Raniban Retreat

The staff were friendly and very helpful. The food was pretty good too

They didn't mention that there was no road to the hotel so that meant a hour long hike up the side of the mountain

Raniban is located up the top of a mountain. The views are absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately we went prior to monsoon season so it was foggy and wet, but we still enjoyed the views when the fog lifted. During our stay, all staff were extremely helpful. Due to the weather our flight was cancelled but they had no issues in contacting the airline for us and then organising a driver to take us back to Katmandu. The location of the hotel is not suitable for people with difficulties walking or taking many steps. The rain prevented the driver from making it all the way up to the hotel so we had to walk for some of the journey. As two fit people in our 20's we were fine, but I would question what they would do had we not been able to make the walk (its up hill and quite a lot of steps). The hotel organised a helicopter tour to ABC but that too was also cancelled due to bad weather. The food is tasty, providing both sandwiches and main courses for dinner. The breakfast choice is limited to the amount of guests staying ( the more guests the bigger the choice ) but we found it sufficient. We trekked down to the Peace Memorial and then further down to the lake and took a boat across to the town on recommendation of Pradip and we really enjoyed it. It takes approx 40 minutes to return to the hotel from the town, but we were in contact with the staff via WhatsApp as to when we needed to be collected. Really enjoyed our stay and would recommend to our friends in the future.

Due to the difficult drive on the road you cannot stay in the town late as only the hotel driver is confident to bring you to the hotel. Local taxis will not access the hotel. We wanted to have dinner in a recommended restaurant and we had to be ready to leave by 8.30pm to return to the hotel. It limits you as to what you can do at night, but it didn't bother us too much as they provide a selection of drinks in the hotel.

The views. Oh the views! An incredible retreat high above Pokhara City. The mountains were so close it felt like I could reach out and touch them. The staff was second to none. We got caught in a rainstorm, making the drive up impossible and they sent a staff person with umbrellas to the nearest point. Lovely and attentive.

I underestimated the weather and was pretty cold the night we stayed there. It was fine, and ultimately didn't detract from our experience. This hotel provided an experience. If luxe is your thing, this probably won't suite your needs.