Thamel Hostel

You can walk to the tourist spots, restaurants, and shops from here, and the room isn’t too cramped. For a bigger, more comfortable room, you’ll need to look elsewhere and spend more. The owner is happy to help arrange everything for hiking, so there’s no need to worry about that. It’s good value for the money, and I think it’s the cheapest place around. If you want inexpensive accommodation that still feels worthwhile, I recommend it. Everything looks beautiful, and eating for good value makes the trip feel happiest.

My wife and I, who are of Indian heritage, booked online and arrived early in the morning after taking a night bus from pokhara. A staff member took our details and told us to return around 8am, when the room should be ready. The first impression was poor: the luggage storage room smelled like urine, and there was paper scattered across the reception floor. We went for breakfast, came back at 8:30, and waited because nobody was at reception. About ten minutes later, a man came in from the street and spoke with another person waiting to book tickets. When he was finished, he went straight to my wife, who was sitting alone on the couch, and told her to get up and leave. We said we had a booking and were waiting, but he stayed rude and didn’t apologize. We asked why he was speaking to us that way when we’d been waiting for our room since checking in earlier. I assumed my wife wasn’t welcome at this hostel because she is brown. We left and found another place nearby, Holy Lodge, where the staff were very friendly and welcoming, with a relaxed courtyard and good food. The small-minded receptionist from Thamel Hostel is pictured.

There’s a small free breakfast and a travel agent on the ground floor, along with cheap dorm rooms in central Thamel. The facilities are a bit worn, and as others have said, the lack of common areas is a real drawback. A redecoration would help. It’s not a bad place, but there are nicer nearby options at a similar price.

The staff were very nice, and my room was comfortable, with its own shower room and breakfast included. They also provide a locker and free water to drink whenever you want. There were a few bed bugs, though, and the Wi-Fi mostly worked only in the lobby. The manager sometimes made me uncomfortable by suddenly opening the door without knocking.