Taj Theog Resort & Spa, Shimla

We know Taj primarily for its urban luxury hotels and for its coastal beach resorts, but of course it was only a matter of time before the venerable Indian hospitality brand established itself in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh as well. Just over an hour outside of Shimla, set on five acres of forested hillside, is Taj Theog, a lodge-style luxury resort with commanding views of the surrounding valleys and the peaks beyond.

The rooms and suites are beautifully understated, a tribute, perhaps, to the utilitarian values of mountain life — simple modernist furniture, richly figured wood, and accents in classic red are the extent of the ornamentation. The comforts, naturally, are first-rate, and all the more so for the recent vintage of their construction. And while the courtyard-view rooms are attractive enough, it’s worth ensuring you’ve got a valley view — it’s the rare hotel in which you can have breakfast on your balcony with a view of the Himalayas.

As always, a Jiva spa and a handful of very fine restaurants may be taken as a matter of course. Where this Taj departs most dramatically from the others is, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the character of its surroundings — here the excursions make extensive use of the mountain setting, and include day hikes or multi-day treks for a variety of fitness and experience levels.