Grit by Day, Opulence by Night: Spotlight on The Baber Mahal Vilas Hotel in Kathmandu

A mere 80 kilometers separates the Everest Panorama Hotel in Daman from our 12 day ride’s final resting place back in Kathmandu, but those 80 k’s don’t come easily. The descent from 2,500 meters down to 1,400 comes via hundreds of hairpin bends over cracked road weaving through some of the most beautiful scenery found anywhere in the world. And when the switchbacks finally end, the cacophony of the afternoon Kathmandu rush hour is waiting to greet you. Dubbed “the world’s greatest video game” by yours truly, each gritty, smoky, tangled meter is a test of your sense of humour: trucks, busses, cars, bikes and cows all jostle for the same narrow path of undulating pavement. The ride captain’s shout of “200 meters to go!” to the rider group is met with a quick calculation of 10 minutes to go…step by step through a logjam of traffic…as we near the conclusion of our 900 km circumnavigation of the magical nation of Nepal. The dusty, mud-covered bikes now neatly parked in the cobbled lane outside our hotel, the dusty, mud-covered bikers make their way through the elegant arches of the pristine Baber Mahal Vilas Hotel, our Kathmandu base.

The greeting by Prabin, the operations manager, and his team is like having your parents welcome you at the porch of your childhood home after a long absence. Hot towels wipe away some of the road grime, a welcome drink of watermelon juice washes down the highway dust and we walk into the breathtaking courtyard of the 110-year-old former royal palace. With those few steps, the chaos of the city outside dissipates like the dirt washing down my shower drain. Travel & Leisure magazine may have captured it best when they wrote “Calm is the first thing you notice at Baber Mahal Revisited, a complex of shops and restaurants not far from the city center. The serenity is disconcerting …This is Kathmandu?”

For the clients of Two Wheeled Expeditions, yes, this is Kathmandu.

An architectural feast for the eyes, the nine open yet intimate courtyards of the property exemplify the architectural styles of the Rana Durbar, Newari, Terai and Mustang regions. Having just ridden through three of the four, the designs take us back to our stays in Pokhara, Bandipur and Lumbini over the past 12 days. Fountains, frescoes, statues, chandeliers, libraries and paintings of the palace’s former owners create an atmosphere that is the definition of ‘boutique’: the common areas of the 13 room hotel invite you to explore and find a quiet spot to call your own while you read, write or simply relax after the arduous final leg of our journey.

The Baber Mahal Vilas Hotel is the anchor tenant of Baber Mahal Revisited, an interconnected extension of the hotel filled with shops, restaurants and open courtyards. It is a destination in of itself drawing upmarket shoppers and diners from around the city to its consummate tranquility. The bustling Thamel neighbourhood may be a good place to haggle for trinkets, but if you want to select something perfect for a special person back home, this is the place to do it.

And while the grounds of the property are a magical jewel box, it only becomes a superb hoteling experience when the human element is added. Everything from the period costumes worn by the staff to their kind, welcoming demeanor and the meticulous way they look after your every need puts the Baber Mahal on a service level with some of the finest hotels in the world.

We often like to say that riding with Two Wheeled Expeditions is about ‘Grit by Day, Opulence by Night’ and, in Nepal, no hotel enables that experience like the Baber Mahal Vilas.

Two Wheeled Expeditions has rides through Nepal scheduled for April, October and November 2020.