Travel 11 — On-line Reviews

From my research, it seems that when people travel, they have no idea of what to expect when they arrive at their chosen hotel, and I would really like you to tell me why you think this is.

Of course, tourists come in a variety of costumes and age groups but, in my opinion, the type of tourist should not be significant to the way they write reviews.  In fact, I wonder if there ought to be a subjective analysis of these people.

For example, let us start with a hotel search.  I believe that today most people search on the Internet, either on their own or with help from a travel agency.  There are many Websites available, for example, hotels.com, expedia.com, and booking.com, and each site permits a selection of search choices, for example, star rating, review score, etc.  Therefore, why do so many tourists, upon their arrival, become dissatisfied.

Let us look at my personal experience:  We recently stayed at the 3-star Himalayan Deurali Resort in Pokhara, Nepal.  It was chosen because we simply wished to ‘stop the world and get off’.  The Website described a resort situated remotely in the mountains and a long way from the nearest town.  The photos showed unbelievable views of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains;  the accommodation looked very comfortable, and there was a restaurant ... what more did we need?  Nothing.

Everything on the Website was accurate, but there was no mention of the national power cuts that took place more than once each day, and the resulting effects.  But the effects were understandable and, in a sense, beyond the control of the hotel.  Nevertheless, should it not affect the star rating and the review score.

For example, someone wrote, “ It is the most excellent hotel in Napal, including the view, service, food, room, and cost-effective (sic) ... (Edited) ... Even I cannot show the fact put into words. You need to know to your cost (sic).”  A rating of 10/10 was awarded, and this person was not alone.

I doubt if this Chinese person was related to the owner, therefore, what was on his mind?  There are numerous 5-star hotels in Nepal, and many better hotels in Pokhara.  The view was excellent, but only on rare cloudless days;  the service was very friendly but the effort just average, during our long stay, the carpets were never cleaned, in fact, the hotel did not own a vacuum cleaner;  the food was acceptable, considering the location;  and the room, notwithstanding the power cuts, was very good.

I awarded 7.1, but the average was 9.3.  And I guarantee disappointment if you expect perfection when you go there ... I am not saying that one should expect perfection at a 3-star hotel, but .... 

This was not the only hotel that we stayed at, and the same comments apply there too.

This leaves me wondering if people search for reviews with only a 10 score and, thus, are obviously disappointed (unless it is a 5-star hotel), or do we have a group of people who get joyful satisfaction in causing travellers to suffer during their well-earned vacation.

I have no idea.  Should I return to my place in the world?

Travel 10 - Nepal

Jet Airways B-777, Flight No. 9W229 lifts off from Pearson International Airport and my journey to Nepal begins.  A very long, tiring, journey comprising approximately 20 hours of flight time and 10 hours of stopovers.

The only flight memories are the chicken curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Other than that, I could be tempted to fly Jet Airways again.

An overnight stop in Kathmandu introduced me to the continual, nationwide, electricity cuts, and the concurrent loss of hot water, TV, and WiFi.

Buddha Air ATR-32 at Pokhara, Nepal

The next day, Buddha Air’s ATR-32 took me, after a couple of low cloud weather delays, to the town of Pokhara.  The flight ended with the following announcement, “Please keep seat-belts fastened until we are in the terminal”.  I imagined a fast drive-through and pondered a hamburger order with cheese.  Then, there was a 45-minute taxi-ride, via a rough dirt road, to the mountaintop hotel that was to become my home for a few weeks.

Annapurna and Machhapuhhre mountains, etc. of the Himalayas, Nepal

My first impression was fantastic.  The view from my room, of the snow capped Himalayas, was worth five stars.  But, by the next day, star value began to erode.  Although, water was heated by a solar panel, together with battery backup, only a cold shower was available.  The floor was carpeted, but during my whole stay, a vacuum cleaner was neither seen or heard.

View from our balcony

The arrival of my partner from Dhaka was delayed for the first week, and this resulted in putting many kilometres under my shoes.  But it seemed that finding a remote place to stay in which sleeping was easy was, initially, difficult because of the total silence, also meant there wasn’t even another cafe within walking distance.  Nevertheless, foreign trekkers and a few Tibetan refugees made things interesting and less boring.

Island Hindu Temple in Pokhara, Nepal

Mindy arrived in the second week, and life took a turn for the better.  We took a few expensive (US$50 return) taxi rides into town, and discovered a great restaurant with rainbow trout on the menu (Cooked three different ways).

Downtown Pokhara, Nepal

Additionally, the hotel arranged some horses for us, which were the ideal way to trek in the area and, especially, an excitement for Mindy to sit on a horse for the first time of her life.

Nice Horses (as far as Mountain ponies go)

But even meditation and contemplation must end, and my return to Canada became necessary.  Unfortunately, I have nothing good to say about the return journey.  My companions were two Nepali locals having their first flight (it seemed) displaying their enjoyment by loudly mouth-slapping their chicken curry (Yes, three more chicken curry meals) and being quite unaware that they were shouting at each other due to wearing headphones.  Finally, I really wish that an airlines pre-boarding requirement would be the education of underdeveloped parents.

Nevertheless, all was worthwhile.

Click each photo to enlarge.