Often, it’s the facilities or the pampering that justify a hotel’s rates. This simple rural property however, has the simplest of USPs: location and view. The only place to stay in Thanedar village, at nearly 8000 feet, Banjara is a welcome stop on the Shimla-Tibet route, a homely place run by lovely people.

This is apple-growing country, and the success of Thanedar’s cottage industry is borne out in the slightly well-to-do, progressive feel of the village. It’s a place where happy, inquisitive children, alongside a clutch of tourists, are free to explore the orchards and forests that cover the hillsides.

Most of Thanedar is involved in the apple or cherry business, and as Banjara’s amiable host Mr Thakur will attest, it’s a very enviable existence, no doubt enhanced by magical views of the sun setting behind the snowy Himalayan peaks.

The accommodation here is spacious and sparse, far from ‘luxury’ but most definitely comfortable. What stands out though, is the pride of local ownership, a connection to the land and the warm hospitality that this generates.