Royal Penguin Boutique Hotel & Spa

Upon entering the room we were impressed by the blue led lighting strips. It gave us the sense that we were going into a room of the future. However, they have enough other lights that we were able to read without any effort. (I don't really like hotels that are mood-lit and never able to make bright enough to read anywhere). The bath tub was wonderful. It is so great to sit and soak after a great trek.

This was an average hotel I guess. I wanted to stay in Thamel for a few nights of my vacation so I choose the quirkiness of Royal Penguin. The first room they showed me did not have working electric, they had been having power issues of the whole floor leaving the dark corridor leading to the room and the room itself room unsafe for any guests. Then they showed me a second room that did not have working heat or Wifi. Then the 3rd room didn't have working heat either but the staff said that it just takes a while to heat up. While waiting 45 minutes for the heat to kick on, I called the front desk again. They sent 2 more employees to come and look at the heater; one of them changed out the filter. It finally kicked on, but I should mention that the new room was a significant down grade and nothing was adjusted on my bill then or at check out. Water runs yellow, some hotels in Kathmandu have clear colored water, they do not & the power outages are short but pretty regular. Staff were kind but most were not very helpful. Things I did like, FREE HBO in English, FREE room service breakfast which was pretty good and one of the housekeepers was very nice. Overall, the quirkiness of the hotel is not enough to stay here, I would not recommend to anyone. I'm sure there must be nicer properties in the Thamel area. This one disappoints.

Very happy and satisfied with the customer service , all the other staffs were very helpful too. Only the water was an issue, bathroom water was unclean it was yellow in colour. Please try to get clean water . Other than that every thing was excellent.

There was no rooms with a balcony, and only 1 restaurant to eat in. The menu was limited, and the breakfast that was offered, very disappointing.

I stayed here with my 2 children. After reading reviews I was prepared for a reasonable, clean, yet perhaps not the best hotel. I was positively surprised. The room I got was exactly as pictured. For KTM style rooms, this was luxury. Plush tiger was waiting for us in the bed. Kids loved it. The greeting guards at the entrance made us feel welcome every time you cross the gates. Food in the restaurant was mediocre at best. My room was 62. The hotel, staff was great. I would return any time. Recommended.

Great room but the sauna and steam room are not good. The steam room stank of ammonia and the sauna door stuck and I had to rip it off to escape!!

this is a great semi-budget hotel in the downtown area close to restaurants and shops. they had access to a gym (different building) and a spa on-site, which i was tempted to use, but never got there. three nights were all good. the water was always hot, though it came out yellow. we didn't have any problems though, and there was plenty of bottled water to use for brushing teeth, etc. the room had heating (it got cold at night!) and the bed was comfortable. the security was overly polite and the front desk was always staffed and helpful. we did not like the breakfast - we got up twice for early flights, and noticed everyone else in the airport who had packed breakfasts had normal things (boiled eggs, sandwiches, box juice, a banana, etc.) while we only had the option of taking takeaway from the six meals included in the breakfast rate. this included pancakes, which we ordered, and they packed the syrup in tin foil! it spilled everywhere and ruined the rest of the food. we got muesli with no milk or yogurt - just plain, uncooked oats. so bizarre. other than that, the place worked out well for us.

Quirky hotel in the heart of Thamel.

The hotel is over-rated and not value for money going by the card rate you displayed while booking. This the discount of 62% that you showed while booking is mis-leading and bigger and more popular hotels in better locations in Thamel were offering rooms at much lower prices. Further it was mentioned while booking that its near Garden of Dreams but its quite interior which made my friends and business associates avoid coming over. Staff are very friendly and helpful. The Hammam and Sauna facilities are open 24 hrs and the staff un-grudgingly switched on the Hammam even if it was very late in the evening.

The hotel is centrally located in Thamel (Kathmandu's touristic neighborhood). My friend and I stayed there during our Christmas vacation. The staff members are friendly, and answer all queries quickly and efficiently. However, the hotel is unfortunately not very clean- if I took my shoes off and walked around in the room, my socks would immediately become dusty. Moreover, the towels were obviously old and worn, and I regretted not bringing my own. The free breakfast was convenient, but rather bland. I mention this here so that other visitors don't make the same mistake: the hotel recommended we took its deluxe bus to go to Pokhara, and I wish we had declined the offer. While I understand that road conditions in Nepal are difficult, I was shocked by the driver's reckless disregard for our safety during our trip to Pokhara. He was constantly speeding on narrow mountain roads, and constantly tried to overtake other vehicles, including big trucks and buses. We were so scared that instead of taking the bus back, we booked a last minute plane ticket to Kathmandu. The hotel reimbursed the price of the bus return ticket and didn't charge us for the airport pickup. I hope that in addition to this gesture of goodwill, they make sure that they don't recommend the same company to other visitors (Pokhara Jagadamba Travels).

We had a comfortable stay and the staff were very obliging. The breakfast was below par - too many choices on menu but very bland and tasteless. Apart from that we loved the location and size of rooms/ amenities.

Nice hotel that is centrally located in the Thamel district. The restaurant is good.

This hotel is in the perfect location. We were pleased with the big breakfast and would return again one day.

Nice location close main city square and shops ...

My room was very comfortable. The hotel is in a good location. The restaurant inside the hotel has good food.

The room is very spacious and clean. The made-to-order breakfast is very yummy! The gym is in another building in Aria hotel which is one block away.

The hotel is located in the heart of tourist hub of Thamel. Room was OK - spacious and well equipped, with everything - wifi, minifridge, kettle, hairdryer, TV and safe - in working order. Breakfasts were varied, made to order and ample in quality and quantity. However, I thought the room windows were in dire need of cleaning - they were so dirty it gave the impression that there was a fog outside. The staff were best feature of the hotel - welcoming, cheerful and helpful. Overall, a very satisfactory stay.

Friendly and helpful staffs, clean and strategy location. Value for money

Well located, great breakfast options - fun and quirky options (that you can ignore) - very professional and friendly staff. Great spa too

Any hotel in Kathmandu is going to be a little rougher than what you might expect in NA, but besides a few unsightly stains on some of the pillow casings, RP is perfectly adequate and not without its charms. Well located in the Thamel tourist district.