Hotel
The Dwarika’s Hotel
A family-run heritage hotel opened in 1972, built around courtyards of rescued Newari woodcarving and home to the Krishnarpan tasting-menu restaurant.
Hotel Yak & Yeti
A five-star Durbar Marg hotel linked to the Rana-era Lal Durbar palace and the hotelier Boris Lissanevitch, about 1 km from Thamel.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic five-star hotel
- Area
- Durbar Marg, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Price
- $$$$ · Luxury
- Hotel class
- 5-star
- Official site
- yakandyeti.com
Good to know
- Fine dining
- Ballrooms
- Heritage rooms
- Central location
Why we recommend it
Hotel Yak & Yeti is one of Kathmandu's best-known luxury hotels and carries the name of the bar that helped start tourism in Nepal. Boris Lissanevitch, an Odessa-born former dancer with the Ballets Russes who had run the 300 Club in Calcutta, opened the country's first hotel, the Hotel Royal, in a converted Rana palace in 1951, complete with a Yak and Yeti Bar. After the Royal closed in 1969 he opened a Yak and Yeti restaurant in Lal Durbar, the Red Palace, and later ran the Chimney Room in the Hotel Yak & Yeti. He died in Kathmandu in 1985. The hotel describes Lal Durbar as one of the Rana-period buildings in the heart of the city, a short walk from Durbar Marg.
The hotel calls itself a five-star deluxe luxury property. Room categories run from Durbar Deluxe and Heritage Deluxe rooms to the Club Shangri-La floor, Junior Suites, Executive Suites and Business Suites, and two presidential suites with Newari and Tibetan themes.
The Chimney is the signature restaurant, a fine-dining room founded by Boris that reopened after a refurbishment with a fusion menu, carved woodwork and a patio with live music. Each winter the hotel holds a Chimney Lighting Ceremony to mark the start of the season, attended by long-time patrons and diplomats. The Spice Room offers a second dining option. With the Regal Ballroom, Regency Hall, Durbar Hall, Dynasty Hall, Crystal Hall and the Senate and Viceroy rooms, the hotel is also one of the city's main venues for conferences and weddings, and it displays recent hospitality and MICE awards.
The location is a major advantage. The hotel is about 1 km from Thamel and about 6 km from Tribhuvan International Airport, on Durbar Marg, where The Old House cocktail bar and Utsav's Nepali dinners are also found. Thamel, with the Garden of Dreams at its entrance and the Narayanhiti Palace Museum next door, is within walking distance.
Yak & Yeti suits travellers who want a central, full-service hotel with a link to the early days of Nepali tourism, a story that begins with Boris and the first hotel in the country.
Hotel Yak & Yeti FAQs
Where is Hotel Yak & Yeti?
On Paryatak Marg, Durbar Marg, Kathmandu, about 1 km from Thamel.
Is it a five-star hotel?
The hotel describes itself as a five-star deluxe property.
What is the link with Boris Lissanevitch?
Boris opened Nepal's first hotel and the original Yak and Yeti Bar, and later ran the Chimney Room at this hotel.
What restaurants are there?
The Chimney for fine dining and the Spice Room.
What room types are available?
Durbar Deluxe and Heritage Deluxe rooms, Club Shangri-La, several suite types and Newari and Tibetan presidential suites.
How far is the airport?
About 6 km.
Can it host events?
Yes. It has several ballrooms and halls, including the Regal Ballroom and Durbar Hall.
What is Lal Durbar?
A Rana-era palace, the Red Palace, associated with the hotel's history.