Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 1 | Page 58

Rest Point East meets West at the Hotel Vajra Offering an architectural feast harmonizing beauty and practicality, Hotel Vajra welcomes you to use and enjoy its unique East meets West facilities. Hotel Vajra is one of Kathmandu’s most interesting places to stay in because it combines theancientartsofNepalwithmodernearthquake proof techniques. Guests can enjoy an art gallery, aclassicaldancestudiowithweeklyperformances, an East-West library, an ayurvedic massage room, several roof tops, the Pagoda Bar, the Pagoda Hall for meditation or yoga, the Naga Theater with yearly drama performances by Studio 7 and a cluster of flower trailed gardens where you can connectintowirelessinternet.Therooftopgardens givemagnificentmorningandsunsetpanoramas looking directly on the pagodas of Durbar Square and up to the 2000 year old Swayambhunath Stupa. On a clear day you can see up to the snow peaks of the Himalayas. Great Pagoda Room and Pagoda Bar are painted by Rinchen Norbu, the great Tibetan Master, and his associates. Wall frescos in the restaurant are painted by Bimal Moktan, the outstanding Tamang painter. The mastery of Nepal’s highly skilled artisan’s community is reflected in Vajra’s doors and windows which are designed and carved by Utam Raj of Patan. The ceiling frescos of the The hotel is situated on the foothills of the Swayambhunath Stupa and its age old pilgrim road, also near the Bijeswori Temple complex, two of the most popular power shrines of the 58 Synergizing the modern to the traditional Its chief architect Phil Hawes was associated with Frank Lloyd Wright and taught graduate architecturewithBruceGoff,twogreatpromoters of organic architecture. While building the Hotel Vajra, Hawes synergized the traditions of the pagodastyleroofingsofNepal’sgreatestarchitect Arniko and made wise use of local materials with the most modern earthquake proof techniques. January 2012 - Issue 1 Kathmanduvalley.Surroundedbytreesandflower trail gardens, HotelVajra is a place of serenity and beauty,overlookingtheentireKathmanduValley up to the snow peaks of the Himalayas. And, on any early morning you may join the pilgrims – Nepali, Tibetan, Bhutanese, in fact, you may see a Buddhist from any part of the world on their ascenttothegreat2000yearoldSwayambhunath Stupa. Good on the pocket Among the heritage hotels in KathmanduValley, Hotel Vajra is known to be one of the most reasonably priced, offering rooms for all budgets. Its51roomsarelocatedinthreedifferentbuildings surroundingtheinner gardens.Thenewwinghas three suites and 18 deluxe rooms while the old wing has 18 rooms with attached baths and five without. The Trekkers House has five rooms with attached baths and two without.