Hotel Royal Mantra

I wouldn't recommend staying here. The hotel is in the touristy part of Thamel, which is a little rough around the edges. My room had cockroaches, and I killed three. The sheets and towels were grey, and the cleaning staff used the towels to wipe floors. The bathroom was dirty, including the shelf over the sink, the tiles, and the toilet. There was an unpleasant sewer smell from the bathroom, though it wasn't unbearable. The staff mostly hung around on their phones. I also wouldn't recommend Sandip's services for arranging trekking plans and permits. I paid him $50 USD for a rough 10-day Manaslu trek plan, where I needed a guide, and then planned to go solo for the Annapurna trek. We worked out the plans and permit requirements by text and email. He obtained the Manaslu Conservation Area Project permit, Manaslu Restricted Area Trekking Permit, and the second ACAP permit, and told me to get the first ACAP at the tourist office in Kathmandu, which I did. He said I needed one ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit) for the Manaslu trek and another for Annapurna. That was incorrect, and I paid 3000 NPR for a second ACAP permit I didn't need.