If it were cheap to fly to Kathmandu, I would have gone back there already after my (too short) weeklong trip last February.
True, the city is busy, noisy, and very dusty, but there are so many things there that I like.
I loved the sights, the food, the people, and the possibility of jumping onto a bus and finding yourself within sight of the Himalayas after just a few hours.
Best of all, I loved it that everything in Kathmandu–except for the flight going there–is inexpensive.
If the city didn’t have a problem with load shedding, I would have cancelled my return flight last February and extended my stay. As a response to friends who have been asking me where to stay in Kathmandu, I have written this brief review of the two hotels I used when I went there.
Loved dal bhat, the Nepalese national dish.
I booked Kathmandu Home for one night because I wanted to be picked up at the airport. I have heard of taxi drivers overcharging tourists and I wanted to avoid it. Our flight was late but I easily found the hotel driver waiting for me and three other passengers just outside the airport.
I paid for their cheapest room ($20 per night) so I was quite surprised to see how big my room was. According to the receptionist, they upgraded me for free because they had run out of the regular rooms that I booked.
I loved it; the mattress was firm, there was an internet connection, and the cable TV had foreign channels as well. There was a fridge, a water heater, and the free breakfast was delicious, too (they even asked me if I wanted seconds!).
Unfortunately, they were as affected with Kathmandu’s electricity problems and the lights went out at 4am, returning only in the evening the next day. I decided that paying $20 a day wasn’t worth it if I couldn’t work anyway. The hot water also didn’t work well, so I had to grit my teeth when I took a shower the next morning.
After I checked out, I shouldered my backpack and went walking around Thamel. There were a lot of hostels there, but I chose to inquire inside Hotel Taishan because it looked big to me. If figured they’d maybe have something within my budget of $10-12 per day.
Address: Jyatha, Kathmandu, Nepal. Book via Agoda here: Kathmandu Home Hotel
I would have been fine paying $10 for a bed, so I couldn’t believe it when the receptionist at Hotel Taishan told me that their dorm rooms cost only 300 rupees per day, equivalent to US$3!
There were two bunk beds per room (loved the mattresses and the duvet was thick and clean!) and men and women were separate. I also loved it that they provided a desk and chair, so when electricity came back that night–as with the rest of Kathmandu, there was no electricity during the day–I worked until around 4am when lights finally went out (yep, fast Wifi was free!).
Best of all, there was hot water 24 hours a day. After the quick and cold shower I had at Kathmandu Home, I took a really long one in Hotel Taishan. I ended up staying there a total of four nights out of seven that I stayed in both Kathmandu and Pokhara.
There’s no free breakfast, but for only $3 a day, I would choose this place again and again if I were to go back in Kathmandu.
Address: Amrit Marg, Jyatha, Thamel. Book via Agoda here: Hotel Taishan
What discount hotel sites do you check when you’re traveling?
If you’re going to Nepal soon, you can look for hotels in Kathmandu via Agoda.
24 Comments. Leave new
I just returned from KMD and spent s lovely two days here. It’s a band new property with a restaurant in the hotel along with a bar and all rooms have a balcony.
Check it out on TA
Kathmandu Suite Home
Hi Aleah,
I just left a comment on your post about Thailand saying I’d taken out Nepal and pokhara to end my round the world trip coming up in October, reading this section on your travels makes me think maybe I’ll put it back in after Bangkok, originally I planned two weeks, a week in Kathmandu then a week in pokhara. I was concerned about the water, food hygiene and solo safety but it would be amazing to be in the Hymalaya region. Did you meet or see any Bhuddist monks as I imagine there are in Tibet or Laos? Hmmm… Accommodation is so cheap here it begs the question why not?! I’m planning New York first (just read your post on Broadway tickets, I’m a huge theatre fan!) was it safe at night? I’m staying not too far from Times Square but have seen some good night life in Hell’s Kitchen, then I’m off to Niagra falls by bus, flight to Florida, Cancun, playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta, San Francisco, Hollywood, Australia, Sydney, cairns, Hong Kong, then Thailand, all solo! Super excited but nervous also. I’ve spent weeks, literally hours every night carefully selecting hotels in safe areas and researching tips, your posts have added to the collective information that I’ve been using to make informed decisions and I’m signed up to your posts now so keep em coming! I’m giving up my flat and quitting my job in order to jet off for nearly 3 months, it’s now or never. I turned 40 this year and I feel empowered.
Hi Aleah, thank you for this post! I need to find an accommodation in Kathmandu for my trip in March and I suppose Hotel Taishan is a good choice!
A quick question, do you find staying in Thamel area is better (or best) among staying in other areas in Kathmandu?
Hi Bulan! If you do book Hotel Taishan, can you click the link I gave? It will give me a few cents in commission 😀 I prefer Thamel even if it;s noisy and dirty etc. It’s the heart of the city. If you prefer quiet, there are other hotels outside Thamel but I have no personal experience with them. Have fun in March and I hope you can go paragliding in Pokhara too!
Thanks for your tip.
Taishan Hotel really looks a great place to be. I’m going there in 15 days and I hope it offers the same quality you’ve experienced.
Congratulations for your blog
Thanks, Debora. If you get the chance, do let me know how your experience was.
@ Gelo: I was really surprised I found a good deal in the first place I asked. So lucky 🙂
electricity and wifi connections are really intermittent in kathmandu. i hope their government will address it soon as it affects somehow tourism in nepal. at any rate, the place’s so mystical and charming i wouldn’t mind revisiting soon.
you had a great deal with your accomodation, aleah!
beterana ka talaga 🙂
@ Vernice: My round trip ticket to Nepal was really cheap, less than P2,000 from Air Asia. It was a once-in-a-lifetime sale though. I doubt it if I can buy anything that cheap from them again. Push through with your trip to India! The southern part is said to be much better.
@ Muza-chan: Thanks!
@ Christine: Yeah, it was a really good deal since most of the time I was alone anyway. 🙂
Okay, I love that shared step ladder thing in Hotel Tashan. Wow, that’s really nice and so affordable. I’ll need to bookmark this. I paid around $5 for a spacious room of my own in Kathmandu, years ago. But it wasn’t as nice as I would’ve hoped. You scored.
Looks great 🙂
Hi, Aleah. I am so happy that you had a great time in Nepal. This is one my dream destinations. The other one was India. I was the girl who asked about India via email. Due to safety concerns, I decided to postpone my trip until a brave soul agrees to come with me. But I am just happy that your posts about Nepal is very encouraging. I plan to go there on April 2, 2015. I am hoping that you will also post the budget and itinerary for this trip, for reference. The flights (KUL-KTM)I am eying on are around 13000 PHP. Was yours that expensive? Thanks!:)
@ Myra Ilisan: Yeah, the staff there is great. If it weren’t for the price, I would have stayed longer.
@ Marisol: I did feel lucky to see it. I miss Kathmandu too!
Hi Aleah, I’d love to go back to Kathmandu myself. It may look hectic but it was such a calm place for us after leaving the intensity of India. Like you, i had to many things I love there, including the food and the people. Can’t believe you found that great a deal of a room!
Getting upgraded to a much better room because the hotel runs out of regular rooms, that is just awesome. Had the same experience, but they make me wait instead, like, after 6 hours.
@ Adrian Mendoza: Yeah, I felt lucky I stumbled onto it. What a great deal!
@ Wander Shugah: Hope you can visit Nepal and India soon. They’re really quite an experience.
Kathmandu’s been on my bucketlist since forever.THat and India. I cant wait for that day that I’ll be allowed to travel abroad. I enjoy your travel stories, Aleah.
Lucky for you, you found an accommodation as cheap as $3! This post is really helpful for those who want to visit the place and are looking for a budget accommodation to stay in..
@ Photo Cache: I couldn’t believe how cheap it was, either. So lucky to have found it!
@ Morsi: Nepal is really beautiful. You should definitely visit sometime.
Hi! How did you find the dormitory-type accommodation in Hotel Taishan? Were there other guests in the same room? It’s really cheap this way but I’m just wondering about privacy. Thanks!
As a dorm, it’s very nice, as there are only 4 beds per room and it won’t get full. When I was there, I was alone for 1 night, had one roommate on the other 2 nights, and 2 roommates for 1 night. Men and women are separate. The mattresses are firm and there are sockets in every bed. There’s also a locker for each.
This is really in my bucket list. I knew very little about this country before. And now I can’t stop reading stories about Kathmandu or Pokhara or Lukla. I’m sure it’s a place worth visiting as clearly shown in your posts. Cheers!
So many exotic destinations in Asia. You were lucky to grab this accommodations for very cheap price.