Pros
Great location for exploring Themal and provided you are not too high up, you shouldn't hear any road noise as it's set back. I was on the 4th floor and could hear the incessant beeping motorbikes but had moved from the first floor where i heard none (but was directly above the kitchen so could hear banging and chairs scraping from around 6am). 2nd floor is probably a good choice
Staff were all excellent
Room cleaned daily with 2 large bottles of water provided each day
Breakfast was ok - decent variety of fruit, local and western with custom eggs. Coffee was instant though.
Air con has heat facility
No deposit required on check-in
Toiletries provided
Cons
Some noise depending on your room location - dont stay in 107 or room directly above the kitchen/restaurant
No safe for passport, cash etc in room
Breakfast area isn't particularly clean i.e. dirty table cloths/mats
Poor standard of fixtures/fittings e.g. gaps in windows and doors, curtains dont quite close right, dirty shower curtain, the rooms have seen better days but for the price its still good value.
No coffee or milk in room (or 3-in one)
No phone charging point near the bed
Bathroom mat was old and dirty, no floor towel
Tips: take extra passport photo if you intend to get a sim card at the airport, unlimited data one with nepal telecom cost me $10 - signal was mostly ok.
Get your currency before you arrive or take enough to convert there, the atm machines are expensive
Taxi from airport to Themal should be around 350 rupees working on 50 rupees per km plys 30 rupees start charge.
You will be hounded relentlessly by people from the second you leave the plane for tour services etc. It may seem impolite but dont make eye contact, say no thank you and keep walking, otherwise you will spend your entire trip speaking to them.
Right now its cold at night, pack accordingly.
Be prepared to pay for everything, every temple, every place of historical interest - foreigners are charged around 1000-2000 rupees each time. E.g. all the Durbar squares, main stupas and temples.
Don't assume that because Nepal is a developing country it is cheap. It isn't. In fact i found it comparable to some developed countries and not cheaper than say Thailand. A meal would cost me around 1000 rupees. In a smaller more local place you may pay 500.
Don't take your new trainers, it's a very dirty, dusty city but exactly what you would expect if you've ever seen it on TV - it's all part of the experience.
For exploring all of the main parts of Kathmandu, id say 5 days is a good amount of time. I recommend the everest helicopter tour but on that note i will say that tours are very expensive here, more expensive than even Hong Kong, Thailand, etc!! I ended up walking to the main temples, Chandragiri, Bakhtapur for the more local experience.
Muy bueno
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