Mountain Lodges of Nepal - Lukla — Hotel in Khumbupasanglahmu

We stayed here both at the beginning and the end of one of our most memorable holidays, ever!|Should you consider a Nepal trek, we cannot over-recommend booking your trip with Mountain Lodges Nepal. While trekking in Nepal is never just 'a walk in the park' - you better train a bit! - MLN organized our Himalayan trek with Swiss Alps precision and attention to details (on one trek, about 2 hours from our next lodge, they met us with hot tea and freshly baked cookies!). Granted ours was a luxury trip, with daily treks from one of their mountain lodges to another. They arranged porters for our holdalls and our group of 9 were joined by 3 of their guides. Friendly, Helpful, Experienced, Witty and Fun are just a few descriptions which jump to mind: they made our trek a live National Geographic experience: not unlike mr. Attenbourough they informed us about the locals, ethnicities, languages, wildlife, explained rituals, beliefs, introduced us to amazing lunches served in high altitude, sun-kissed backyards. They guided us to off-the-beaten track, above the very crowded Everest Highway while they humbly showed a rarely seen resilience after the devestating 2015 earthquake... They proudly elaborated on Sherpa culture and entertained us with countless stories. We learned MLN has been around the block since the 1990's but are now upping their game having teamed up with Jason Friedman Tailored Hospitality & Co: their lodges are being upgraded and are a far, far cry from backpackers nest that scattered around the Himalayas. Aged 55 we've been there and done those: we gladly admit we loved our soft (heated!) beds, we cherished hot tea after a long trek, we warmed us in their cosy lounges around the stove and enjoyed their dinners after visiting their organic farms...We decided to stay 4 days in Kathmandu after our 7 day hike and again were spoiled, thrilled and flabbergasted by their service and knowledge. We lead busy lives and were thrilled to find ourselves without worries, without hassle, enjoyed their heartfelt service during every second of our trip: we just had to focus on our next day, get our gear ready, our muscles warmed and let us be guided through Majestic Mountains, taking every sight and sound with every step of our big boots echoing our growing amazement as days flew past. A true trip of...

We stayed at YMH Lukla on the last night of our 13 day trek from Lukla to Gokyo and back. YMH Lukla is an older property but it is very clean, well-maintained and seems to be the most ornately decorated of the group. Like all the YMH properties, they have a nice Happy Hour, excellent meals and staff who are willing to please. Fpod here seems to be a slight cut above the other YMH's, perhaps because they are near the airport. Plentiful hot water for the shower was welcome after 12 days on the trail. The lodge sits right at the trailhead going to Namche and is about a 10 minute walk to Lukla airport.||We arranged this trip through Geographic Expeditions out of San Francisco and they worked with Kathmandu Travel to make all local arrangements. A special shoutout to our guide, Tanzing Sherpa who, at age 33, is knowledgeable, seasoned and steady. He seems to know everyone in the Khumbu, gave great advice on making some changes to the itinerary when he saw our capabilities, and was a real cheerleader when bad colds slowed us down towards the end of our 13 day trek. If you plan a custom hike in the Everest region I recommend that you seek him out through YMH or...

Room: We had a king-sized bed with a garden view. The room was large and had a nice desk and working outlets. We had a private flush toilet (& toilet paper!), a working sink, and a hot shower. The showers are solar powered so aren't available until later in the afternoon. Shampoo and soap is even provided. The bed had an electric blanket and was so comfy after the EBC Trek.

Food & Dining room: We were two of three guests in the lodge, so had particularly great service. There was a happy hour with snacks and tea and dinner had three courses. They were accommodating to all dietary restrictions (we don't eat meat, and the chef made us something special). The food is downright delicious and the dining room is super warm as you're seated right next to the stove. Unlimited tea & hot water.

Location: It's a couple streets farther away than some of the other guesthouses, but that's because the grounds are their own oasis away from the noise of Lukla. It only took about 5 min. to get back into the heart of Lukla, so you're not missing out.

Other: Wifi was good in the common areas, if that...