Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge Featured in The Kathmandu Post November 2019

Nepal’s hospitality haven: A connoisseur’s top picks

A perfect sum of experience and service a hotel provides is how they make it to the list.

As the Director of Academics at Silver Mountain School of Hotel Management, Kathmandu, I have the opportunity to travel frequently, within Nepal and abroad. I believe that the backbone of great hotels is good service and the quality of the set-up. Merely having giant buildings, LED lights, and sprawling floors don’t make great hotels. It doesn’t have to be an exhibition, it has to be effective—subtle or not. Here, I list some of my favourite hotels in the country, and attempt to explain what makes them rise above the rest.

Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge, Bardia

Located on the fringes of Bardia National Park, Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge is my cocoon and go-to place when city life becomes too chaotic. The lodge has an old-world charm and a low key understated beauty to it. There are plenty of reasons why I make sure I stay there at least once a year—from its décor, which blends perfectly with the surroundings, its very practical room setup, and amazing organic homegrown food to its serene ambience. But the main reason why I keep going back there is, their non-overbearing and most hospitable service. The staff has that old world charisma, they are polite and multi-skilled. From tucking your mosquito nets with perfection to putting hot water bottles under your blankets on cold winter nights, they don't forget the slightest of details. The lodge doesn't have any of the modern world trappings, which adds to the essence of its existence. When you sit around its magnificent fireplace, you can listen to the stories of shikaar and polos and imagine the glorious rendezvous, perhaps even weave your own story. Moreover, they've trained the locals to provide their authentic hospitality, which is commendable. This gives hope to youth and motivates them to stay in their own village and grow.

Read the full article here: Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge Featured in The Kathmandu Post November 2019