Chapslee is a privately owned heritage estate in the Lakkar Bazaar area — a colonial-era mansion that has been operated as a small hotel for decades, with rooms and public spaces that retain original furniture, artworks, and atmosphere from the British period. It is one of the most carefully maintained examples of colonial domestic architecture in Shimla, and the current owners are genuinely knowledgeable about the building's history.
Non-guests can visit for afternoon tea, which is served in the drawing room or on the garden terrace depending on season. The experience is genuinely atmospheric: silver service, properly made Indian tea, sandwiches, and cakes in a room whose decor has not been updated since the 1950s. The garden gives good views over the valley. A visit here combined with the Viceregal Lodge provides the best sense of how British Shimla actually looked and felt in the hill station's heyday.