Des Dastaan

Three weeks ago (early July 24) spent a few nights at Des Dastaan with friends during a hiking trip to Deosai and Soq valley. The ambience of the place was very relaxing and peaceful. The food was excellent with a choice of traditional Pakistani and continental dishes plus great selection of locally inspired cooking including steamed dumplings and a local walnut herb pesto. Ate fruit picked straight from the garden we sat in. I was so delighted that two weeks later I went back with my sister and mom who is 87. They went to lengths to take to make sure my mom was both comfortable and happy. The personal attention from hosts Umair and Mahbano was very special. I really could not have asked for more.

First time I post on TripAdvisor, but I wanted to share my positive experience with this place. We spent 4 days at Des Dastaan this April visiting the regions of Skardu and Shigar. Des Dastaan is a small boutique hotel located just outside Skardu in the small village of Manthal. You can walk into Skardu from the hotel although depending on time of year you might want to take the car to keep cool. Large parts of Skardu are very barren, but Manthal is quite verdant and especially the hotel is very verdant filled with various apple and cherry trees and grape vines allowing you to enjoy them straight from the tree if you visit during their season. We were a little early and could only see the green cherries and dreaming about what they would be like when ripe. The rooms are nice and modern with a double bed and we where able to have two mattresses added to the room for the kids. We had a gorgeous view of the mountains from our room and it was a joy to wake up in the morning and watching the snow covered peaks around us. The outdoor eating space is a wonderful space overlooking parts of Skardu and the mountains and with a roof made out of live grape vines. The food served was very taste and made fresh every day. The couple running the place care deeply about creating an authentic experience for their guests and allow them a stay that feels connected to the local community as opposed to being cloistered up in a resort. Their spoken English is impeccable with both of them having university degrees from the United Kingdom. The hotel is also very close, maybe a 5 to 10 minute walk to local sights such as the Buddha Rock carvings showing ancient depictions of Buddha and his followers. The hotel also helped set us up with a driver who took us on excursions to local sites such as the upper Kachura lake (we got to see the somewhat famous Shangri-la resort is Skardu from above on this trip) and we had another trip going to the historic Shigar fort and enjoying some good food. All in all we had a great time and we would recommend this hotel to anyone looking to visit the area, especially people like ourselves who want a combination of good quality accommodations and hosts with good English skills while at the same time allowing us to feel we are truly visiting the place and not just living in a bubble at a resort. It is also worth noting that power supply is in general not great in the area with a lot of blackouts, but this hotel is self sufficient with a solar panel and battery system so you don't have to deal with blackouts for power or internet.