Kathmandu Friendly Home Hotel

For the last few years in Kathmandu we have been staying at the Kathmandu Friendly Home. Why? Yes, just out of habit. The place is unremarkable - there are hundreds of such hotels in Thamel. And in terms of prices (about 15 dollars per room) and in terms of location and level of comfort. I don't think Kathmandu Friendly Home has any "stars". The hotel is not at all glamorous, but it’s not a hole either. But enough chatter, let's get to the point.

GPS coordinates 27°42′56.33″N 85°18′28.28″E
Address Kaldhara Marg, Paknajol
Phone +977 1-4262013
Map #1 Friendly Home on Google Maps
Map #2 Friendly Home on Maps.me

Location

Kathmandu Friendly Home Hotel is located on the outskirts of Thamel (tourist quarter) on a quiet street called Kaldhara, literally a hundred meters from the intersection with the larger and famous Paknajol street.
Here is a map on which our hotel is marked (red marker) and the main landmarks in Kathmandu. The winding purple curve is the route from the hotel to the central intersection of Thamel. By the way, on Google maps our street is called not Kaldara, but Kushlcheyor.

Thanks to its peripheral location, KFH is not as noisy as more central hotels in Thamel. On the other hand, there is no normal asphalt here. From here it is closer to budget stores for Nepalese, but also further to the central souvenir shops. However, when you get used to it a little, you will reach the center of Thamel in 10 minutes.

How to get to the hotel?

If you are wondering how to get to our hotel from Kathmandu Airport, then the answer is simple - by taxi. Forget about buses, hitchhiking, and especially walking. Taxi only!
Another thing is that you can look for a cheaper taxi. But let’s assume that you have already negotiated a price and now you need to explain to the taxi driver where to go. Let me tell you right away that showing him Google Maps on your phone is almost useless. At least for now. What to do?

To explain the location of the hotel to a taxi driver, I suggest using the following techniques:

say the magic formula "Paknajol-Caldara" just to set a starting point
mention International Guest House - a large, famous and expensive hotel located directly opposite our rooming house
remember the old name of our hotel - Grand Millenium
give the taxi driver the hotel business card, he will call there and they will tell him everything. This is probably the most correct method, so start with it.

A taxi driver may also have difficulty finding a hotel sign upon arrival at the treasured intersection of Caldara and Paknajol. It is indeed hard to see and it would be wise to look at photos of the hotel gate in advance so you know what to look for.

Yes, yes, this is the entrance to our shed. Don't worry, it looks better from the inside.

Hotel amenities

As I already said, the hotel is completely standard, as for Kathmandu.
In short, here it is:

hot water in shower
wi-fi
sockets in the room
luggage storage
top floor terrace
currency exchange

and missing here:

canteen or restaurant
parking
lift

And now a little more detail on each point.

Hot water is most often available in the shower. It comes from a central boiler on the roof of the building. Sometimes, late in the evening, when all the residents have already washed themselves and the electricity has not yet been turned on, the boiler may stubbornly supply you with cool water. In this case, the easiest way is to postpone bathing until the morning. The room usually has one pair of shower slippers and one towel (clean, everything is ok). A second towel can be obtained from the reception.

Electricity in the hotel, as throughout Kathmandu, is cut off several times a day. If you need to quickly charge something, try plugging into an outlet in the shower. It operates from a backup network and is less likely to be de-energized. Please note that typically only one light fixture in a room is powered by this backup circuit.

Wi-Fi is not very stable. On some floors the signal is better, on others it is worse. By the way, the rooms have TVs. But I have not yet been able to see anything interesting in them.

In the storage room you can leave things that you will not need on the track. For example, clean clothes and a suitcase with souvenirs that you have already bought before the trip.

The upper floors have terraces with tables and chairs. You can come there with your beer/coffee and admire the sunset against the backdrop of endless rooftops. By the way, the famous Monkey Temple is clearly visible from the roof

If you are too lazy to run to the exchange office, then you can exchange currency right at the hotel, with the manager. His course is very decent.

Previously, Kathmandu Friendly Home had its own kitchen and a small garden in the backyard. Now there is a new building under construction there, kitchen is closed and that’s why we go to other establishments to eat. Fortunately, there is enough catering in Kathmandu.

The building has 5 or 6 floors (depending on how you count) and an elevator would not be out of place. But in the realities of the Nepalese capital there is no point in thinking about this. If you have a heavy bag, ask the receptionist for help.

Numbers

Formally, the Kathmandu Friendly Home Hotel has rooms of different categories - standard and suites. But in fact, all the numbers are more or less the same. The only real difference is the size of the room. Some of them are like two-room ones (bedroom and living room with a sofa) and due to this, it becomes possible to scatter your things more creatively.

The numbers even look good in the photos. We don’t take plywood doors into account))

To the participants of our tours!

If you are on one of our Nepal tours, please remember the following:

You don’t need to book anything yourself - we’ve already done everything centrally
When you arrive at the hotel from the airport, feel free to go to the reception and say the spell - “Kirill Group” You will be given your room keys. If asked, give your passport so that the administrator can register you (then you take your passport).
You can take the keys with you when leaving the hotel - it is not necessary to leave them at the reception. We always carry all valuables (passports, money) with us, somewhere under our clothes.
You don’t need to pay anything for rooms - we do it centrally.
Find out from the administrator what room the instructor lives in
Check into your room, and then stop by the instructor to confirm your arrival. If he is not in the room, which is quite likely, then, if possible, announce your arrival in another way. The hotel has wi-fi and a telephone - you can simply call from the reception to its Nepalese number or connect to the Internet and send a message.

Kirill Yasko, November 2, 2017