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Reviews of Raniban Retreat

3 out of 5
Raniban Retreat
Near World Peace Pagoda, Pokhara

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 25 out of 45 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 14 out of 45 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 45 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 45 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 45 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Lucille

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved this property and in the right season it would have the most amazing views. Unfortunately we were there during the wildfires, so we only were able to see the lake. Still beuatiful and reasonably priced with delicious food and service.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mohammad

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Improve wifi please. I couldnt even contact my family members.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Aldo

Liked: Amenities
Amazing views, incredible hospitality from staff
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from AkshovShr on 24 Sept,2023
Dear Aldo, Thank you for the review, glad you enjoyed your stay at our little mountain getaway. Regards, The Raniban Family

8/10 Good

Hussain

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ask Raniban to pick you up.
Great place, but the road is difficult to get through. Ask Raniban to pick you up or drop off, as local taxis can't go to the place itself. It's a little remote, but the morning view is amazing.the $12 fee makes sense for the trip, they aren't ripping you off.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Karla&Tamas, New York

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A must stay ! You have such a beautiful view, its breath taking. You have an enjoyable hike up and its very much worth it. The staff is so friendly, the food is great, and its the best place to relax and take in the beauty of Pokhara and Annapurna.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from AkshovShr on 21 Oct,2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for the lovely review. We appreciate you taking out your valuable time for this and look forward to seeing you again in the near future soon. Regards, The Raniban Family.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Raniban really is such a special place. It’s away from all the hustle and bustle of Pokhara and is so high up, perfect for viewing the mountains! Food is great and not too overpriced. The room and bathroom was lovely and comfortable however all rooms are exactly the same, you only pay more for the rooms with the best views...but you can easily look at the views from the communal garden. Beware if the roads are bad you have to walk up a lot of steps to get here! There’s not much to do up here in the day, but I think they are building a pool soon! Amazing time we had here.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Akshov Shrestha on 27 Sept,2019
Dear Guest, Thank for such a wonderful review. We are glad you enjoyed your stay at our little retreat. The road should be blacktopped by the end of this year, making Raniban much more accessible and easy for everyone. And yes, infinity pool coming soon. Regards, Akshov Shrestha Director of Operations Raniban Retreat

8/10 Good

Ishtiaque

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Picturesque Raniban
If I was aware that it is located so isolated, I wouldn’t have chosen this for a family vacation. The views are extraordinary. Sunrise view was breathtaking. Food is average. Rooms are so so. It is an ideal place for complete leisure. Commuting to the township is expensive and uncomfortable.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Abby

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful hotel in an amazing location
After several days trekking, we stayed at the Raniban Retreat. We chose Raniban because we preferred staying in a quiet location (compared to the busy Lakeside area which is very touristy). Getting to the Raniban is quite an experience and we would suggest an SUV type taxi due to the road condition. Our room was wonderful - simple but nice and clean. We chose a room with a mountain view and there is a nice garden area to sit outside the room as well. There is a restaurant with beautiful views but the food is very average. We were only staying for one night so it was fine. You could take a taxi to the Lakeside area for more dining options. We hiked to the World Peace Pagoda. It is an easy 25 minute hike and well worth going. There are some other hikes you can take as well. The staff is excellent - very friendly, helpful and attentive. We highly recommend a stay at the Raniban when in Pokhara.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Akshov Shrestha on 17 May,2019
Dear Guest, Greetings again. Thank you for taking the time out for this wonderful review. We've been requesting for good blacktopped roads to Raniban to our local government for quite some time now and they've finally started the road work from this May. We are hopeful that we'll scenic blacktopped roads within the next 9-12 months that'll make accessibility much easier. We are just 7-8 km from the core city centre so after the road is done, it should be a drive of about 15-20 minutes only. Also, we'll take into consideration your opinion on our food and look forward on continuous improvement in now just our food department but all aspects of Raniban in order to make our guest experience an experiential journey. Once again, thank you for the lovely review and we are glad that you enjoyed your stay at our Retreat. We look forward to hosting you again at our little retreat in the near future. Cheers. Regards, Akshov Shrestha Director of Operations Raniban Retreat

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing place, the best view of pokhara! You definitely need to stay at this place!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from AkshovShr on 28 Feb,2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for such lovely feedback. We look forward to hosting you again at Raniban pretty soon. Cheers. Regards, The Raniban Retreat Family

10/10 Excellent

Kirsty, Cairns

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect place to relax
Raniban was the perfect place to do nothing but take in the amazing view of Fewa Lake, the Annapurna range and Pokhara. There are 514 steps to climb once the taxi bounces you up a steep mountain road but staff will help with your bags. The food was great so we didn't feel the need to go elsewhere. It is quite remote but we walked down to the world peace pagoda and then the lake to take a boat into Pokhara one Day and caught a taxi back. A stunningly beautiful place to rest after our Everest Base Camp Trek with friendly, helpful staff who organised an in room massage and airport transfers. I will return.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018
Response from Akshov Shrestha on 21 Oct,2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time out for this wonderful review. We are glad that you enjoyed your stay at Raniban.

8/10 Good

Shefaque, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location and very quiet but approach road to the hotel is not in good conditions. No intercoms systems in place. Average food qualities and varieties.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018
Response from AkshovShr on 3 Oct,2018
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time out for the review. We are going through a transition phase currently and will be rebranding ourselves with a new look by the end of 2019. A lot of additional features such as intercom facility, room heaters, electric kettles, etc, will be added to the existing project, making it more comfortable for our valued guests. We also want to emphasize on our food & beverages section and make it one of the best eatery spots in the whole of Pokhara. Regarding the road, the government has assured us of a black topped road by the end of 2019 which should make it much more convenient for our guests to reach Raniban. Lastly, thank you once again for the review. We hope to host you at our Retreat sometime soon again. Cheers.

10/10 Excellent

Towhidul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Best view in Pokhara
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018
Response from RanibanFam on 27 Jun,2018
Thank you!

10/10 Excellent

Laura, Oakland, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful views and super relaxing
My husband and I spent one night here while in Nepal for our honeymoon. The staff were super friendly and when out of their way to make our stay wonderful. They decorated our room with flowers and set up the cutest dinner table outside for us. In the morning we watched the sunrise and then hiked back down through the forest. Great place! Highly recommended for anyone who wants a relaxing time away from Lakeside.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Marwan, Dubai

Liked: Staff & service
Unrivaled view of the mountains and lake
The tranquility that one experiences when staying at Raniban Retreat is difficult to describe. It is so peaceful and serene that I immediately forgot about any stress I had. There was little reason to leave the hotel especially since the food is fresh and delicious. The staff are very cheery and always there to help. The only constructive criticism that I would provide is that the rooms need a bit of an uplift. I know it is meant to be rustic but some repairs and renovations would certainly help. Also, getting there was very difficult but the new road should help.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
not at all recommended....
not at all recommended...no facilities..no access...almost 30 minutes..hike to reach the hotel..with no service..we checked out next day itself...still awaiting 1 day hotel stay refund...

6/10 Okay

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Over priced
Nothing wrong with Raniban - reasonable food an amenities, comfortable rooms and magnificent views. But it is way over priced (by Nepal standards) for what you get. The nearby Peace Dragon Hotel further down the same ridge is just as good but about a third the price, although Raniban is more secluded and private than Peace Dragon if that's what you want . Both involve a ten minute walk from nearest vehicle drop-off area but the drive to Raniban is a lot longer and on a very rough track, and with the subsequent walk to Raniban being much steeper and more physically demanding.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I normally don't write or rate but for this place Im going to express. Pokhara doesn't have much culture, it's just trekking and some other activities. This place has the best view, room and staff. Don't event hesitate!!!!
Response from Manager on 6 May,2016
Dear Guest, Thank you for your kind review, hope to host you again in future. Visit us with friends and family.

10/10 Excellent

ROCKIE, Malaysia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice view...good stay
Nice view
Response from raniban retreat on 16 Jul,2016
Dear Guest, Thank you for your kind review. Visit us again with friends and family. regards Manager

10/10 Excellent

alessandro, Bahrain

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Best Choice in Pokhara
Astonishing view. Great service. Beautiful rooms. Even the 506 steps to get tho the hotel are a pleasant way to get fit....... Very bad road from the "highway" to the beginning of the walkway. Restaurant not top choice in particular considering that you have no other options: it would be difficult to get back to hotel at dark. Price reasonable. We strongly suggest to go to Raniban Retreat if you are not scared by the steps

6/10 Okay

Michael, Melbourne, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Magnificent views/average service
Clean, comfortable rooms and food okay. Most dissapointing aspect was amount of visible rubbish on and around the walking track leading up to the hotel and the rubbish at rear of main complex visible to those exploring the grounds. Most outstanding feature are the magnificent views. The overall standard is marginally better than other hotels/guesthouses along the same ridge, but those others are less than half the price of Raniban and offer the same views.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Hotel with amazing view and nice hotel staff
The hotel has only about 10 rooms and the staff there are really nice and friendly. The staff have helped to decorate one of their customer room based on request and also held a small party which we were also invited. I've stayed for only one night but it was really an enjoyable time spent there.
Response from Vijay shrestha on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and a nice review. Visit us again with friends and family.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful setting. Facilities are a disaster.
The view from Raniban is spectacular. The facilities are 1 star - similar to camping. Doors did not lock. Toilet did not flush. Spiders everywhere. Hotel run by a few teenagers who speak only a few words of English or Nepali ... if you speak Hindi, you might be in luck. They were very pleasant, however. Most of the rooms are being renovated now - but can't even venture to guess what level of quality will be achieved. We got the best rooms available (after changing from an even worse room) - and they were 1 star. In addition to 500 stairs, we had to hike more than a mile uphill with our luggage in order to get to Raniban since the road had been wiped out by an avalanche. Neither the hotel nor Expedia contacted us in advance to let us know about this or offer to help us with other accommodations.
Response from Vijay shrestha on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and a nice review. Our rooms have been renovated. Visit us again with friends and family.

2/10 Terrible

Pat, USA

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spectacular Views But Rundown, Mismanaged Property
Beautiful location, even with the 500 steps and !,000 NR taxi ride one way to/from town. Sadly, management and staff lack training and follow through on basic requests is absent. Over our three day stay, the fan and door were left broken after repeated promises to repair and we could not get anyone to freshen linens or provide room straightening. Lots of friendly smiles and a birthday cake to honor my husband were unexpected surprises. They mean well - just not trained in service and execution.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing View
If you visit Pokhara for the mountain views, this is the place to stay. Staffs were friendly and accommodating at all times. Recommended.

8/10 Good

Campbell, Sydney Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice quiet retreat overlooking pokhara lakeside. peaceful with friendly staff and great views to the annapurna massif. A nice place to chill out for a few days and get away from the hustle of the cities.
Response from Vijay shrestha on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and a nice review. Visit us again with friends and family.

10/10 Excellent

Vetofunk, Chicago

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The Views
You go here for the views. It takes a while to get here via a cab plus you have to hike up 500 steps. The service is amazing when you get there though. The gentleman from the Netherlands that manges it is awesome. Downsides is that it is far from the main action. But if you want hiking, views and peace, this is the place!

10/10 Excellent

Kathie, New York

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful retreat in the clouds
The retreat was amazing, getting up at sunrise and having breakfast and coffee outside watching the mountains and the World Peace Pagoda appear out of the clouds, then watching the sun set after a long hike in the area looking down at the lake and the city lights. Food and staff are exceptional. I couldn't give a perfect score because of the steps it takes to get there, which are part of the journey, especially if you start way down the mountain. We took a cheap room in Pokhara for four days and left our luggage there, carrying only a day pack for our two night stay so as not to ask their staff to carry our luggage up and down the 500 steps from the available car park. A memorable stay.

8/10 Good

Tumash, Minsk, Belarus

Liked: Cleanliness
Quiet place but far from city
The hotel is situated on the top of the mount and has an excellent view to Pokhara. The view is the biggest advantage of the hotel. As well it is isolated from the city - thst's why it can be a nice place for retreat. Minuses is that the way from the city or from airport will take much time. You cannot go there on feet - only by taxi which will cost you around $10-15. My advice is to choose this hotel if you are looking for a long quiet stay, if you don't need to see Pokhara. And I will not advice to stay here if Pokhara for you is just a hub for a further tracking route - better stay at Lake Side area.
Response from Vijay shrestha on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and a nice review. Visit us again with friends and family.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Magical affair
Raniban was truly magical ! Nepal is definitely underrated !!! We had an awesome time !!!!! :-)
Response from Vijay shrestha on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and a nice review. Visit us again with friends and family.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Nice view
The hotel is very nice and offers a great view of Pokhara. The issues are mostly related to the 500 steps that one needs to climb every time you have to go back to the hotel. The lack of hot water is a big problem; the water is warm at best, but with the weather outside and with the lack of heating in the rooms, warm is just not good enough. The staff is very friendly and the food is good.
Response from Vijay shrestha on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest thank you for your stay and a nice review. Raniban retreat is an eco friendly and a socially responsible hotel, we only use solar for electricity and hot water. May be due to the adverse weather there was not enough hot water. However we are always putting our full effort to improve all the aspects of our products and services. We will surely be looking for an alternative just in case of bad weather.

8/10 Good

Chris, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Serenity. Unbeatable views.
Never mind if you have to climb a couple of hundred steps to get to the retreat. The journey and its end are worth it! Even if you have to rest during the climb up, there is the gorgeous view to admire. The porters met us where the taxi had dropped us off and carried our backpacks. We knew we would be slower than them by a mile and told them to go on up but they just smiled and politely waited for us when we stopped to rest (I know, we are so out of shape!). My booking said 'luxury tent' but I was given room 102 and had a great view of the valley Fewa Lake below. I am not sure if it could be considered a 'tent' because we had four walls. No cloth ceiling either. Maybe we were upgraded, I don't know. But we didn't complain because we loved the room and the view! The service is top-notch. My friend fell sick at Raniban and the manager there said to call him any time if we needed medicine or a doctor. No words can describe the view. Best you see it for yourself!
Response from Vijay on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and a nice review. The inconvenient 1 km of the bumpy road is soon getting pitch. Our effort will always be to provide thebest service possible. We keep on improving all the aspects of our products and services. You will definitely feel splendid on your next visit.

10/10 Excellent

takeru

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
とても眺めが良く素敵なところでした
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Mizumi, Numama Zushi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Satoshi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
部屋からの眺めが最高です。湖の向こう側にヒマラヤが大きく見えます。スタッフも親切で気が利いています。レストランは、野菜カレーがおいしかった。
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Pascale

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The view and the confort are perfect.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

??

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

YEEMIN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
파노라마 히말라야뷰
캐리어 땜에 우려했던 525 계단은 걱정없이 택시로 돌아갈수 있었습니다. 525계단은 평화의탑 산책갈때만 오르내렸습니다. 오스트레일리안 캠프보다 더 파노라마 히말라야 전경을 볼수 있어 좋았습니다 숙박은 반드시 마운틴뷰룸을 추천합니다
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019
Response from AkshovShr on 13 Mar,2019
Dear Guest, Namaste from Raniban. Thank you for taking the time out for the lovely review. We are happy that you enjoyed your stay at Raniban and are hopeful for re-visits from you in the near future. Regards, The Raniban Family

10/10 Excellent

종현, Seoul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
시내에서 접근하는데 어려움이 있었지만 훌륭한 전망에 깨끗한 개실과 시설이 마음에 들었다. 직원들의 친절한 서비스도 마음에 들었다.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
景色を楽しむホテル
景色を楽しむ事をメインとすれば満足できる。5つ星ホテルを期待してはいけない。 タクシー降りて階段を昇らないといけないが、私はたまたまタクシーの運転手が、狭い道をぐるっと回ってくれた。すると殆ど階段はなかった。 料理は他に食べにいけないので、ホテルで食べるがやや高いが山の上を考えれは納得。
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Naoko

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Himalaya view
ゆっくりヒマラヤを眺めたいなら、是非おすすめします。 部屋から、レストランから、屋上から、素晴らしいヒマラヤビューです！ ホテルはお花に囲まれて綺麗、高台にあるのでとても静かです。 スタッフもとても親切でタクシー、ガイドのアレンジもしてくれました。 難点は、Wi-Fiが部屋では使えなかったことと、ホテルまでに500段の階段を登ることかな。まあ、でも眺めが良いそういうことかなと。 私はもしポカラ再訪の機会があれば、またここに泊まりたいです。

10/10 Excellent

Teresa, Taiwan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
真的有無敵山景
我們入住當天雖然無緣看到群山全貌，但深深淺淺、層層疊疊的山景已經足以讓我們迷醉，大家一致覺得，應該不要去看甚麼洞穴，早一點到這裡看山、看費娃湖、看和平塔、看波卡拉的夜景才是。就算只是坐在屋簷下看山、閱讀，都會覺得人生真美好。這家旅館車子到不了，必須爬三、四百個階梯上去，可以考慮輕裝上去過夜就好，若真的像我們拉著全部行李到這裡也沒關係，電話通知工作人員，他們會下來搬。這裡的晚餐做得不錯，可以放心地早點上山在這裡悠閒緩慢與山同住。

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unvergleichlich schöne Lage
Super Lage mit fantastischem Blick auf die Annapurna Bergkette, den See und auf Pokhara. Sehr freundliches Personal, helle und saubere Zimmer. Der Weg von der Straße zum Hotel (520 Stufen) ist etwas anstrengend - aber es lohnt sich sehr!
Response from Vijay shrestha on 3 Nov,2016
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and a nice review with such a great ratings. Visit us again with friends and family.