stayed with family, impressed
We stayed for two nights at Gokarna (kids 2, 4, 11). Customer service was pretty outstanding. The place is somewhat geared toward conferences, golfers, and spa getaway-ers. So for Nepal, it's pretty darn pricey. The location is great, though (in the forest but not far from Kathmandu), and as a family, we were completely accommodated. Breakfast buffet was included, and quite good. Restaurants were pretty inexpensive for the type of place it is, but again, expensive when compared with food in general in Nepal. (There was the clubhouse restaurant, less formal and more geared toward Thai food, with good views over the golf course, and the main restaurant which served breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a variety of stuff, Western, Nepali, etc..)
The spa looked okay, we didn't really use it, but took the kids for a swim in the pool attached to the spa. There was a baby pool beside the main pool, but we didn't use it because the water was freezing. The main pool was heated and pleasant.
The kids got a kick out of the monkeys all over the place, although they weren't annoying. I think they are kept from being too pesky by guards with sling-shots, which of course our 11-year-old thought was awesome. Our 11-year-old wanted to rent a bike to ride around, and it was a hassle as this isn't a service they offer, but one was eventually located. We also took a great walk with a guide, which took 3 hours to walk through the forest to the Gokarna Mahadev temple on the other side and back at our leisurely pace, but they can do shorter ones as well.
Finally, I should note that we were upgraded for free to the "tower suite" which was an enormous and luxurious room. So I don't have a comment on the "normal rooms", but I imagine they are pretty nice as well, just not as huge. They charged $25 for a cot and $20 for a baby crib per night, which is a little ridiculous, but we were willing to pay partly because they had given us that crazy suite at normal price.
Overall, very impressed.
