Kathmandu doesn’t seem to have any luxury hotels. Using TripAdvisor as an initial guide, then examining hotel websites, I narrowed my search to two small independent properties which seemed the most comfortable: the Dalai-La Boutique Hotel in the central Thamel area, and Dwarika’s Hotel, which is on the edge of town, closer to the airport. Because I only planned to be in KTM for two nights, I decided on the former, to be closer to the heart of the city.

Lots of online reviews of Kathmandu hotels refer to the intermittent supply of electricity and hot water. So I contacted the hotel by email to ask a few questions about solar water heating and back-up generators. They were very helpful and didn’t appear irritated by my questions, so I proceeded to book with them, when they offered me a Junior Suite for US$137/night including breakfast and taxes. (Their website was advertising the 36.5 sq. metre room at $250 B&B plus taxes.). I also asked the hotel to arrange a car to meet us at the airport (with hindsight this was a good idea because it’s quite chaotic outside the terminal building).

Because of the chaos and my confusion getting through immigration, we were delayed by ninety minutes trying to get out, but our driver was still there waiting for us, with our names on a hotel board. We headed off in the lunch time rush hour and saw that KTM is a heavily polluted city with unmaintained and often unmade roads, congestion and confusing traffic management (police blowing whistles, no traffic lights). I definitely do not commend hiring a car here. The pollution is mostly dust, made into smog by dirty, old diesel engines and the morning mists of winter. Add to that Kathmandu’s 1,400m (4600 feet) elevation, and it’s not long before you’re looking forward to your next lungful of clean, fresh air!  Absolutely everything is covered in a sandy coloured dust, so asthmatics should consider wearing a face mask, which are widely worn in Asia, so you won’t look silly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about 45 minutes of a stop-start bumpy journey, our driver turned into a side street and dropped us outside the entrance to the Dalai-La Boutique Hotel. That side street is mostly traffic free, which is a great advantage compared to the mayhem of neighbouring streets.  We crossed the hotel’s courtyard cum restaurant area, and into reception. We were handled efficiently and in very good English by a couple of warm and friendly ladies, then shown to our room on the 5th floor.  There are no lifts/elevators at the hotel, and luckily I could just about manage getting up the stairs. But if you think you might struggle (the air is pretty thin) do ask for a lower level room when you book. But the hotel only has 31 rooms, so not everyone can be close to the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Junior Suite exceeded my expectations. There was a superking bed, a large TV at its foot, as mall sitting area and table beyond that, and then a good-sized window looking towards one end of the Kathmandu Valley; one hill with a golden stupa, when the air clears sufficiently to see it. To the left of the window was a glass walled bathroom with a large shower, toilet and single copper washbasin. In the sitting area was a minibar and tea/coffee making equipment, and by one side of the bed was a very small balcony looking over the hotel courtyard below, surrounding houses and another mountainside of the valley, this time with a white stupa.  The room was clean, but rather chilly, but the heating function on the aircon warmed things up nicely.

The climate, particularly air temperature, was a tricky thing for me to manage (and pack for). In December the nights are chilly, just in single figures Celsius, but in the daytime it rises to 20 degrees, and is very pleasant, particularly in the sunshine.  The hotel courtyard, which also acts as the restaurant, is not bathed in sunshine, and although it has some gas heaters, eating breakfast and dinner al fresco is a bit challenging and definitely requires a few layers and a hat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food is varied. We enjoyed our breakfasts, thanks to a barista providing good coffees (but it takes him a while), and a decent choice of other dishes, all served a la carte. The Eggs Benedict was decent, though, unusually, it was served on a croissant rather than a muffin.  It came with grilled bacon which was cold half of the time.  Be aware that the included breakfast only allows you one coffee; reorders will be charged for, and on cold mornings one needs more than one.

For out first night’s dinner we both had a Thali, which was good, and a good sized portion. The second night we chose some western dishes which were not that good. On selected evenings they have a live band playing.  Live music seemed to be very popular in the city, which might irritate tired travellers looking for an early night.  We survived; it wasn’t that bad at all.

The street outside the hotel has lots of shops, offering cashmere or yak scarves, shawls, pashminas etc, some selling tourist tat, souvenirs, and Nepali art, others stocked high with (I presume) fake North Face gear. It was the most calm street we walked on in Kathmandu, but it’s the kind of street that if you pause and glance at anything in a shop window, you’ll be pounced upon by the owner and encouraged to go inside his shop. There are also a lot of street hawkers.   Walking further south, towards the legendary Durba Square, the narrow streets become more crowded and cars and motorbikes battle with pedestrians, luckily at very low speed.  It could be an opportunistic place for pick-pockets, but I have to say that I felt very safe in Kathmandu. On the whole its people, though very very poor, are smiling and non-threatening towards visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nepal is a terribly poor country, with antiquated infrastructure. Corrupt government officials don’t appear to have properly distributed all the international aid it received after 2015’s major earthquake (7.8 Richter). There’s still a lot of building work going on, and most heritage sites are still a long way from repair.  None of the buildings in the city appear to be developed to ‘western standards’, several appear very old and past their prime, so I was actually quite surprised so many had survived the earthquake. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if a building had earthquake damage, or if it was just ‘run down’. One can imagine how terrifying it must have been to be in a major quake within the narrow streets of this ancient city.

I needed to make changes to, or cancel, some domestic flights I’d booked, because it transpired that morning fog in the Kathmandu valley in December, makes flights very unreliable. The staff on the Front Desk, including a duty manager, were exceptionally helpful. They also drew upon the help of Santosh, from a neighbouring travel company Iconic Nepal (www.iconicnepal.com) to offer advice, which resulted in me deciding to cancel some early morning flights from Kathmandu, in order to be certain I’d make the flight to my safari lodge.  Santosh was also the one who arranged cars to/from the airport for me, and he struck us as an extremely helpful and reliable chap. I commend his services to you, if you’re going to Nepal.  When I tried to cancel the flights on the airlines’ website there was a problem, and as soon as he saw it, without saying anything the hotel duty manager was on the phone to the airline, talking Nepali, to get my issue resolved.  Anticipating a customer’s needs, and stepping in to help is a sign of the very best standards of customer care.

Be advised: on our last day at Dalai-La Boutique Hotel we found a staff member in our bedroom, and evidence he had gone through our bags, but nothing was taken from us. We reported the matter and they  investigated and reported back to us.

Also on our last day our bedroom toilet developed a blockage. I really don’t know if it was our fault, by putting toilet paper in the loo. We often saw waste bins next to toilets in Nepal, but never a sign telling people not to put paper in the loo.

If you are arranging any domestic flights in the mornings they will very likely be delayed, due to fog at KTM or at your destination, if you’re flying in December. Fog usually cleared around 11am and flights operated normally thereafter.  Flights before then were delayed and delayed and delayed! This caused me a fair bit of anxiety, always wondering if we would make connections.  It might be a good idea to plan for a stopover in KTM if you’re flying through it to get a morning flight home. If so, go for Dwarika’s hotel.