No response from Phulbari
 

I'm so disappointed. I have emailed the Apa Villa Phulbari last week and have not received a response.

Email to/from Asia is not as reliable as you might wish.

First, check your spam filter and see if a response has been caught in your filter. This has happened to me a number of times.

Second, check the email address again. In my experience email addresses of businesses in SE Asia change periodically.

Third, send another email. Just as their emails don't always get to you, your emails don't always get to them.

Hello Erwench,

Please don't be upset of not responding your e-mail by fulbari resort Pokhara. I here by would like to give you the email address which can be helpful.

[email protected] and you may forward your inquiries at this mail adress and I am sure they will response properly.Thank you

And if you make reservation you might be charged not less than 100US$ but if you go through an agent is cheaper for same quality room.

Any way have a great time in Nepal..
N.D

Well, I'm disappointed for you too, having carried on so much about the property - I have no idea what's going on. Kathie gives, as usual, good advice - so don't entirely despair - but in my dealings with them they were extremely prompt. I don't really have any suggestions right now as to what to do, other than re-check the E-mail addy on their website and try again.

NakulNepal is trying to be helpful but, as I guess you've realised, he's talking about the wrong place.

One additional thought: you could try a simple phone call. That way you'd find out in two minutes. The number is here:

http://www.villa-srilanka.com/apanep...tact-nepal.htm

Yes, at this point I think it would be best to try a phone call. Could anyone tell me the time difference between US eastern time and Nepal or Singapore time zone? I think the contact number/email was from Singapore.

Yup, the number is in Singapore.

http://www.convertunits.com/time/fro...+united+states

In brief, SIN is 12 hours behind US eastern time.

Bless you, you seem a little overwhelmed. www.google.com is a lot of help in these situations. I got the answer to your question just by typing in: 'time difference US eastern to singapore'.

So you see, its easy. But, like all things, it's only easy when you know how.

Once you discover Google search a whole world of information opens up. I use it all the time. Good luck.

Seems maybe I should rely on google. It is very easy. Sorry to be a bother.

You're not a bother at all. Everybody has to learn how to do this stuff sometime..

I was finally able to contact Apa Vila Phulbari and have arranged a 3 night stay!

Dogster, if you would be willing to share any other details on your stay at this property I would be most thankful.

Wow - you certainly persevere! I'm impressed.

Questions first - are they handling transport to and from KTM?

Which room are you planning on? I stayed in the cave house.

Just tell me what you want to know. I'm on line for a week then I go to Kolkata.

Yes, persistence seems to have paid off! I am really looking forward to staying at this property. We also will be staying in the Cave House. I have not arranged the transportation as of yet...but think it is best to have the villa transport from KTM.

As far as questions Dogster,

I was hoping you could give me some details about the room and sleeping arrangements?

Also the food-- are the meals served in the room or is there a dining area? There was mention of 3 meals- (vegetarian only) but also a kitchen and eating area in the Cave House.

Anything you found interesting about the property or in the nearby village?

Thank you for all your help Dogster.

Well bravo - you're going to do something but pretty much NOBODY else does ['cept for the Dogster] -

Transport: consider this -
http://www.nepalcar.com/services.php
or get Phulbari to organise it.

Here's what to know: if you want to drink beer or wine - bring it with you.
Yup, there is a kitchen in the cave house - but there's no food to cook and no shop to buy any. I'd leave all that up to Govinda and Mr. Tiger.I think it was $25 a day all meals - overpriced for Nepal for sure - but there ain't a local McDonalds close by. You're in their hands on food, but a smile and a laugh will get you anything you want - within reason - the foie gras may be out of stock.

If its like me - you'll be escorted down to the farm house, about 5 minutes easy walk away where you'll sit around the table in the kitchen/Mr. Tiger's bedroom [yup, relax, you'll roll with it] and eat huge pots of great organic food, grown in their very own garden. Mmmmmmmmm.

Mr. Tiger, the cook and bodyguard, will stand watching your every mouthful, waiting for praise. Govinda will stand there watching too. You'll get used to it. It's a tiny bit of Nepal and you're sitting in it. And I really liked the food. Yup, vegetarian [but I guess you know that organic vegetables are something else entirely!!! Food truly from God.]unless you go out and buy a chicken. There might still be one of mine running around in the back garden. I bought two, only ate one.

Remember: up there in the thin pure air food gets cold in a milli-second. So eat fast and close to the kitchen - in this case: the farmhouse. It is, I admit, a bit of a conceptual leap, but roll with it.

Ahhh you have the luxury of a huge conversation pit and a massive fireplace. Make sure you use it. My only issue with the amazing cave house is that the bathrooms are bloody cold. Buckets of hot water will be brought. Its a little err.. brisk. Here's a tip - over at the farmhouse is a very nice bathroom.
Second tip: have your showers during the day, not Brrrrr in the morning or Brrrrr in the evening. Third tip: have your showers during the day in the farmhouse.

I think there's 3 of you? The cave house kinda divides itself down the middle. Beds either side of a central staircase that leads to the top of the hill its built into. There are also drapes you can pull. So it's like two bedrooms, kinda. When you're in bed you can't see the other side. So its private enuf.
Bathroom is downstairs, that's plenty private just c-c-cooold,just inside the front entrance.

To me the property is just the most extraordinary place - every turn and there's a new folly backed up by a new and even more astonishing view. It'll take you two days to even begin to take in the stupendousness of this view. Let it reveal itself. You have the time. Sit in some of the salas and just watch. That'll kill three days.

Walking around the village, going to see the school, [and that's an event in itself] meeting the locals - this is what you'll do. And just wandering this really odd place and sitting down and looking, once again, at the view. All of which, if you're like me, you'll think is just great. Flat[ish] walking around the property and village, then outside this its either down - then back up - or down and back up. I'm a 'down' kinda guy myself, not too keen on the 'back up'. There's a huge great famous monastery on the top of a hill just over the way if you're super keen.

But actually, it's just the pure experience of 'being there' - it's so rare. That Govinda and Mr. Tiger may not have trained at hospitality school doesn't make their welcome any less sincere and their concern for your welfare any less profound. All you have to do is ask. Remember tho' - if you ask room service to get you a beer, a local lad will be sent trudging down the mountain to the shop ninetly minutes away then trudge back up carrying your beer. So keep your needs in perspective - you are on top of a mountain in the middle of Nepal. Govinda's mobile phone will be your only line of communication.

The safest and most secure option would be to hire a car and driver from these Kathmandu guys and have him on stand by for the whole time you are there - plus you have him for local driving. I wish I'd done this. As you'll see, it isn't a lot of dough - use him the rest of the time... who knows. It's what I'd be thinking of doing.

You'll be in the most unique place. It sure ain't the Oberoi. But its bee-uuu-tifulll.

Great description Dogster... thank you for all the details! Sounds like we are in for a treat.

I began looking into the car service you recommended. Since we have four people in our party, I think renting a van would be the only sensible option. Of course this raises the rental fee significantly. I really do like the idea of having the car/driver at our disposal and this would eliminate the need for any type of guide service during our time in Nepal.

My original concern with the property was the walking required upon arrival. One to two hours walk uphill? I have asked Phulbari for a price for transport from KTM directly to the villa, but I wonder... do you think if I rent a van this type of vehicle will be able to make the drive up the hill to the property since the website mentions needing a 4x4?

Hiya-
one to two hours walking uphill on arrival? Noooo. relax.

When I turned up the roads were too wrecked for my taxi to make it - so we got out and walked - for ohhh, about eight minutes... down a gentle slope. Had I had a 4WD we would have made the last bit easy.

When I left I walked downhill to the main road. That took an hour and was great - stopped off a Govinda's house for tea then met my car down below. It's a fun way to leave - Mr. Tiger will carry your bags... but maybe not for Mum..

Yup, I just discovered that Nepal Cars place - havn't used 'em but they look kosher. It's a good solution BUT you WILL need 4WD for Phulbari.

Remember, anything is negotiable in Nepal. Just ring up the car guys - see what they say. But the more I think of it, the better my advice is: keep the car and driver. Glad you agree. [That way, if your daughter throws a hissy fit over who knows what, you'll be able to get her out.]

I always think you can be as creative as you like with travel PROVIDED you have a way OUT. If things don't work out - learn from the Dogster - cut your losses and go. [read my India trip report - or the Bhutan one - you'll see what I mean.]

Better let Phulbari know they'll need to accomodate a driver as well. [they'll stick him on a sack in the chicken shed, probably - not your concern... heh]

I think Phulbari's local guy is a nice man called Mr. Kailash - he's a local lawyer and very responsible. You can relax with him - AND Govinda. Hans Hoefer is no fool - he only employs good people. [BTW if you stay at the Hyatt look closely at the photos in the rooms - they are all by Hoefer]

BTW they turn off the generator at [I think] 9 or 10 p.m. MMMM, sitting in front of a roaring fire, the room lit with candles - on top of a mountain in Nepal.

Will you be there for a full moon?

Oh, take your own coffee/tea/sugar -[you can steal it from your KTM hotel heh] theres a jug and cups in the cave house..

think of it a little bit like going camping - you need to just pre-think a little - ain't no mini-bar, chocolate turn-down, pillow menu. Ain't nothing - really... heh - just God's work all around you - and Hoefer's work with the village - he built the school, provided the running water, electricity... on and on. It's an amazing feat - about as politically correct as its possible to be. You'll approve.

And Bravo again for persevering with this. I hope it pays off.

Remember that Foolbari is not the best place to stay in Pokhara. It is far from the lake.
Raju India.

The Phulbari being discussed here isn't near Pokhara. You must be thinking of a different place, Raju.