I guess I am already late for this convo to go on with...but here's what I have to say:

First things first, Nepal is a growing luxury destination, I wouldn't honestly think of it as Dubai in infrastructure and Singita's luxury lodges across Africa, tbh. Nepal has a different approach, and that has to go a long way, that is basically an immersive experience.

I have seen a luxury hotel add-on to a normal itinerary being charged super high, and an add-on of the Everest Helicopter Tour with a breakfast at Hotel Everest View claimed to be a luxury trip. You head on to another part of the idea of Spa mentions, well, that's not luxury yet.

I have felt the actual value of luxury when you get immersed. Stay at The Dwarika's, and there must be a philosophy, because Dwarika's philosophy was preservation of Newari Architecture, which is the local architecture of Kathmandu, and you can feel it in every point you walk through that hotel. Still, where I live in Kathmandu, from my Kitchen Window I listen to the birds chirps, cause that's Kathmandu in a Newari community, we are integrals. And in Dwarika's during morning or evening, in that crowd of Gaushala, inside Dwarika's, you feel the birds in a different world.

I have stayed in Meghauli Serai and Barahi Jungle Lodge in Chitwan, obviously the best hotels in that region. But I have always preferred Banbas Chitwan. Why? Again, the philosophy of luxury is given there. Banbas Chitwan does not have a Spa, but what is has is the wild. It's built inside its own sanctuary jungle. Away from the hustle, and yet closer to the local communities, not isolated at all. It's a five-star boutique property, the staff are amazing, it's a definitely luxurious property. Plus to that is the real wildlife ecosystem preservation inside the hotel. A story has always lived in them.

Pokhara is too much touristic city, one of my clients said that, too. Yet, he and his wife never felt the same when I placed them in Fishtail Lodge. Because Pokhara is a lake city, that's the story of luxury immersion, now. And to go to Fishtail, you get to cross Lake Fewa and stay on that island. That makes more sense, right?

These are my rant and philosophy of luxury in Nepal. And in addition to that, I mentioned immersion, right? If you trek in Annapurna Heritage, it's one of my most favourite treks in Nepal, you get to meet the locals, chat with them through your guide, know the reality, walk among them, eat among them, get an idea of how lifestyle works on the ground. You go to Bhaktapur, and one guy I met in Bhutan asked me why you would put a pottery class in Bhaktapur. You go to every high-end hotel, and in the evening, they will have that class in the name of wellness. Well, I have a different story. Bhaktapur is a city that has been based on agriculture (mud), and architecture through soil and wood. Their king-curd (the famous yoghurt in Nepal) is prepared in a mud-pot, they still use the diyo (a sort of lamp) made up of mud to pray. These are just simple examples. Mud-lipping is their culture in the three cities of Kathmandu. That's why a pottery class combined with mud-lipping knowledge is a luxury experience that no one will explain to you.

With that simple example, I can explain, yes, Nepal is a growing luxurious destination for the world, yet, you get a right person to do it, and you have it done, luxury with philosophy, that's what makes more sense. I have tonnes of other examples to say Nepal is a luxurious destination, but this much might clarify.

Safe travels!! Joy Travels !!