Nepal- Kathmandu area
 

Looking for something nice to enjoy during a short trip through Nepal in May to celebrate my birthday, so thinking something close to Kathmandu. I found this place Dwarikas Resort which seems to have gorgeous views and a good vibe with yoga and meditation and it's within an hour of the airport. Seems like the prices (compared to anything else in the country) suggest it is luxury too ;-) I'd love to wake up with those views...

Any other ideas?

We stayed at Dwarika's a few years ago, and had a very nice stay. I wouldn't call it a destination hotel by any means, but it's the only choice in Kathmandu. The Shangri-La and Hyatt are pathetic and are lacking of any soul whatsoever..

Make sure you book at least a Junior Suite at Dwarika's. And try to dedicate one night to having a traditional Nepalese meal at Krishnarpan Restaurant (located onsite.)

Dwarika's is great value, although just about everything in Nepal offers a great bang for one's buck.

Here are some photos from our stay there:

Courtyard

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9eac22db8c.jpg

Junior Suite

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0652d655da.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0f969e569a.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b767789a6a.jpg

Whoops!
 

My bad. I just now realized that you were referring to Dwarika's Resort, not Dwarika's Hotel (they're both owned by the same entity.)

Haven't stayed there.... yet. Sorry about that.

Pavillions Himalayas looks really nice, unfortunately this is a short trip and we dont have time for the short air or long road transfer from KTM. Dwarikas Hotel in Kathmandu looks nice too, I think the hope is we can relax with the mountains in the background at the Resort. Some of the negative reviews of the Resort concern me though... for $450 per night in Nepal I wouldnt expect any problems.

I have stayed at the Hyatt. Not luxury but propably the best there is in Kathmandu. However, I just read that Taj has opened. I looked a the website and although it is new it did not look special.

Hyatt Regency is not a luxury hotel by any means, but given the price point especially cat 1 points redemption including lounge access, restaurant breakfast, and suite upgrades for Globalists, it is solid value. Of all the negatives you could say about HR, "no soul" would not be one label that I would use. It is not a cookie-cutter hotel - we had a nice suite over two floors with the bedroom upstairs. So I would tend to agree with @speedbird001 here.

Dwarika's is without a doubt the only true luxury hotel in KTM and quite special. Service is as close to top tier as you can get. I had a friend stay when the earthquake hit and the staff went far above and beyond.

As mentioned Dkwarika's is a very quirky and unique property. Not exactly what i'd call luxury, but it's definitely the right choice in KTM.

It is a Vivanta hotel, so more a mid-range Taj experience. Since it is new I am going to give it a shot, am booked here in April, hopefully they will have shaken out some of the grand opening cobwebs.

any recent stays?

Had in unfortunate experience of spending 7 nights in Kathmandu, sampled the 3 upscale hotels before/after our recent trip to Langtang valley. We stayed at Hyatt Regency 2 nights waiting for delayed baggage, 2 nights at Marriott awaiting medical tests after an altitude issue (luckily everything is fine, but the cardiology advice i received in Nepal was terrible and I declined their suggestion for a pacemaker), and 3 nights at Dwarika's hotel trying to escape craziness that is Kathmandu before our flight home.

Overall Dwarika's is the best choice IMHO. Very unique setting/architecture which lets you forget you are in a busy city, but decent location to airport and some of the sites. Reasonably good service, there is a turndown, receptive staff. There was some hot water issues. Hyatt was also fine, good value, the general manager was quite nice and tried hard to find out bags, nice location near stupa. Marriott had good service, best food/breakfast buffet (the Nepali restaurant at Dwarika's is however best overall food, but that hotels breakfast lacked somewhat). Marriott is absolutely not a unique to Nepal experience, but new and everything works, so perhaps for a return guest or the second segment of a trip would be best option.

Aside from the travel/health disasters, we loved our time in the Himalayas, hopefully can get back someday but I think i'd have PTSD spending more time in Kathmandu, looking forward to hearing others recent thoughts on Bhutan.

This is alarming to read. I hope you have gotten effective treatment now that you are home and are on the road to full recovery.

A total aside, but I understand the reason there is a Hyatt in Kathmandu is because one of the Pritzkers (the founding family of Hyatt) became a Buddhist and wanted a comfortable place to stay on his travels to Nepal.

Thanks for this. Yes I'm fine, had some paradoxical reaction to altitude causing low heart rate,had all tests repeated at home, cardiologist here think completely benign and shouldn't impact me from future travel to altitude. But the cardiac advice i received there was quite bad, very off putting. I would urge anyone travelling to Nepal to have a medical contact back home lined up to get a second opinion should anything come up.

Bhutan is spectacular. Go. Go now. :) We were there right before the pandemic shut everything down. It was our second trip. I am sure there will be a third.

As an aside, I spent some time hanging out with a US surgical resident (well, he had completed his residency and was taking time to volunteer before starting full time as a surgeon in San Francisco) in Kathmandu. The stories he would tell of medical and hospital care there were... horrifying. I agree with not only your comment about having a medical contact at home lined up, also good medical evacuation insurance is a must. TBH, Bhutan is no better, the medical choices are extremely limited and if you needed emergency care you would be in trouble (or just need to evacuate to India or Thailand). You won't find the altitude in Bhutan, but it is, if anything, more remote.