Pakistan Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Al-Mashriq Hotel: Karachi: Al-Mashriq Hotel

by yuet29

It is very hard for a female solo traveler to get a budget room in Karachi, Saddar Bazaar. Almost all the hotel I went said they were fulled. I was a bit frustrated because if I cant get a cheap room, I will leave.

So I stood at the receptionist and call a local family that I newly knew, who stayed in Karachi. I called a few times but no one pick up the phone. And then the owner said: may be we can arrange a room for you. Can you pay 250Rp for a single? I said sure. And he said: do you have all documents with you, passports and a definite day you want to stay? I said of course. And he asked me to pay in advance. So I got the room.

It is very odd for them to have a single female staying in the hotel. I dont see another female during my stay there, and the other male guest always look at me suspiciously, luckily none of them come to me. I ended up stayed there for 3 nights, a budget and convenient place, located near the bazaars and the public bus stations.

The room has attached bathroom and TV!

Paris Inn: Larkana: Paris Inn

by yuet29

Good room with good service. I got this room for 300Rp, attached bathroom, fan, carpet, tower, filtered water.

The hotel is located at Larkana, the gateway to the Indus civilization of Moenjodaro. No complain, but it can be terribly hot during the summer time where you are sweating under the fan.

Madina Hotel: Gilgit: Madina Hotel

by yuet29

This is a very famous hotel in Gilgit. You will find almost everyone stay there other than the Japanese, most Japanese stay at New Tourist Cottage which is run by a Japanese.

The location of the hotel is centralized, very convenient to get whatever you need. Take suzuki B1 from the bus terminal (Pindi bus terminal/ International bus terminal), for 10Rp and ask the driver to drop you at Madina Hotel. The Hotel located in a small lane next to NLI market. If you came from Chitral, the hotel is 10 minutes walk from the bus terminal.

The dormitory costs 150Rp, make sure you dont get the room right next to the bathroom as it can be stint. Sometimes you experience basin blockage or pipe leakage in the shower room, but it is okie for the price.

The attached restaurant serves VERY VERY expensive food.

The attached internet cafe charges 50Rp per hour and the connection is okie.

p/s: The last stay with Madina hotel, I found out many staffs there work volunteery to get closed to foreign women. Until now in Gilgit itself, already ~10 locals married to foreigners women (mostly Japanese) and moved out from the country. If you arrived at a wrong time when the staff is flirting with a women, you may ask to make your own bed. This happened twice to me.

a small garden and a restaurant to sit and change information, but not to eat because the food is extremely expensive here. Sometimes the staff will serve you welcome tea.

Regal Internet Inn: Lahore: Regal Internet Inn

by yuet29

Almost everyone know this place and the owner, Malik. The Lonely Planet has high recommendation on the inn for they arrange trips to Qawalli music performance (30Rp one way) and the Sufi night (40Rp one way) charging only the transport fee.

The dormitory is nothing fancy, with hard beds and beds are arranged side by side. Your neighbor can roll over and hug/kick you anytime at night. But the rooms are separated by gender. You dont have privacy at all as people come in and go out so frequently, but this is a place to meet people from everywhere and change information.

You can use the washing machine for free, and the filter water in the fridge are free of charged. There is a roof top as well, where the only generator located, it keeps the fan spin when the power cut (power cut is so frequent in Lahore). When I was there, in August, the weather goes up to 40 over degree, you cant sleep at night without fan, so everyone lay the mat on the rooftop and sleep there.

Internet is available in Regal Inn, charged of course. The dormitory is 195Rp per night and to pay everyday.

Use of washing machine for free.

Al-Azam Hotel: Rawalpindi: Al-Azam Hotel

by yuet29

The hotel is VERY dirty, sand on the beds and spider web. It costs 300Rp for a night for room with balcony. The corner room is the best with a queen size bed.

I wont recommend this hotel, but surprisingly quite a few others stay here, perhaps is due to recommendation from Lonely Planet, which usually work out to be too disappointing..

The dont have standard charge for room so bargain a bit. The room does not worth 300Rp.

Dirty. But the attached restaurant serves cheap chai (tea), 12Rp for a pot, a good surprise.

Al-Falah Hotel: Rawalpindi: Al-Falah Hotel

by yuet29

The room is clean and 250Rp for a single with attached bathroom. I did not stay here because there was a stamp on my passport saying " ... prohibited to stay at cantonment/ prohibited area...", this place is in cantonment area so I was not allowed.

Did check the room and it is clean, location at saddar bazaar, location quite centralized.

Youth Hostel: Islamabad: Youth Hostel

by yuet29

You got to have membership in order to stay in the youth hostel, but membership can be applied on the spot. If you have student card, it makes an extraordinary good deal to stay in youth hostel. The membership price if you have a student card is 80Rp, a dorm bed is 80Rp per night. Without student card, a dorm bed is 150Rp.

You can assure that it is safe to stay in the youth hostel, with security guide, drinking water and hostel looked toilets/ shower.

It is the cheapest in Islamabad/ Rawalpindi area

Happy GH: Bumburet: Happy GH

by yuet29

I did not stay at Happy guesthouse, in fact I did not go to Bumburet at all. I met the owner of Happy GH, Ashfaq in Chitral. This guy is a friend of a friend in Peshawar and he followed me everywhere in Chitral, keep me accompanied (as what he said), but I dont need to keep accompany.

He made me frustrated because it is not my travel style to have someone always beside me, perhaps he has no harm, I dont know. I guess some female Japanese really like him because he is always try to be helpful, I saw someone recommending him but just happen to be not my cup of tea.

He is a muslim, not Kalash, even if I am in Bumburet I will want to spend my money into Kalash community.

Kalash Guest House: Birir: Kalash Guest House

by yuet29

Birir is the least visited among the valleys so the accommodations are least maintained and developed. This is the only GH I saw and stayed with. Full board for whatever price you want to pay, I paid 300Rp, which is a bit too much but Efen has a nice family and a his wife is friendly and beautiful.

What you can get here is only a mattress on the ground, pretty dirty. The toilet is outside the house, gaps between the wood but I dont feel too bad compare to Tourist Inn Motel in Peshawar because this is a more natural place.

I left after a day despite there is a funeral ongoing where people dancing and singing for nights because I was attacked by bugs for the whole night. And I drank a cup of unclean water (spring water is fine but not tap water) and severe diarrhea the next day.

Good experience staying with the family.

Saifullah GH: Rumbur: Saifullah GH

by yuet29

This GH is at Balanguru village in Rumbur valley. It has no english sign.

I never stayed at this GH but I met the owner the both day when I was there.

The first day when I was wandering around the village, I met the owner (I din know he is a GH owner) and asked about the villagers further up Balanguru. He told me there is a Nuristani village further up and if I want, he can accompany me there. It was in the evening so I rejected and said may be next time.

The next day I met the owner again with a Japanese traveler, then only I know he is Saifullah's GH owner, they were on their way to the Kalasha cemetery and invite me if I want to go along. So I went with them. The owner seems to me a good guy, I asked if he has any network in Chitral or any other places (since I saw Engineer Khan I knew they have the network everywhere). He smiled and told me he doesnt like this kind of thing, and up to Aug, he only received 6-7 customers in 2009. His room is 350Rp full board, but there are better room.

In Balanguru, which is still a Kalasha settlement. In Grom, a lot of Kalasha already converted to Muslim.

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Pakistan Hotels

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Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Al-Mashriq Hotel: Karachi: Al-Mashriq Hotel

Paris Inn: Larkana: Paris Inn

Madina Hotel: Gilgit: Madina Hotel

Regal Internet Inn: Lahore: Regal Internet Inn

Al-Azam Hotel: Rawalpindi: Al-Azam Hotel

Al-Falah Hotel: Rawalpindi: Al-Falah Hotel

Youth Hostel: Islamabad: Youth Hostel

Happy GH: Bumburet: Happy GH

Kalash Guest House: Birir: Kalash Guest House

Saifullah GH: Rumbur: Saifullah GH

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