amã Stays & Trails Ballyhack Cottage, Shimla

The rooms are nicely maintained despite the property being colonial, and the food is delicious. It's also very close to Mall Road, which is a big plus. A great place for a vacation.

Even though it's near Mall road and the church in the heart of Shimla, the property feels tucked away, with lots of greenery and mountain views. The in-house restaurant serves good food. Staff were very polite and attentive to everything we needed.

The cottage food was homely and tasty, especially the aloo paratha, and all the staff were courteous. I loved the place. The lower rooms are beautiful and spacious, but getting to them involves climbing, so they aren't senior-citizen friendly. There are two upper rooms; one has a loft with plenty of space and height, but that also means more climbing. There's just one TV, in the loft by the sitting area. There are no fans or AC, and ventilation isn't great. We went during the best season, though, so it didn't bother us. From the cottage gate, taking a left gets you to the Mall road viewing gallery, which is convenient if you're okay with the climb. Cars can't reach the cottage because entry is restricted. Only permitted cars can go up from below. The cottage covered our check-in and check-out car rides. For the other six rides between the top and the car park, we paid Rs 3000/-. Since it's only a 5-7 minute drive, the cottage should offer a concession for those rides. Everything else was perfect.

We had a fab time, and I'd like to thank Hitesh and the staff for making our stay memorable. They were superbly trained and looked after our needs, and the home-cooked food was tasty. The rooms were spacious and clean. The cottage is just behind the Church at Mall Road, which was a real plus while travelling with kids.