Oriental Guesthouse, Leh
by MalenaN
I didn’t have a booking when I arrived to Oriental Guesthouse, but I was lucky to get a room in A Block. The rooms in A Block are the cheapest ones and I paid Rs 200 (July 2010) per night for the room with shared bathroom. My room was on the third floor with stunning views of the valley and mountains beyond. In the room there was a big bed with thick blankets, two plastic chairs, two tables and a shelf. There are several shared bathrooms, so there was never a queue. On the second floor there is also a traditional Ladakhi toilet. After checking in I got a towel, toilet paper and when I asked for it a few days later I got a top sheet. The rooms in Block A could not be booked in advance. I was very happy with the room and stayed there for 8 nights.
At Oriental Guesthouse there are three buildings with rooms in three different categories. I wanted to book a room in B Block for the days after my trek, but the rooms (which have private bathroom and cost Rs 450 in July 2010) were fully booked until the end of August.
As I wanted to have a place to stay when I returned from my trek, and also wanted to stay at Oriental Guesthouse I booked a room in C Block for my return. There the room was Rs 1000. If there was a room available in A Block I was going to change, but after staying one night in my room in C Block I didn’t want to change. The room was on the forth floor and had stunning views, two bedside tables, two wooden chairs and a small table in front of the window, cupboards and a comfortable bed. And it was convenient with the bathroom and shower.
Oriental Guesthouse is run by a Ladaki family who have run a guesthouse in their home since 1987. By the reception there is a library, TV-room and computers to use (when there is electricity). There is also a laundry service. I left most of my clothes for laundry, but washed a few things myself in a bucket by the running water behind the house.
The garden is lovely with roses and vegetables. There are two sitting areas outside, one by the reception and one on the lawn outside the restaurant. In the restaurant the food is prepared fresh every day and vegetables from the garden is often used.
While in Leh I ate most of my breakfasts and dinners at Oriental Guesthouse. If it was warm I sat by a table in the garden, otherwise indoors, and indoors I preferred the low tables with sofas over the tables and chairs.
For breakfast you can choose between several different set breakfasts for Rs 80 (July 2010). You can have porridge with banana, Ladakhi bread, toast, egg, salad and French fries and more. Coffee or tea is included in the breakfast.
For dinner there is a buffet with soup and several other dishes to choose from, for example daal, spring rolls, rice and pasta. Sometimes there is also a desert. You can eat as much as you want to for Rs 85. The only bad thing is that it doesn’t start until eight o’clock in the evening, and I prefer to eat earlier.
Between the meals I often had coffee or tea. A coffee was Rs 12 , mint tea Rs 10 and ginger, honey and lemon tea Rs 20. There is always filtered water available for free so that you can fill your water bottle with drinking water.
You pay for what you eat and drink when you check out. You must yourself keep track on what you eat and drink so when you check in you get a list to fill in when you order something.
There is a tip box in the restaurant so that you can give tip to the cheerful men working in the kitchen.