“Mr and Mrs Simpson, would you like a cup of hot chocolate?” were the first words any member of staff at The Oberoi Cecil spoke to us, shortly followed by that happiest of news: “You’ve been upgraded to a suite.” All the while, a piano was tinkling in the background and, although we were doing the paperwork for the check-in, our gaze kept sliding to the magnificent balconied atrium that was to be home for the next few days.

I’d like to describe The Cecil as a home from home, but since we live in Hong Kong our hotel suite was far larger than our apartment, with an enormous bathroom, dressing room, bedroom and living room – and a balcony with the most amazing views across the hills that surround Shimla. We’d been in India long enough to take the warning sign not to use the balcony seriously. The “monkey menace” is everywhere, and the thought of one getting into the room and running amok frankly scared the living daylights out of me.

The hotel, built on the site of Rudyard Kipling’s old house, The Tendrils, has managed to re-create the country house of the 1800s. Or what I imagine that was like – even I wasn’t born then, and I’ve never moved in “country house” circles. But the whiff of beeswax, the starched damask table linen and sheer comfort of everything from the bed to the dining room seats to the bath robes is how I imagine a country house would be. And no doubt reflects Shimla, then known as Simla, when it was the summer capital of the British Raj.

Having got that out of the way, what was it like staying there? Well, let’s just say that the hotel sticks in my mind as one of my all-time favourites – and just to reiterate, we paid for our stay and have no link to the group that owns it.

Some of its appeal is to do with Shimla; the weather is lovely 7,000 feet up, and the air is clean. In fact, it’s a no smoking town. The Cecil is a stroll away from the town centre, yet surrounded by trees and on a fairly quiet road so feels very calming. The dining room (which used to be the hotel’s ballroom) is a highlight (see link to menu below), the gym well-equipped, the indoor swimming pool is gorgeous, the lifts are 1930s wood and brass, and the enormous lobby under the atrium is made for people-watching.

However, the building is just the backdrop for what made my stay memorable, and that was the staff. I really felt they wanted me to be staying there, which must be the result of good training and good management. I asked two or three of the staff whether they liked working for The Cecil, and I don’t think they could fake the enthusiasm of their answers. At breakfast on our last day, waiters and waitresses came over to our table to say goodbye, and throughout our stay we were always addressed by name.

There was only one mysterious failure, and that was the bar. It’s a lovely 1930s affair in the atrium, but the staff couldn’t make a dry martini, took an age to serve us, and appeared to be on another planet. I guess we all have off days.

My benchmark for a good hotel is how sorry I feel to drive away from it, and I must say I’d have turned round and gone back at the drop of a hat when it came time to leave. I’d had a good rest, and been looked after with care. What more can you want in a hill station in India?

Top tip: Don’t forget the gym and pool; they’re slightly hidden away. Don’t confuse The Oberoi Cecil with Wildflower Hall, another Oberoi hotel eight miles outside Shimla.

Top picture: View from the balcony of our room overlooking the hills around Shimla.