VOYAGOSCOPE

The Kaleidoscope Of My Journeys

Hotel Review : Hotel Panorama, Leh

Clockwise from top left : The main building, the courtyard, view from our room (the white building is the reception block) and standard room at Hotel Panorama.

I was in Ladakh this July for two weeks, right when Kalachakra 2014 was going on and not to mention that even the Hemis Festival dates had coincided with our stay. It was a time when Leh was thronged by travelers, spiritualists and media alike, to an extent that one day we got stuck in an hour long traffic jam. Yes, probably the highest traffic jam in the world!
A source from Ladakh had told me to pre-book our accommodation considering the rush, which at other times I wouldn’t suggest for Ladakh. So I went on to Booking.com and after some research zeroed in on Hotel Panorama. I booked the last available rooms in that hotel for those dates when we were staying the night in Leh. 
Location – Hotel Panorama is situated at Upper Changspa road, at about 20 minutes walking distance from the Main Market of Leh. The reception is separated from the main building by a courtyard and a garden.
The Rooms – We had booked the standard rooms which were clean, comfortable and centrally heated, with picture windows that provided panoramic view of the distant Himalayas (just as the hotel name suggests). The bathrooms were clean with running hot water (at least during the morning hours).

Amenities – Every room has a coffee table and two chairs and also, a dressing table fitted with a large mirror. There is a big wardrobe for storage. The rooms had satellite TV and the boys were happy as they were able to watch a much anticipated FIFA World Cup match. There is free internet WiFi too, but I often had to walk down to the reception building to get a strong signal. 

Price – This hotel would not fit a backpacker’s budget. Since it was peak season, we had to pay Rs. 1600 per room per night for 3 rooms that we had booked. At other times it would be wiser to land up directly at the hotel and bargain the price down to half. 
Service & Staff – The service was a little slack at times, but the staff was friendly and always ready to help, even at the middle of the night when we needed a knife to cut a fruit (Don’t ask why we felt hungry at that time 😛 ). 

Top : View of Shanti Stupa from our room; Bottom : Sitting area near the reception

Surrounding – Shanti Stupa is just 2 minutes downhill from there and you can even see it from the hotel if you are in a front facing room. The hotel has courtyard sitting where one can sit and chill or grab a book and order a cup of their yummy coffee. Changspa road, which has lots of cafes, bakeries and restaurants, is just 10 minutes walk from Hotel Panorama.

Food – The food was ok. After we were disappointed with the fried rice and noodles that we had ordered on the first night, we stuck to only snacks and coffee for the rest of the 5 days we stayed there and went out to restaurants on Changspa road for the main meals.
The negative part is it is a little far from the Leh Market and thus obviously not for those who like to stay at the center of action. At times we had problems too if we needed something from the market, but it was a small percentage of inconvenience caused.
For people who like quiet surroundings, away from the hustle and bustle of the town, Hotel Panorama would be a good choice of stay in Leh. 

by

Tags: