Hotel Mystic Mountain — Hotel in Mandandeupur

Rated as a 5-star hotel, Mystic Mountains falls far short of expectations and, in my opinion, deserves a 3-star rating. The panoramic views add some value, elevating it to a 3.5-star experience at best. However, it fails to deliver the quality and service one would expect from a 5-star establishment.

The staff was underwhelming compared to what we experienced elsewhere in Nepal. While limited English is understandable, the lack of helpfulness was disappointing. When we inquired about activities in and around the hotel, the response was that there was "nothing to do." They suggested only visiting the nearby viewing tower and couldn’t provide a map of the area. Ironically, the hotel booklet in our room mentioned three hiking trails, though all required payment, despite being described as easy, well-marked and easy to do on your own.

We planned to spend our last two days relaxing by the pool, but the water was freezing cold. The heated jacuzzi wasn’t inviting either, with mold visible on the tiles—hardly reassuring for hygiene. The sauna was extremely small, and we were glad we checked it beforehand instead of booking it directly. The path to the spa and wellness area was cluttered with debris, passing staff quarters on the way, which detracted from the ambiance.

To make matters worse, two school buses full of students were on the premises during our stay. It seemed they were visiting to "check out" the hotel. Hopefully, these students are not studying tourism, because this hotel is definitely not a good example of how a hotel should be run. The students were noisy, running through the halls and wandering all over the hotel throughout the day, making it impossible to relax.

Upon arrival, we also noticed the remains of a birthday cake outside a hotel room. It was still there the following afternoon, which speaks to the lack of attention to cleanliness and detail.

The room itself was poorly maintained: the toilet seat was loose, there was only one roll of toilet paper with no backup provided, and furniture had visible stains. The glass tabletop was smeared with marks we easily wiped off with a damp cloth. Mold was visible on the bathroom tiles and the soap dispenser. After five minutes of showering, condensation dripped from the exhaust vent onto my head—far from ideal. The cleaning was subpar; dust was accumulating in obvious places, and walking barefoot left our feet black with dirt.

The air conditioning/heating system struggled. While it somewhat warmed the bed area, the rest of the room, including the seating area and bathroom, remained cold.

The dinner buffet was a bright spot: the food was delicious, with plenty of options, though the dining area was somewhat noisy. Unfortunately, breakfast was a letdown. Despite four men in suits, only one of whom actually rolled up his sleeves and helped, they failed to address key issues. Items like nuts, fruit, and bread rolls were not replenished promptly. Spilled food remained on the floor for over five minutes, forcing guests and staff to step over it. A fallen serving spoon was replaced by a spoon picked up from a dirty table. Tables were wiped down with paper napkins, pushing crumbs onto chairs, which were not cleaned afterward.

The breakfast selection was mediocre. Only three fruit options were available: papaya, banana, and orange. The juices were from cartons, not fresh. There was no lactose-free or plant-based milk option for guests with dietary restrictions.

If this were a 3-star hotel, these issues might be forgivable. But for a 5-star hotel, the lack of professionalism and attention to detail is unacceptable. Mystic Mountains is worth visiting for the view, but that can be enjoyed elsewhere as well.

We shared our feedback during check-out, and the staff promised to take our concerns seriously. I cannot recommend this hotel for anyone seeking a true 5-star experience.

We gave this review from our experiences and want to add that every feedback should be considered as a...

Highly overrated, do not recommend

First, they charge an awful lot of money for mediocre or even below-mediocre service. We had a really bad experience where we couldn’t book through them directly because the phone numbers on their website were incorrect, and the only option was to book through Booking.com, where they charge a foreigner fee.

Second, they take forever to check you in. Do they only start preparing the room when the guests arrive? Can they not be prepared when a booking is made? After waiting 20 minutes to check in, they saw we were getting impatient and asked us to go get lunch. At this point, we assumed lunch was included in the NPR 15,000 we had already paid, because that’s a lot of money. We went to the restaurant and confirmed twice that lunch was included, and we were told yes. After having our thali lunch, we went to the front desk only to be charged NPR 6,000 for the lunch. Did I mention how ridiculously expensive it was? We were extremely frustrated because they themselves asked us to get lunch, confirmed it was free, and then charged us, saying they were “confused” and thought we were part of a different party, nobody apologized to us, they were only being defensive and kept trying to explain how they were right.

After lunch, we asked the front desk about getting massages. They called the spa to check for a 6 p.m. slot. The spa told them there was a party that had pre-booked but hadn't confirmed the time yet, so we could only get the slot if that party chose another time. They clearly have no concept of first-come, first-served. If you want to make money, why would you reject guests who are literally ready to pay for your overpriced services?

Then we realized that gulab jamun was included in the overpriced thali lunch, but we were never served it. We went upstairs for coffee and asked a server if we could get the gulab jamun we hadn’t been given earlier. Forget apologizing, she directly told us it was only available during lunch and not anymore, it was around dinnertime. I lost it and asked her to speak to her manager immediately, only after that did they finally serve us the gulab jamun.

Now about the rooms, they call themselves a 4-star hotel, but the quality doesn’t even match a 2-star. There’s a small TV with only basic channels, not even Netflix. Amenities are basic, yet they charge luxury prices. The only good thing is the view, but even that depends on the weather. It was foggy during our stay, so it wasn’t worth it. The hotel is situated on a cliff and is relatively small, so forget about having open areas to walk around or take nice pictures.

The next morning at check-out, our taxi was already waiting outside. We just wanted to drop off the key and leave quickly, but the lady at the front desk asked us to sit down and wait while they checked the room. Do they have no respect for people’s time? I didn’t even move, just stared at her, and only then did she realize I was upset. She quickly made the bill and checked us out.

I wouldn’t have minded the below-average service if we had paid a below-average price, but charging foreigner prices for such poor customer service is just not acceptable. The staff clearly knew we were not happy from the beginning but didn’t make the slightest effort to offer anything complimentary or ensure our comfort. They clearly don’t care about their guests and are running this place like an unmanaged motel.

Even during check-out, the manager tried to convince us it was our fault for not booking directly with them, even though we’re Nepali. He did offer us a bottle of water before we left, which we didn’t even want.

Please stay away...

I had a nice visit to hotel mystic mountain. This hotel has a four star rating. The kind staff and view are four stars for sure. However, the rest of the resort is definitely more 2 or 3 star. Because the hotel is priced at a premium, but does not really feel premium, I want to help future visitors moderate their expectations and know what they’ll really be getting for their money so you can make an informed choice.

The furniture and style of the room was very 1990s and everything was just kind of shabby. I was let down when I saw the room and asked if I could be switched as it didn’t look like the photos, but the other rooms were even worse so I stayed.

What I was most looking forward to about staying here was relaxing on the balcony, reading a book, and taking in the view. Though I did enjoy the large balcony, it was often hard to relax as I was in a side room at the edge of the resort and staff often gathered in an alcove nearby to spit and chat loudly. At the base of the resort a man hammers rocks with a pick axe from sun up to sun down. One day, workers set up a metal “slide” from the top of the hill by my room leading to the rocks below, and just spent the whole day shoveling soil loudly right next to my room down a metal slide. Another night, guests in the room above me spent hours shouting to friends in another room from their balconies then did the same thing in the morning. Another morning I was woken up at 8am because two workers decided to paint the wall outside my room.

The food at the restaurant is just okay- I’m not sure if I trust the reviews on here of people raving about the food- with the Indian/Nepali food being better than the international food (makes sense).

It felt like we had to search for service and experiences at the hotel. There is no binder in the room detailing the facilities, no room service menu, no mini bar prices, no spa menu… we knew we’d seen some activities mentioned online but it felt like we had to interview reception to get any information. We wanted to go on a hike, and the hotel arranged a guide to take us around for a few hours (3500 rupees). The pool bar and cliff side bar were not open and looked like they hadn’t been used in a long time. The gift shop was locked up and full of old things being stored in the space. The basketball area and table tennis looked very well used and shabby. The pool is not heated so can’t be used (felt like 0 degrees), and the jacuzzi water was soooo gross like full of bugs and brown. The massage rooms at the spa look like a prison and, although the quality of the massage was good, the lights are left on and blinding. There was no sauna though it is claimed on booking dot com. We asked to have a bonfire one night and it seemed like no one ever asks for this and it was a big problem, but they eventually found us some wood (1000 rupees) and we enjoyed the experience. Like I said, you have to work hard for every experience at this hotel, and things are kind of rough around the edges, but you can create your own fun.

In summary, a premium priced 2/3 star hotel catfishing as a 4 star, staffed by kind people who need some polishing in terms of customer experience and some investment from owners to spruce up their...