. Sunbeam sits on the first floor with a vintage bed head and carries much of the home's old world character. Super Moon is the master bedroom, wicker bed head, big glass windows, and reportedly the room most guests specifically ask for, largely because of its sunset views.