It cannot be denied that Wildflower Hall is a luxury experience. It nestles in the Shimla hills about 45 minutes from Shimla itself. So much attention is lavished on the well being of guests it is almost overwhelming. Staff have been trained to be acutely observant such that what you need seems to materialise even before you think of it.

The building is actually modern, replacing what was originally a long low villa, but it has an old style wooden grandeur about it inside which is also very comfortable. There is a gracious reception area furnished with large armchairs and sofas and plenty of little corners in which to curl up alone or in conversation.

There are also rooms leading off it..

At the back, a conservatory gives out onto an enormous terrace with sensational views. We had breakfast here, staring agog at the alpine beauty.

Whilst I relaxed unashamedly into this parallel universe, (those who know me please stop laughing) Jeremy struggled. Although it was difficult to accept so much attention, I knew that everything was well intended and that they were simply doing their job. Wealthy Indian tourists can be extremely demanding, as we witnessed. But Jeremy did not want anyone to do anything for him, nor even pour him a glass of wine. “I just want to be up Spiti” he said. Hmm. I felt it not tactful to say very much. Personally I was grateful to be safely there right then, enjoying a respite from peeing behind boulders and trying not to feel car sick. We kept a respectful distance on the matter.

The following morning dawned bright and sunny.

After breakfast and the wonderful views from the terrace we set off for a walk round the top of the hill. It was one of the easiest and loveliest we had enjoyed in a while. A path led us through sun dappled pine trees which clamoured to be captured on camera. I took far too many photographs.

We walked past the presidential summer retreat as well as a nicely built house. None too shabby for a pad in the hills, I thought!!

Nearly back at the Hall we poked around a couple of market stalls, and purchased a shawl before I sneaked off for a massage. The whole day had felt like a holiday in itself. Only two more stops before the end of the trip…

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The next morning I found myself waiting for Jeremy and Anil on the front lawn. It was another heavenly day. I espied an elegant be-trousered lady also strolling round the garden. She asked if I would mind taking a photo of her on the bench. Naturally I didn’t mind at all and she did the same for me..

We then struck up a conversation. It turned out she was on tour as head of Luxury Experience for the Oberoi Hotel group, of which Wildflower was one. She was visiting each hotel so that she experienced them first hand and knew them properly when making recommendations to clients. (Nice work if you can get it!) Notwithstanding all of that we found we had a lot in common and really hit it off. We parted friends.

I would like to thank Mona Singh personally in this blog as without my realising it she also arranged a very warm welcome on arrival at our next hotel, the Sukvillas, Chandigarh. She represents what the group is trying to be all about: sincerity and an open heartedness in the care of other people. I hope we’ll keep in touch.

Our last day of travels with Anil had arrived. He was taking us to Chandigarh and then heading for home before starting his next tour. The atmosphere was quiet. We were late leaving and then got stuck in a traffic jam. The local bus drivers were in dispute with the government and blocking the way. A long delay was the last thing we needed today. I could feel Jeremy’s tension gathering. Anil and I cantered down the line of stationery traffic to see what was happening. All of a sudden, whistles were blowing and there was a loud cheer. The government had caved in to demands. We ran back to the car.

Very gradually the streets unblocked and we inched forward. There was a great deal of traffic on the road today which we weren’t used to, forcing us to go slowly.

Anil was naturally preoccupied with his next tour and being bombarded by calls on his mobile, which was very distracting. Progress was frustratingly slow. No one said very much. As we neared Chandigarh there was some confusion as to the right road to take for Sukvillas but this was then found.

By early evening we found ourselves deposited ready for our next (brief) Oberoi experience.

It was time to say goodbye. I was not expecting to have become so attached to this young man who had been our sole guardian over 1400kms and two weeks in the wilds of Himachal Pradesh. We’d all been through a lot together, and got to understand each other’s rhythms. Jeremy said his goodbyes and thank yous and went to deal with our bags etc. Anil and I stared at the floor. Then, breaking all protocol, he stepped forward and gave me a great big hug, which I could not fail to return.

That lump in my throat again..

Then he was off and away to his family, where he needed to be.