Pokhara: Tiger Mountain Lodge (February 2008)

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.)