The Hostelz.com Review - Genuine, independent review you can trust.
Aroma Tourist Hostel is a family-run hostel with all the positive and negative aspects of it -- toys scattered all over the floor of the common area and random family members walking all around -- but it has a warm and friendly atmosphere where you will quickly feel at home.
The Location
The hostel is located just off Baidam Road, the four-lane, fast-traffic road that connects the Zero Kilometre with the Lakeside area. The neighbourhood of the hostel is residential and rather unattractive, but if you are interested in getting a glimpse of local life, this might be the place for you; sitting on the rooftop, you can watch as people in the area go about their daily business. There is one local eatery next door and many more restaurants in fifteen minutes' walk.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The hostel offers small dorms of mostly four beds. Besides the bunks, the rooms are furnished with a desk and chair as well as a wardrobe. The beds are equipped with curtains for privacy and have individual electronic sockets. The Wi-Fi is fast but at the time of review, electricity came and went constantly. There are bathrooms in the hostel, which are spacious and clean. They also had soap, shower gel, and toilet paper as well as unlimited hot water.
Common Spaces
There are several common areas in different parts of the hostel. On the rooftop, there is an area for chilling in a hammock or in one of the tents. This is a great place for taking in the sceneries over Pokhara. There is also a nice area in front of the hostel with picnic tables and chairs. However, a huge plus about this hostel is that it offers two indoors common areas as well -- one corner with sofas on the first floor and a spacious eating and chilling area on the ground floor. However, the use of kitchen is from staff members only and bringing food and drinks from outside into the hostel is strictly forbidden, which aims to encourage people to order from the hostel's overpriced menu, but which seems a bit exaggerated and restrictive.
Summary
This hostel is a nice choice if you enjoy the pampering but also somewhat restrictive aspects of finding yourself living in the home of a Nepalese family. The dorms are decent, the place is clean, and there are many nice common areas.
Photos taken by the Hostelz.com reviewer — Genuine photos you can trust.
+4
JudyM
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Published on Jan 24, 2019
Location and Contact
Location
From Lakeside Pokhara, head east (away from the lake) on Phewa Marga Road (the main road heading to and from downtown Pokhara). On the left side of the road after about 600 meters, you will see red signs pointing to Aroma Hostel. Directions can also be found in Google Maps and Maps.me (search for Aroma Tourist Hostel).