Ever wanted a blissful escape to a place so remote that no one would bother you? Ever felt like packing your bag and just leaving everything behind for a few days? Ever felt overwhelmed by all the noise around you and wondered if there is any place in the world where you can just be alone with your thoughts?

Well, unfortunately most of us have felt that way more than once in our life. Much thanks to the urban lives we live: traffic, hectic work schedules, pollution, ready-to-eat but yucky meals, junk food intake, sedentary lifestyle, 24/7 social media, TVs in bedrooms — need I say more?

The Pavilions Himalayas feels like just the right place for such a tired soul! It’s an eco-friendly, sustainable luxury resort in Pokhara, Nepal, that gives you all the more reason to fall in love with it. Read on to get inspired and who knows, maybe by the end of this post, you might as well be packing your bags to spend a few days in this gorgeous retreat! 🙂

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1. The Location

Nestled in the mountains and hills, this heavenly hotel is located just a few kilometers away from Pokhara Lakeside. It is actually located in a village, so life at this resort feels slow and serene. Perhaps just what you need after a long trek. The best thing is, there are no boundary walls around the property, so you can easily walk into the village, interact with the people and watch how they go about their everyday lives. Being so open, you might wonder if it’s safe enough, and I’m happy to let you know that the people around the area are very friendly, so safety is a guaranteed thing.

How can I forget to mention the breath-taking views you can enjoy at the resort! The whole place is surrounded by trees, greenery, river and, if the weather permits, you can also clearly view the Himalayan mountain ranges of Annapurna, Lamjung and Manaslu!

The only downside of the location is that the ride to the property is very bumpy! There are no proper roads to reach the place and it’s better to have the resort arrange a jeep for your transfers. You can’t commute freely to and from the resort in a taxi, but the resort is always happy to arrange a car for you.

2. Sustainable Luxury

When I say sustainable, I mean sustainable! I’ve been to other eco-friendly hotels before but I have seen none like The Pavilions Himalayas! The reosrt has its own water source and a recycling system. They have their own solar power plant to create energy. The bio-gas from the farm is used to provide fuel for the kitchen. The amenities available in every chalet are actually all biodegradable!

 

 

The resort grows its own food and do I even need to mention that there are zero pesticides or chemicals used in the farming process?! The place is simply an eco-friendly heaven that combines luxury and comfort with very little impact on environment — it actually gives back to Nature!

3. The Cosy Villas

The resort has four kinds of villas available for your stay:

1. Pavilions Classic
2. Pavilions Grand
3. Pavilions Chalet
4. Gaun Char – The Farmhouse

Each villa is fitted with wooden floors and stone walls from the inside. The room decor reflects the traditional Nepalese style of art and handicrafts. The rooms are bright and colourful and yet so peaceful and serene.

The Pavilions Classic are smaller villas, ideal on the budget, with all basic amenities of a resort.

The Pavilions Grand are a slightly larger villas, with a huge bathroom area and a lounge.

 

 

The Pavilions Chalet are the largest and most spacious of all three accommodation. These chalets are spread on two levels: the top level is the bedroom and a huge bathroom, the bottom level is the lounge/sitting area.

 

 

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Each villa has its own private terrace that looks over gorgeous scenery around the resort. You also get to have a fireplace in your villa and free wifi 🙂 There are no ACs in any of the villas (because of the environment friendliness nature of the resort) but the weather is mostly forgiving in winters/spring/autumn. I have no idea what summers would be like here though!

 

 

The last type of accommodation, the Gaun Char or The Farmhouse, is more like a cottage with a private garden, most suitable for larger families who really want to experience the village life and disconnect with the urban way of living. The cottage is located at a 5 minute walk from the main property and we were told that it also has a fully equipped kitchen where you can cook your own food or request your personal butler to make it for you.

4. Organic, Scrumptious Food!

The resort endorses the concept of “farm to plate”. As I mentioned earlier, they grow their own food. Which means, they grow all fruits and vegetables on the property, keep their own cattle, etc. You can even walk around their farm and explore the lovely vegetation they grow. We saw a couple of tomatoes, radish, cabbage, broccoli, and mushrooms! The staff is very friendly and will be more than happy to show you around.

 

 

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With such fresh produce, our expectations from the resort food was really high! And I must say that the resulting food was actually beyond our expectations! Each dish was extremely flavourful and fresh, and the service, both in-villa dining and at the Bhet Ghat (the restaurant/lounge where they serve you food and where you can generally chill) was excellent!

 

 

5. Therapeutic Spa Experience

Exploring their spa was my top most priority. Especially because each and every muscle in my body was aching terribly after our hike to the World Peace Pagoda. I was really eager to get a massage so one day I booked an appointment and the wonderful lady at the spa (her name was Sabina) was my masseuse. She did an excellent job! I felt so relaxed afterwards. I’ve had pretty terrible spa treatments back in Karachi (even from well known spas!), so this one felt like out of this world. There are a range of options to choose from, you can check their website for further details.

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Before You Go…

Like every time, I feel the need to give you some final tips before you go:

• The Pavilions Himalayas is an eco-friendly sustainable property. However, sometimes there will be maintenance issues around the property. For example, in one of the villas the Jacuzzi wasn’t working when we visited. But the staff was super courteous to our persistent requests to fix the issue. We eventually got our villa changed.
• There are no ACs in any of the villas, so if you plan on visiting in the summer, do it at your own risk. I warned you.

• Expect insects and houseflies around the property. Because there is zero usage of insect repellents and bug sprays on the resort, you will have to make friends with the tiny creatures of nature. These are the perks of village life! I do hope that in future they come up with some sort of insect repellents at least that are also environment friendly.
• If you are visiting Nepal on a business trip, do not stay at The Pavilions Himalayas thinking of it as a 5-Star luxury resort. The commute to and from the place is difficult, the wifi breaks down in the villas (but works perfectly fine in the Bhet Ghat strangely so), and some cellular network coverage is limited due to the location. This place is more like a retreat better suited for weary travellers looking to recover from their treks, or people who want to disconnect from their usual busy lives. Also if you want to explore other parts of Pokhara more frequently everyday during your stay, then choose to stay at any of the lakeside properties rather. I have done a separate post about what kind of accommodation is available in Pokhara, feel free to check it out.
• Lastly, enjoy the village life, eat freshly cooked food, take long walks around the village say hi to the locals and have the best time of your life! 🙂

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+ To book your stay at The Pavilions Himalayas you can contact their website. They sometimes have cool offers if you book directly from them.

+ For inquiries about your booking, you can email them at info.himalayas@pavilionshotels.com or call them at +977 6169 4379. In my experience, they reply via email in 1 or 2 business days.

+ This is not a paid review. All opinions are my own and are based on my personal experience at the resort.

+ All photos are my own, unless otherwise credited. Please do not use without permission and always give actual credits if using. Thanks.