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Dwarika’s Made Up from the Ruins Building a hotel wasn’t even in Dwarika Das Shrestha’s mind when he first began collection the intricately carved antique doors, windows and wooden fixtures he found being discarded throughout Kathmandu Valley. What began as a curiosity became an obsession when Shrestha realized that his country was literally throwing away its architectural heritage, in some cases burning away it for firewood
In the 1950s, Mr. Shrestha, was out for walk in Patan, one of three ancient kingdoms of Kathmandu valley. An old woman asked him to view what had once been a temple. There, among the ruins, he found a doorway buried in mud. Retrieving it from the mud, Shrestha was dismayed to see that its fine detail representing hundreds of hours of craftsmanship was being left to rot. Today the 700-years –old piece forms the focal point of the astonishing and charming hotel that bears his name. All that changed when Shrestha and his wife, Ambica began construction of the first art of a series of new hotel buildings. Like a pair of fine art collectors who intend to build a modest mansion and wind up with a museum. It’s not clear whether the Shrestha’s necessarily wanted the responsibility of much larger hotel or whether they simply needed a place to put all their doors and windows. Whatever they intended, the result is a one of –a–kind cultural and architectural experience.
Mr. Shrestha is no more but his persistence has paid off. In a world of cookie- cutter luxury hotels, Dwarika’s stands completely apart. The hotel’s restaurant Krishnarpan ("offering to the gods") is looked solid with visitors who can’t afford to stay at Dwarika’s but are anxious to sample the six-, nine-, 12-, 16-, and 20- course Nepali meals offered there. And yet in a country that ranks among the worlds poorest and least develop there is nothing about Dwarika’s that feels insensitive to the hardship endured by the general population. It’s more like a museum where the fortunate few have the chance to spend a night. Every evening descends upon the hotel and its grand collection. Small streams trickle from ancient stone waterspouts and burble into the large tanks the Nepalese once used for their bathing and washing –as many still do around Kathmandu valley. Even late at night there’s chance Mrs Shrestha might stop by to chat to make sure that all is well. She tries to greet all her guests personally because, as she explained she wants them to feel like visitors in the grand home of a bygone era. And, in this, she and her late husband succeeded fantastically.
From the outside, Dwarika’s appears more like medieval fortress than a peaceful oasis in the midst of Kathmandu’s grime and chaos. It looms over one of the main thoroughfares to Pashupatinath, Nepal’s most sacred Hindu temple. Inside the new wings, the rooms, at 600 square feet each are vast Dome-shaped antique window look down upon the garden’s fountains and small shrines of the inner court where hotel guests sit quietly enjoying a break from Kathmandu’s general cacophony. The rooms are decorated with hand –worked brass door fittings, locally made rugs, pottery and floor tiles. They are bright light modern, extremely comfortable and still capture the essence or traditional Nepali design. But what really impresses at Dwarika’s are the bathrooms. Lift the hasp on the brass lock, slide the bolt aside, swing open double doors to your room and find yourself in the middle of the bath. More specifically, in the middle of a short but spacious hallway that runs right through the bath. (Your sleeping quarters, the bed, desk, sofa and view of the inner courtyard, lie somewhat further beyond). The bathrooms of Dwarika’s may be the most unusual design statement of any hotel anywhere. Mrs. Dwarika says the bathroom is the most important part of a hotel room. "It’s the most intimate .I always thought that two peoples should have enough space so that both can get in there and feel comfortable." It is indeed very comfortable. The dressing area has two sinks set in long vanity of locally quarried slate. On the other side of the entry hall there is a large spa-tub, a shower stall, a changing area and a toilet in its own slate share-tiled water closet it’s a unique floor plan. The entire ambience of the hotel is rightly summed up by no other than the famous Dr Tony Hagen:
"Dwarika’s looks like a place Dwarika’s feels like place Dwarika’s is a place." Accommodation: 74 deluxe rooms and suites. Each of the rooms has its own character and individuality. There are 16th century windows in many, while there are private courtyards attached to others. Buddhist symbols or hand printed curtains and bed spreads are used with traditional fabrics and accessories. Spacious and luxurious, the suits and rooms have been individually designed with imagination and taste. Each one is different and unique: You will find all the amenities of a luxury hotel. Restaurant and Bars Krishnarpan: A speciality restaurant serving not only authentic Nepali cuisine but the secrets of Nepalese art, architecture and hospitality. The finest meats, aromatic spices, purified oils and saffron are selected by the chef daily to create an exotic meal from 6 to 20 courses. Toran Restaurant and Gardens: All day international dining including Continental, Chinese and Indian specialties as well as fresh pastries and snacks. The Terrace: For alfresco dining in beautiful Newari courtyard. Library Lounge: Spend a cozy evening by the fireplace, with drinks and friends or browsing into the books in the library. Astamangal Bar: The original Dwarika’s family cottage offers intimacy for small informal get-togethers. Service and Facilities:
Business Center: Secretarial services, Telephone, Photocopy W.P E-mail. |
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