Modern Lai Lai Holiday Inn

The room was clean enough, the bathroom was leaking in all directions and the hot water did not work. The wifi is also hit and miss. I was too tired to complain about anything as I had just come from the airport and the bed was clean and reasonably comfortable and I slept quite well, but I was up and out of there the next day to search for something with a nicer atmosphere. The guys that run it are a mixed bag and I got shafted on the price, they charged me 1100rp, but as I said, I was just too tired to argue.

As soon as my husband and I jumped off the bus from Pokhara, we were approached by a man from Lai Lai. Tired, we had little interest shopping around for hotels, so we went with him. He paid the fare of our taxi ride there, which was a nice gesture. We very much liked the room we were given, a really good value for 800rs. The water was hot, the mattress was pretty good for Nepali standards, and there was a little TV with HBO. (What a treat!) We checked out the next day, as we were going out of Kathmandu, but we were returning shortly after. Unfortunately, our second experience was not quite as good as the first. We had a room in a different location that was a bit darker, the mattress wasn't as good, and the service we received in the days following was often lacking. We would call reception for a fresh towel and it would never come. We asked for a foam mattress for on top of the bed, and they only brought us a foam for a single bed. There were also blood stains on the sheets and the towels we eventually got after three requests were torn and dirty. We also had a bad experience at the attached restaurant. They had none of the food we wanted, although it was on their menu. I ended up just ordering a drink, a fresh lemon soda, and it was disgusting! I'm not sure how you can even mess that one up. Its also just a dingy place in general. Long story short - this hotel is okay if you request a room on the corner... Numbers 201, 301, or 401. They get lots of sunlight and you have a little chair on the nice balcony. Just don't expect the greatest service and maybe bring your own towel.

Obviously unlrelated to the Holiday Inn chain hotels, this place is a decently sized hotel between Thamel and the monkey temple, in a quiet area, but with some small shops nearby. This location is good if you want to be out of the bustle of Thamel itself, but still within walking distance of it. The rooms are pretty big, and come with private bathroom and hot shower. The hot shower does work, but the toilet was quirky at best, flushing it posed a bit of a challenge. The problem with this hotel is its complete lack of maintenance that must have been progressing for at least a decade or two. There is a single and double bed in the room, but both had very hard and thin (due to wear, i suppose) matrasses and pillows. Most lght fixtures were broken, but the aircon did work. Lack of maintainance is even more visible in the bathrooms that lack both ventilation and proper drainage. As you can see in the picture the wooden door is literally rotting away, and the smell reflects that. It is a shame that they don't do up this place though, the building itself is sound and quite nice, as are the balconies with potted plants etc. It definitely has potential, but that remains unlocked for now. The staff of hotel seems to be doing its best running the place, and although they sometimes appear somewhat uninterested, they are quite friendly. Priced at 2500 rupees for this "deluxe" room with AC, it isn't a very expensive place, but you can find better value in and around the Thamel area.