Nepal – Kathmandu Hotel – Dwarika Hotel (Nepal Travel Review Series) – Eat | Pray

Dwarika Hotel is our favourite hotel of the entire Nepal stay. Dwarika is like a little haven. From noisy Kathmandu streets, walking through Dwarika main gates is like a downshift in gears. Suddenly, I am surrounded by historical buildings, friendly staff, birds chirping, and a spacious courtyard to chillout and relax. The sudden silence is quite pleasantly deafening after all the noise and buzz right outside. Dwarika Hotel also has many preserved wooden windows and structures, which is a defining architectural trademark of Dwarika.

Because it is relatively low season to trek in Nepal, we got a free upgrade to the Dwarika Suite. (Tip: Feb is a good time to travel to Nepal as it is tail-end of winter, if you can take slightly colder weather. The food/shopping/hotels are all relatively cheaper and less crowded!) It was an amazing big room with a king sized bed, lounging bed, sofa area, bathtub and bathing area. I loved the rustic, historic feel of the very clean and spacious room.

There is free yoga class at Dwarika Hotel at 7am every morning with an expert yogi. We tried it and felt energized after, but also very humbled that the elderly yogi can do the poses much better than us! Good testimony for the sport indeed. We also tried the traditional Nepalese massage spa within Dwarika, which was relaxing and much needed relief before we would hammer our joints on the Poon Hill Trek.

We also tried an authentic Nepalese dinner at the Krishnarpan Restaurant, within the Dwarika Hotel. This restaurant has been visited by Hillary Clinton and celebrities across the world. We sit on the floor on cushions, giving the restaurant a very cosy feel. N tried the 16 course dinner (which left him bloated.. which happens only very rarely) and I tried the 9 course one. My favourites were the fish, chicken in the dal bhat and the yoghurt.