Durbar Guest House

Hi to everyone that's reading this! For me, Durbar guesthouse has been like a secret base camp for my Nepal travels. I've been selfishly keeping info of the place to myself & some other travellers with similar kind of interests. My motivation for this has been to do my own share of keeping bigger crowds away from the block. I've always liked peaceful & original places, compared to tourist ghettos in developing countries that ARE (arguably) ALWAYS THE SAME PLACE. Same crammed neon-coloured streets and campy manipulative hawkers in every corner trying to sell that So-Unique thing (shawl, shirt, tea, trekking stuff, drugs, rickshaw-ride, you name it) with the special price Just-For-You. All stuff so-like-back-home (Why your'e traveling in the first place dude??) & comfy to pamper the feelings of the sensible stereotypical package tourist. The pattern repeats itself, and it grows; at the same time strangling the local culture and reducing it to materialistic hype. (Call me prejudiced, I don't care so much: I think I know my thing here and I'm sure there are traveling people relating to my opinions.) I also know there are people that simply like this mentioned way of traveling, or require the easiness because of physical or psychological health reasons. That is completely fine for me. The thing I don't like is that many people (that would enjoy something different & original) just don't know for the better. Going away from the tourist ghetto could launch their trip and it's benefits to a whole different level. Nepal's example for this phenomena is Thamel, of course, and I JUST DONT GET WHY ALMOST ALL TRAVELLERS STAY THERE. My explanation is the package tourists, guidebooks and general lack of knowledge: this honest review is me doing my part to spread my tips and develop independent tourism in the area. Durbar guesthouse is situated in Patan, Sundhara. It's close (5-minute walk) to Patan durbar square, a beautiful unesco site and a good hang-out place for a cup of coffee or chia. Durbar sq is probably the most visited place in the area. Atm there's construction going on to restore the square to it's pre-earthquake glory (Patan area also took a big hit from the shakes, just take a walk and you'll see). The whole Patan/Lalitpur area is full of temples and smaller shrines, the mostly-brick buildings are all unique with intricate wooden carvings describing local stories, goddesses, gods and buddhas. The bells ring, incense burns and there's magic in the air when only taking a simple afternoon walk. One can always hear the click-click of small hammers of locals who make statues of numerous buddhas and bodhisattvas. Locals are generally nice, smiling and curious towards non-nepali-looking people and always happy to help whether there's a shared language involved or not. The area is very good for experiencing some Real newari culture and everyday local life. Owner of the guesthouse has become a dear friend of mine during my visits. He is (to name a few things) a loving father, a karate teacher, an ex mountain guide and a generous contributor to charity projects consisting of helping kids & teenagers in need. He's always been helpful and his big heart has always been an inspiration for me. We've had lots of good conversations and fun times & evenings out together. The guesthouse has recently been renovated, it looks better than ever before. It's clean, hot water works always, the beds are new. There's a rooftop you can go to look at the amazing 360-degree view to the valley. Owner and his family live upstairs, the rooms are situated on floors below. It's really a good value for your money, and the owner being who he is, some of it always goes to charity work too. I hope this review brings new nepal-travel experience to even one person or group. Many hearts would be warmed. Endless love & fun travels to all. - Miikka J from Finland