Malla Hotel, Kathmandu

Let's be sincere - I can't complain considering the cost/value. But still - I will. I stayed 6 days at Mallah. The hotel is 5 minutes away from the center of the busy Thamel, but still it is surprisingly quiet. The location is thus very good. I have to complain about the staff, and specially the night shift receptionist. After a joyful night in Thamel, I came back at 3 AM, a little tipsy, and while I was getting my key from the receptionist, I left a bag of groceries on the counter, and went back straight to my room. The next morning, I looked for my bag without success, and I called the reception right away. The bag was nowhere to be seen, but I was convinced I left it at the reception. And I was right; it appears that the night shift receptionist who gave me my key took the bag, and finished his night munching on some cereal bars and apples I had bought the previous night. I received some confused apologies from the head receptionist, arguing that some customers happen to give presents to the staff, and that the night guy mistakenly thought so. Right... Bottom line, I am disappointed by the staff behavior, and the lack of trust and sincerity one should expect from a...hmm... 5 star hotel. This said, the location is good and the facilities not bad. But next time, I might book a room in the center of Thamel with the rest of the crowd. One more thing, the WI-FI setup is barely working and awfully expensive.

It is a good hotel, if you are thinking of spending 2-3 days in Kathmandu.

Old world style and service with attentive staff -many of whom had been with the hotel since its opening over 20 years ago. Most comfortable beds we had during 3 weeks in Nepal. Lovely outlook over manicured gardens and lawns. Although most guests have included buffet breakfasts and dinners in their room price, we had an excellent price for room only with Agoda and were able to have a la carte breakfasts and dinners at a very economical rate.

They don´t deserve 5 stars. It was very dirty and the room hasn´t been cleaned for 4 days. Bathroom was dirty and breakfast lousy. I don´t recommend this place to anyone. On top of that there was no electricity and the generator of the hotel allowed us only to a small lamp, just in order not to fall in the room. Impossible to read,, watch TV and take elevator. It was horrible. Never again there.

Close to the airport but it was still 700 rupees to get there.

The hotel is just around the corner of Thamel,where on can find plenty of small shops, pubs and some discos. It seems to be visited by many "old hippies" at least during my stay. Currently (June 2008) there is some construction work ongoing beside the hotel, which can cause some noise and dust, but it did not disturb me during the night. All in all,it is okay for the price and one cannot expect modern 4 or 5 star qualities for it.

Very good value for money if you are able to overlook some rather old features.