India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (353 page)

Old Rd., Sheynam, Leh 194 101.
01982/25-0786,
-5866, or -5266. Fax 01982/25-5266.
www.thegranddragonladakh.com
. 53 units. Rs 6,500 deluxe double, Rs 9,000 Royal suite, Rs 10,000 Maharaja suite; Rs 1,000 extra person, Rs 500 child aged 5–10 without extra bed. Rates include breakfast; 10% service charge extra. MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; lounge; airport transfers (Rs 300); room service. In room: TV, central heating, hair dryer.

Hotel Dragon
Owned by Ghulam and Mohiuddin Mustafa since 1974, this is Ladakh’s oldest hotel and remains one of the best places to stay in Leh—we definitely prefer it to its enormous new sibling, The Grand Dragon (reviewed above), down the road. This place is just so much cozier, more intimate, and better-managed, even if it’s a lot more basic. Each floor of the squat, Ladakhi-style building has its own terrace, and you can catch fantastic 360-degree views of Leh from the rooftop. Upstairs, room nos. 131 through 133 are more spacious than the other, typically small doubles, and the suites are well worth the extra rupees. At night, when a campfire is lit, the small garden courtyard becomes an ideal spot in which to wind down the day. Good Ladakhi and Tibetan meals are served in the traditionally-styled dining room, decorated with gorgeous paintings by Ghulam Mustafa.

Old Rd., Leh 194 101.
01982/25-2139,
-2720, -1227, or -0786. Fax 01982/25-2720.
www.travelladakh.com
. 30 units. Rs 2,421 standard double, Rs 2,842 suite; add 40% for extra bed. Rates include breakfast; 10% service charge extra. MC, V.
Amenities:
Dining hall; airport transfers (Rs 150); musical performances on request; limited room service. In room: TV.

The Mogol Hotel
In the popular backpacker hangout quarter of Changspa, The Mogol is (like Omasila) a delight to find, offering sweet, neat little rooms with tiled bathrooms and curtained-off showers that ensure the entire bathroom doesn’t get wet when you wash. In your room you’ll find a desk, some decent cane furniture, and narrow beds; the good-value suite has a much smarter look. There’s not much of a garden, but the rooftop sitting area is a decent place to relax. Most importantly, owners Rahul and Karen Kalon are extremely helpful and will help arrange your entire trip—they also own the lovely
Silk Route Cottages
in the Nubra Valley . One drawback is the constant hum of a nearby generator when the power goes out.

Changspa, Leh 194 101.
99-9009-4107,
94-1965-7333, or 99-9911-9435.
www.hotelmogol.com
. [email protected] or [email protected]. 18 units, all with shower only. Rs 2,550 standard double, Rs 2,800 deluxe double, Rs 3,900 suite; add 40% for extra bed. Rates include breakfast; 10% service charge extra. MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; airport transfers (Rs 150). In room: TV.

Omasila
This family run
hotel
occupies a cluster of pleasant Ladakhi-style buildings that conceal spectacular views that you don’t see when approaching from busy, overbuilt Changspa Lane. In summer the mountains surrounding Leh provide the perfect backdrop for magnificent sweeps of colorful flora perfectly visible from each room in the hotel. Fresh vegetables, apricots, and apples are grown in an adjoining garden (much of this ends up on the table for lunch or dinner), and the stream alongside is a natural aural tonic during laid-back afternoons on cane chairs on the sun-drenched terrace. The extremely good-value suites—including no. 21, where Brad Pitt stayed in 2006—offer the best comfort, with a faintly Tibetan aesthetic; six newer suites have tubs and modern fittings (book 18 or 19 for views). (Omasila, with its gas-regulated heating system, is one of the few hotels to remain open throughout the year.)

Karzoo-Changspa, Leh 194 101.
01982/25-2119,
-1178, or -0207.
www.omasila.com
. 40 units (including 6 with tubs). Rs 1,800–Rs 2,000 standard double, Rs 2,300–Rs 2,500 deluxe double, Rs 3,100–Rs 3,900 suite. Rates include breakfast. MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; TV lounge; Internet (in cybercafe; Rs 50/hr.); oxygen facilities, room service. In room: TV, central heating.

Poplar Eco Resort
Set amid a virtual jungle of apple, apricot, walnut, and poplar trees that were planted here when the hotel was built, this is a really lovely low-key find tucked away near the edge of town. Separated from the adjacent farmland by just a low wall, this collection of simple little cottages linked by concrete pathways that snake their way through the overgrown garden (you may need to duck and dive a bit as you head to your room) is a lovely change from the heavily touristed places that are just up the road but feel quite distant once you’re here. The hotel offers neat, clean accommodations with basic furnishings and beds covered with clean white linens and block-printed Indian throws. And, from the lush, wild garden, superb views of Khardung-La and the Stok mountain range; jump into a hammock or one of the cane chairs scattered around the property and meditate on the beauty of it all.