This was a great hotel, just not really our type of place.
The location is very remote and isolated. Many of the guests were
interested in birding, foliage, short hikes, which we were not, so I
question why we chose this hotel in the first place (I guess because I
had heard it was the best in Pokhara). Rooms were very basic, absolutely
no toiletries but soap provided (although that was handmade and I liked
it). There are no hairdryers, robes, slippers--in my opinion,
inexpensive things that would add a more luxurious touch to the rooms.
There are no TVs, no telephones, and only very dim lights. I loved the
hot water bottles placed in my bed at night--it made it nice and toasty.
Pokhara had some petrol shortage problems when we visited, so there
were rolling blackouts every day (and they were substantial--two 4-hour
periods each day, sometimes while you were sleeping, but sometimes when
you would have liked to read or shower or use the bathroom). When
there's no petrol shortage, the hotel uses generators, so that probably
makes it better for many guests--just not while we were there. Hot water
for showers provided only twice per day, for 2 hours in morning and
evening, but the tank only has a 25-liter capacity, so it runs out way
before two people can shower properly. This was the only hotel during
our entire trip to India and Nepal that did NOT provide bottled water in
the rooms. Carafes full of their supposedly purified water were filled
in each room, but I wasn't comfortable with drinking that. Bottled water
is available for purchase, however. Food was good--cooked breakfast,
Indian/local buffet lunch, and served 3-course dinner. I was very happy
with the food; it was very tasty, well presented, with great service.
Drinks are not included in the nightly rate (which I never could
ascertain directly), so we spent about $100 per day on beverages (one of
us drinks beer, and the other drinks only non-alcoholic drinks); Visa
and MasterCard (and cash only)--American Express is not accepted.
There's a lovely open stone fire pit in the lobby/bar area, where guests
congregate before and after dinner (meal times are set and varied based
on the blackouts). The pool is pretty, although we did not get to use
it (not quite warm enough). It's unfortunate that the view when we
visited was so hazy (we didn't do our homework beforehand--we thought
that if February was a good time to visit northern India--and it
was--that it was also a good time to visit Nepal, which it wasn't. It
will be much clearer in a few months). There are a lot of stairs and
much walking required on this property--anyone with mobility problems
would have great difficulty (again, maybe lack of research on our part,
but we weren't expecting to need to climb up/down so many steps to reach
the rooms/lobby/dining room). There is no walkie-talkie or telephone to
contact the lobby should you need help--when our fuse blew right after
showering one night, my husband had to quickly dress and make the long
trek up the hill to get assistance in nearly pitch-black darkness. The
staff was excellent--always accessible and pleasant. It would be
relatively easy and inexpensive for this hotel to move up a "star" and
achieve the luxury which it purports, although to be fair, all the other
guests in residence with us seemed quite happy with the setting and
accommodations. Again, I think it was a great place, just not the best
choice for us. (We were undecided between this hotel and the Fishtail
Lodge; I think we would have preferred the Fishtail location since it
was closer to Lakeside and we would have been able to get to town
easier; from Tiger Mountain, it was $20 per person each way, which was a
bit excessive for a shopping trip, lunch on our own, etc.)