Shimla budget · Budget in Shimla
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Budget in Shimla
Budget in Shimla
A visitor to Shimla requiring truly budget (but safe) accommodation at any time of the year other than the months of May (latter part) and June — when high season causes a spike in room rates even at the most modest of establishments — can confidently expect to be able to find a double hotel room for Rs. 200 (USD 4.38) a night or thereabout. In this category, the well-known standbys among the frequent visitors to Shimla are Hotel Gulmarg (below The Mall; a room for as low as Rs 150 per night), Hotel Dreamland (rather institutional though), Hotel Woodland (peaceful and with balcony and cheap but food and room service is not up to the mark), Hotel City View (great terrace, but beware of resident touts), Hill Bloom Hotel (some rooms with great panoramic views), all basic but adequate and excellently located above Christ Church on The Ridge (some with spectacular views). Use Christ Church on The Ridge — Shimla's principal landmark familiar to all, easily identifiable during the day and prominently illuminated at night — as your first orientation point upon arrival. Avoid touts at all cost, whether locals or outsiders (many are in fact Kashmiri chisellers disguised as locals, and calling themselves euphemistically "guides", who have been working the Shimla beat for years and decades); they scour the railway and bus stations for incautious or vulnerable-looking victims among the new arrivals, and foreign travellers carrying luggage are their prime targets in the streets as well: if you allow them to lead you to your hotel you will be manipulated in manifold ways: (1) your daily room rate will automatically (but surreptitiously) be bumped up to cover the commission they will receive from the hotel for their unnecessary services (resulting in an increase in hotel price of as much as 200%); (2) the touts will (unbeknownst to you) steer you away from hotels which deny them such commission but which may be better choices from your point of view; and moreover (3) you will subsequently be pestered by your tout, who will now "own" you during your stay, to buy additional "services" from him, while (4) being force-fed additional doses of misinformation. The experience of being "led" by an unscrupulous but ingratiating manipulator with his own interest in mind rather than yours can be the ruin of one's visit to Shimla. The touts can be extremely importunate and persevering in pursuit of their illegal trade while at the same time feigning "friendship" intended to ensnare the gullible. All accommodation arrangements as well as any additional side-trips, sightseeing, onward transportation, etc., can easily and safely be arranged without the help of the touts. (Visit the office of the state-run Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (phone +91 177 265-2561 or 265-8302), located in the central place downtown called "The Scandal Point", before Christ Church on The Ridge (across from the City Hall), for any impartial information or guidance you may require: the staff there are well-informed and reasonably professional. There are no alternatives to this office as the source of impartial, reliable information on all aspects of Shimla and on travel thereto and therefrom.)
The rate of Rs 200 per night should be taken as a benchmark when negotiating the price of accommodation at most ordinary hotels in Shimla (outside of the aforementioned period of late May and June, when, as already mentioned, the spike in demand causes a spike in the price of the supply). Budget travellers should bear in mind that from 1 May 2011 an extra tax at the rate of 5.15% is charged on all hotel rooms with the approved maximum charge per night exceeding the amount of Rs 1,000 (one thousand rupees): hotel rooms with the maximum approved nightly rate below Rs 1,000 are exempt. The tax, when applicable, is calculated on the maximum rate for the particular room that has been approved by the State tourism authorities and not on the actual rate negotiated between between the guest and the hotel. Thus, if a particular hotel room has the approved maximum nightly rate of Rs 1,200, for example, but the guest has managed to negotiate with the hotel a rate of Rs 300 for that room in off-season, the final bill may attract an additional amount of Rs 62 per night, or over 20% of the total. To avoid the tax in question, try to choose budget hotels with government-approved maximum rates below Rs 1,000 per night (regardless of your actual negotiated amount), or those where the hotelier is willing to cover the extra charge himself in any case.
YMCA (2,225 metres above sea level), Behind Ritz Cinema, The Ridge (1 mile walk from Shimla train and bus station), ☎ +91 177 2650021. checkin: 12 noon; checkout: 12 noon. A centrally located, charming Victorian style building. Offers both en-suite rooms and rooms with common bathrooms. A limited choice complementary breakfast is provided at no extra cost. En-suite rooms have clean attached bathrooms. To avoid disappointment during peak season, pre-book a room over phone. En suite room costs Rs 700 for a single person and Rs 1000 for two persons. A room with common bathroom costs Rs 370 for a single person and Rs 500 for two persons. Problems with noise and vermin infestation reported. Rs 370 and above. �
Hotel White, Lakkar Bazaar (500m NE of The Ridge), ☎ +91 177 265-5276 ( , fax: +91 177 265-5276), . This hotel surprisingly offers clean and spacious rooms all done up in white at budget-friendly rates. Opt for their suite which also offers a balcony and great views of the valley. Rs1200. �
Hotel Mayur (2,211 metres above sea level), The Ridge (just behind Christ Church, and overlooking its roof), ☎ +91 177 265-2393 ( , fax: +91 177 2652398). checkout: 12PM. A centrally located hotel on The Ridge. Rooms have clean attached bathrooms, color television, wall-to-wall carpeting; somewhat run-down by now. The room service is fairly decent. Rs 1000-1700. �
Dalziel (2,135 metres above sea level), The Mall (10 minutes walk westwards from Scandal Point), . Situated in a wooden heritage building. Laundry service and meals available. From Rs 400 upwards. �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Shimla
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Shimla - updated May 2024
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Shimla Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.