Pokhara Hotel & Guesthouses

There are four main areas in which to stay in Pokhara: Lakeside (Baidam), Damside (Pardi), near the airport and the bazaar area. When choosing a place to stay you should take into consideration, where it is located, the views, the quality of the room, whether there is hot water, and if it has a garden. The rooms on the higher floors usually have better views and are more expensive. Usually the further south you go along the lake, the better the views of the mountains.
The main area to stay is the Lakeside area, and also popular is the Damside area. Both have great locations stretched out along the lake. In some ways Lakeside is better. It is more pleasant to look out across the main part of the lake, rather then looking at a thin strip of the lake by the dam. It is a 15-minute walk over to the more happening Lakeside area. Many of the hotels are four-story concrete-jungle type hotel, and the area is not as natural, with less trees and fields. There are not as many restaurants. Often people would rather stay out of the busier Lakeside scene. There are some pleasant hotels in the Damside area. The views of the mountains in Damside are better. The Anadu and Bangladi areas are more secluded areas.
In the Lakeside area there is a large number of budget and middle-class hotels. Within a few minutes there are lodges situated in the fields. There are many really good restaurants, travel agencies, bookshops, handicraft shops, and shops selling whatever items needed for trekking.
There are some first-class hotels near the airport, but they are inconveniently located away from the more pleasant are of Lakeside.
There are many cheap hotels in the Bazaar area, but it is not worth staying at, because it loud, crowded and dirty. Lakeside and Damside are much better places to stay.
Before coming to Pokhara, it would be a good idea to ask some fellow travelers for recommendation on what place to stay at, as standards change quickly. On arrival, it is best to avoid the many touts (commission agents) at the bus stands. To avoid the touts, you may want to take a taxi to a restaurant, eat, then leave your bags at the restaurant, and then go look for a hotel. If you are carrying a backpack you can expect to be approached by touts. You could also just get any hotels for the first night and the find another hotel the next day.
Prices are often quoted in US dollars. Often prices can be bargained down, and most people will pay a lower price, especially outside of the high season of October and November. Most mid-range and higher priced hotels have a 12% government tax.

Where to Stay – Damside (Pardi)
The Damside or Pardi area is located southeast of Phewa Tal Lake and one kilometre southwest of the airport. There are a good number of good hotels here. The mountains views are better in Damside than Lakeside, but the area is not as pleasant. It has less restaurants and shops than Lakeside.
Hotel Pagoda (21802) is a very good value with very clean rooms with common bath for $6/7 and $10/14 with bath. It has good views.
Hotel Green View (21844) has basic rooms in the old wing for Rs $4/6 and has a new wing with comfortable rooms with bath and good views for $12/17. It is a secluded well-managed place with a pleasant garden.
Hotel Peaceful has rooms with common bath for $4/6 and more comfortable rooms for $9/12 with bathrooms.
Hotel Pokhara View (20189) has rooms with common bath for $5/6 and rooms with bath for $10/12. Some of the rooms have great views.
Tibet Resort (20853) is a modern place with a pleasant garden. It has rooms with bath for $8/12. It is a very good value.
Hotel Garden (20870) has rooms with common bath for $4/6, rooms with bath for $9/12, and deluxe rooms with great views for Rs $14/18. It has a good location.
Ashok Guest House (20374) is a recommended well-maintained place with a beautiful garden and rooms with a view for $20/25 and without a view for $15/20. From the park next door and the roof, there is a good view of the mountains and lake. It is next to the lake.
Mona Lisa (20853; fax: same) is a good place with a really good located with rooms for $20/25.
Hotel Holiday (20189) has clean rooms with common bath for Rs 400/500 and with Rs 600/700 with bath. Some rooms have great mountain views.
Hotel Tragopan (21708; fax 23027), has good rooms with A/C and TV for $35/40. From the rooms here you have a good view, there is a good garden and the rooms are comfortable. It has a small pool.
Dragon Hotel (20391, 22630; email: dragon@mos.com.np) has well-appointed A/C rooms with Tibetan furniture and A/C for $40/50. It has a roof garden, good views, and restaurant.

Where to Stay – Lakeside
The main area to stay runs along the Phewa Tal Lake. Most of the hotels in the Lakeside area are budget hotels and some are comfortable middle-class hotels. Many of the budget places are similar. Most are clean, well-maintained and they often have hot water and a pleasant garden. Depending on the season and the amount of visitors, often discounts are available, especially if you are staying a while. Budget hotels range from Rs 100 to Rs 350. The more comfortable mid-range places begin at $10.
It is possible to stay in the centrally located, busy area of Lakeside in the middle of the action. You can also stay in a more quiet area, down a side street, or at the north end of Lakeside. The views of the mountains are not as good as you head north of the area because the views become blocked by the hills.

Khahare and Bangladi Area
This area is north of where the main road meets the lake shore road. On the north side of the lake there are some budget places that are in a rural area. The views are often blocked by the nearby hills.
Buddha Guest House, next to the lake, is a budget place that has clean rooms with common bath. It is a good idea to have a bicycle to stay here as it is a 15 walk to the action. It has great views of the lake. Hot water from bucket.
Hamlet Lodge, next to the hills, is a good place with rooms for Rs 400.
Sunrise Guest House, near the lake, is a nice place with basic, clean rooms.
Vienna Guest House has large, basic rooms with bath for Rs 140. It has some great lake views. It is a decent place.
Hotel Namaste, back from the road, reached by foot, is a really basic, quiet place with rooms for Rs 125.
Blue Diamond Lodge, nearby, is a basic place for Rs 140.
Kalpana Guest House, back from the road, next to the rice fields, is a well-managed place with clean rooms with common bath for Rs 175. It is a good value.
Chhetri Sisters Guest House (24066; email: sisters@cnet.wlink.com.np) is a friendly place has decent rooms with common bath for Rs 225 and rooms with bath for Rs 350. There are good views of the lake from the roof. It is run by three sisters. It is often full.
Pleasure Home Lodge has basic rooms with common bath downstairs for Rs 125 and upstairs for Rs 175. It has a small garden and lake views.
Hotel Sahana (22614; fax 25050) is a modern place that has rooms built around a pleasant garden for $17/22. They give a 20% discount.
The Camping Ground, next to the lake is a good place to stay but there is not much shade. It is Rs 50 to pitch a tent, Rs 80 to park a vehicle, and Rs 50 to use the kitchen. It has basic facilities.

West (North) Lakeside (Pallo Patan)
It is best to avoid rooms facing the road, as they can be noisy in the morning, as buses go up and down the road looking for passengers. Especially hotels going from the campground on the lake going toward the bazaar can be especially noisy. Usually the hotels in the South Lakeside area are quieter and therefore better.
Amrit Guest House (22862, 24401; fax 22201), near the Lake, has big, clean rooms with common bath for Rs 125 and with bath for Rs 250. It is quiet.
Tranquillity Lodge (21030) is a nice modern place with a pleasant garden and large comfortable rooms for $18/28. During the low-season you can often get a 50% discount.
Hotel Khukuri (21540), down a side road, has comfortable rooms with TV and a carpet for $30/35. It does not have a garden. It is not such a good value.
Butterfly Lodge (22892) is a nice place with comfortable rooms for Rs 350 and Rs 450 for a bigger room. It has a big, pleasant garden. Set back from the road.
Temple Villa (21203) is a clean pleasant place with a good location. The big, comfortable rooms are $7/10 and $12/16 with bath.
Hotel Fewa (20151), on the west side of the road, in a great location right next to the lake, has basic well-maintained rooms for $22/30. It has good views from the nice verandah. It is owned and managed by Mike of Mike’s Breakfast in Kathmandu. It is a little overpriced. It has a really good restaurant.
Yeti Guest House (21423), in a large garden, has basic rooms with common bath for Rs 125 and Rs 225 with bath.
Lubbly Jubbly Guest House (22881), down the side road from the Mountain Top, is a nice place with rooms with common bath for Rs 125 and Rs 225 with bath. It has a nice outdoor area and restaurant for relaxing. It has a small shady banana garden.
Hotel Stupa (22608), further down the road, has rooms for $22/40. They often give a discount.
Alka Guest House (23357; fax 22810), well located only he main road, has quiet rooms well back from the road with common bath for Rs 250 and with bath for Rs 350.
The next four places are down a peaceful side street
Pokhara Peace Home (23205) is a relaxed, quiet place with a pleasant garden with large rooms with common bath for Rs 175 and Rs 300/350 with bath. It is a decent place.
Hotel Avocado (23617; fax 21565) has rooms with bath for Rs 300/350. It has good views from the roof. It does not have a garden.
Namaste Cottage is a popular, friendly place in a peaceful garden. It has basic rooms with common bath for Rs 125.
French Cottage, nearby, has basic rooms for Rs 125.
Noble Inn (24926), down a side road, is a modern place with rooms with common bath for Rs 350 and with bath for Rs 450. It has a good garden.
Hotel Mayur (22285; fax 25261), on the same road, has modern, well-maintained place with rooms downstairs for Rs 300/350 and Rs 450/550 upstairs. There are great views from the top floor.
Hotel Meera (21031; fax 24923) is a good place that has rooms for $30/40 and deluxe rooms with A/C and TV for $40/50. There are often 35% discounts. It is first-class views from the front rooms.
Hotel Snowland (20384; fax 20958; email: snowland@mos.com.np) is a popular place that has rooms in the old wing for $17/22 and in the new wing there are comfortable, modern rooms with a good view of the lake for $35/40. There is often a 25% discount.
Hotel Barahi (23017, 21879; fax 23072, 22659) has rooms in the old wing for $30/35 and in comfortable deluxe rooms with A/C in the new wing for $60/68. It has a large beautiful garden and a tennis court.
Hotel Hungry-Eye (20908; fax 23089l; email: hungry@eye.mos.com.np) is a popular place with rooms with TV and a phone for $20/30. You can usually get a 50% discount and at that rate it is a good value.
Hotel Mountain Top (20779) has comfortable rooms with a great view for $15/24 with common bath and $25/35 with bath. Often there are 50% low-season discounts. It is a decent value.

East (South) Lakeside (Ammat)
The area is quieter south of the Royal Palace. The mountains views are better in this area. The restaurants and shops are not as good in this area, and North Lakeside has better restaurants.
Villa Papillon (27030), down a side street, has a double room with common bath for Rs 250 and Rs 400 with bath. It has a shady garden.
Giri Guest House (24955), near by down the same street, has large rooms with bath for Rs 250 downstairs and Rs 350 upstairs.
Hotel Nirvana (23332; fax 23736), nearby, is a well-maintained large place with clean rooms from $7 to $18. It has good balconies. Some rooms have views and there are good views from the roof. Nepali-Western managed.
New Tourist Guest House (21479), down a side road, is a good place with a selection of rooms ranging from $4 to $12/14 for a deluxe room. It has a decent garden.
Gauri Shankar (20422), down the same street, has rooms with common bath for Rs 175 and with bath for Rs 300. It has a good garden.
Stay Well Guest House (210-707, 22685) is a small, friendly, quiet clean place with good rooms for $14/24. There are views from the roof.
Dharma (23232) have decent comfortable rooms for $12/17. It is a decent place, but doesn’t have a garden.
Kiwi Guest House (22052) is a well-managed place that has a range of rooms starting at a room with common bath for $6 up to a deluxe A/C room with TV for $22. The garden is a bit small. There are good rooms from the roof
Gurkha Lodge (20798), in a secluded area away from the lake, is a small, well-maintained, clean place with a nice garden and good rooms for $14. It is run by an ex-Gurkha and his English wife. Thatched stone bungalows.
Hotel Bedrock (21876) is a big place with comfortable rooms for $30/50.
Moonlight Resort (422-044; fax 439-560), on Lakeside Rd, has good, basic rooms with bath for $10 and deluxe rooms for $20/30. Expect 35% discounts.
New Star Lodge (22478), away from the lake, has basic rooms for Rs 125/175 and with bath Rs 400 in an older building.
New Nanohana Lodge (22478), near by, is a modern place with clean rooms with nice balconies with bath ranging from $5 to $12. It is a friendly place.
Nepal Guest House (22692), back from the road, has big rooms with bath and a tub for $25/40. There is a often a discount.
Base Camp Resort (21226; fax 20903; email basecamp@ber.mos.com.np. basecamp@bcr.mos.com.np) is a good, high-end option if the Fish Tail is booked. There are group of building situated around a pleasant garden. It is a first-class, modern place with rooms with satellite TV and heating for $80/85. You can often get 40% discounts.
The well managed New Pokhara Lodge (20875) has rooms for $12/18
Hotel Kantipur (20886), has a good location, but has been allowed to run down a bit. Rooms are $18/24 and $45/55 for a deluxe room.
Hotel Osho is a good place with comfortable rooms for $8/12.
The nearby Snowland Hotel (20384) is another popular place with rooms for $25/30.

Airport Area
Hotel Mt Annapurna (20037; fax 20027), is a Tibetan owned place that has rooms with bath for $35/47. The places has a Tibetan designs and there are some interesting Tibetan murals in the restaurant. There is a pleasant garden and a good view of the Annapurna range. It is not so well-maintained and is not such a good value.
Hotel New Crystal (20035; fax 20234Kathmandu: 228-561; email: ajsthapit@mos.com.np) has rooms with bath and A/C for $55/70 and with a view for $70/80. It has good facilities, but is a bit impersonal. It has a small pool.
Shangri-la Village (22122; fax 21995; email: hosangsphosang@village.mos.com.np), 1km from the south end of the airport, is a first-class place with comfortable, A/C rooms with TV and phone for $175. It is a well-designed place built around a pool and beautiful garden. It has a health club and sauna. It has a good restaurant. It is Rs 500 for a weekend buffet breakfast and use of the pool for the day, which is a good value.
Dusit Thani Fulbari Hotel (23451; email: fulbari@dusit.com, Kathmandu 527-588; email dosm@fulbari.com), south of the airport, is a five-star place that has an excellent location overlooking the Seti River, that has excellent views. It is beautifully designed with a wood-carved lobby, has a nine-hole golf course, a heated pool, tennis court and a health club. The very comfortable rooms are $220/235. It has five restaurants.

Where to Stay – High
Fish Tail Lodge (22171; maybe??? Kathmandu office 221-711; fax 225-236; email: fishtail@lodge@lodge.mos.com.np), has a great location on the other side of the lake from the Lakeside area. Guests are taken to the hotel by rope-drawn boats. From the garden, when the sky is clear, you get fantastic views of the Annapurnas and Machhapuchhare looking over the Phewa Lake. At sunrise the mountains are reflected onto the lake and you can see the mountains twice. The hotel's name is the English name of the Machhapuchhare Mountain. This place has a beautiful garden and is well-designed with traditional architecture. The luxurious rooms cost $95/105. During the off-season you can get a 25% discount. This place is very popular, so it should be booked well in advance during the high seasons. The only problem with this place is that all the rooms do not have views, so you should request a room with a view. It has a good restaurant and there are nightly Cultural shows at 6.30 pm (Rs 150), which are open to non-guests. This is the place to stay in Pokhara. This is the original luxury hotel in Pokhara.

Other Areas
Tiger Mountain Pokhara Village (01 411-225; email: info@tigermountain.com), about a half-hour drive from Pokhara on the road to Kathmandu, has a spectacular location on a steep hill with excellent views of the mountains. It has stone cottage that have their own balconies with great views for $165 per person, which includes all meals and transportation to and from Pokhara.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides