Shinta Mani Mustang

Style

Altitude with attitude

Setting

Trekker-luring Jomsom

Base camps in Nepal’s remote regions can often be, well, basic, but eco-friendly Shinta Mani Mustang (part of the Bensley Collection) elevates mountain hospitality even at this high an altitude. Based in the mystical and remote kingdom of Mustang, this retreat has an 11th-generation doctor skilled in herbology and healing massages, fire pit-lit terraces, suites laid out like trad local residences with fun local touches (yak-fur-topped stools, tiger-shaped rugs), and dining with peak panoramas – all luxuriously dressed in Bill Bensley’s rich colourful style. So, you can trek high mountain passes, ride Mustang horses, venture into millennia-old caves, hop villages and lofty monasteries – with your personal guide – and dine finely, drink elegantly and snooze in a dreamily soft bed.

Facilities

Rooms

26 suites.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability; you must let staff know in advance. Earliest check-in, 1pm.

More Details

Rates include all meals and drinks, roundtrip airport transfers from Jomsom, a welcome fruit juice and snacks, personal guide, and excursions and activities in the Lower Mustang area. A minimum five-night stay applies.

Also

The dining room and some rooms are wheelchair-accessible; however the mountainous terrain may make this an unsuitable stay for those with reduced mobility.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Terrace with fire pits, wellness centre with a steam room and sauna, activities room, free laundry service (excludes dry-cleaning), and free WiFi. In rooms: free daily refilled minibar (with soft and alcoholic drinks), free bottled water, tea- and coffee-making kit, bathrobes and slippers, dental kit, and organic locally sourced toiletries.

Our Favourite Rooms

Designer Bill Bensley excels in decadent interiors that make you feel spoilt whether you’re amid the bustle of Bangkok (say at Smith stablemate the Siam), deep in the Cambodian jungle (at sister stay Shinta Mani Wild), or here, in the spectacularly spartan wilds of Nepal. So, expect tiger-print rugs, woods with floral inlays, the odd gong, and deep hues in tactile fabrics. Rooms are fairly similar, all laid out like a traditional local dwelling; but some come with a balcony and all but the Junior Suite have a bath tub.

Spa

Shinta Mani Mustang’s wellness centre has just two treatment suites (both big enough for couples), but they’re each decked out with a heated plunge pool, steam room and sauna, and have panoramic views of surrounding peaks. And you’re in the capable hands of an 11th-generation amchi (‘doctor’), skilled in herbology and healing touch. Treatments include traditional cupping with copper vessels, herbal baths and intense deep-tissue massages. And, yoga sessions and exercise classes are held in the activity room or on the terrace, while house hikes and trail- or road-running sessions.

Packing Tips

You don't want to wing it here when it comes to gear, so for upwardly mobile activities be sure you’ve ticked off all the warming layers, walking poles, sunglasses, head lamps, carabiners… But the hotel does provide skincare products, a hat and some other handy treats on arrival.

Also

Bill Bensley has hung works by himself and the architect and artist Robert Powell throughout; a close friend of the designer, his paintings and drawings show his deep love for the region.

Children

Welcome, but there are no tailored distractions and many treks would tire out little legs. Each suite takes an extra bed for a third guest (from US$900 a night, but varies on room type); you’ll need to contact our travel team to book these.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

In low winds, sit by the fire pits on the terrace to gaze up in wonder at the glittering Tibetan firmament. Otherwise, seats by the dining room window get the best views of Mount Nilgiri Himal; or dine alfresco at altitude with a picnic.

Dress Code

While outer-wear is acceptable, you may wish to peel away your down jackets, fleeces and thermals for something that pays homage to colourful, printed Tibetan costumery.

Hotel Restaurant

Both Nepalese and Western dishes, which make use of the herbs, vegetables, apples and apricots grown onsite, are served in the 60-cover Nilgiri Restaurant, which overlooks its namesake mountain and the range’s other majestic cloud-pokers. And there’s a spacious outdoor patio if you want to get a closer look. Lunches are largely offsite, served at monasteries, local homes, picnic-style on hikes, and other more intimate settings; while dinners differ by night, and might include a foraging dinner with river trout and herb salad, elderflower panna cotta with wild berries; farmers’ dinner with rosemary lamb chops, apple crumble and cinnamon ice-cream; or a nine-course momo dinner with truffle-oil-drizzled mushroom dumplings or ones stuffed with yak and tomato achaar.

Hotel Bar

The Aara Bar is named after a potent local liquor similar to vodka or gin but made using millet, so a couple shots of that are called for. And the other drinks on offer look to the landscape for inspiration, say the Syang Sour, which uses house-grown apricots, brandy, lime, bitters and egg white; mulled cider from the orchards; the Giling, with rum, sea buckthorn, mint and sugar; and the potent Kali Gandaki, with dark beer, whisky and plum wine.

Last Orders

Breakfast is from 7am to 8.30am, lunch from noon to 1.30pm, and dinner from 7.30pm to 9pm.

Room Service

Too trek-sleepy to socialise? Dine in your room from 7am to 9pm.

Planes

You’ll need to fly into Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, then connect to Pokhara (a 30-minute flight) and again to Jomsom (a 20-minute trip) and hotel staff will pick you up from there. Keep in mind that flights usually take off in the morning because afternoons can be too windy, and the logistics of arriving and connecting on the same day can be tricky, so it’s strongly recommended to spend your first night in Kathmandu. A fast-track immigration service is included in your room rate. Or, to arrive direct, charter a private flight or helicopter from Kathmandu to Jomsom (around an hour).

Automobiles

You could try the drive from Kathmandu to Jomsom, but this will take you about 12 hours, which the spectacular scenery and temple stops may or may not make up for. An off-road vehicle or motorbike is probably best for tackling the uneven, largely unpaved terrain – or the hotel can arrange a local driver for you for an extra charge.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Shinta Mani Mustang sits at the gateway to the ancient kingdom of Mustang, one of the remotest regions of Nepal, and once forbidden to outsiders, if you could even access it, over the up to 8,167-metre high peaks of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges sheltering it. Hidden in the Kali Gandaki valley, high above the town of Jomsom, and protected by strict tourist regulations, Mustang has an otherworldly rugged beauty, and it feels like a privilege to stay here. Visit in spring and your mountain treks will be carpeted with rhododendrons, violet irises, blue poppies, pansies, and petunias; high passes are best tackled in April and May; and you may be able to attend the three-day Tiji Festival (whose dates change with lunar rhythms), where monks don lavish costumes for dances and rituals. Come summer you might spy native Pallas cats or Tibetan wolves, or see races and death-defying riding skills at the Yarthung festival. Autumn brings clear views and the important festivals of Dashain (celebrating the victory of good over evil) and Tihar (the festival of lights); and winter caps the mountains in snow. And the hotel’s range of private guided experiences honour Sherpa tradition (those in the Lower Mustang region are included, some in the higher region may be charged). Learn about Tibetan Buddhist culture while visiting Marpha, Jhong, Thini and Kagbeni villages, and Zharkot monastery; climb to Muktinath Temple (one of the world’s highest) to secure salvation after death by bathing in their cold springs and see the eternal natural-gas flame; and go deep into the caves hewn into high passes where millennia-old religious paintings coat the walls. Learn about the shamanistic leanings of the Bon culture (which grew alongside Buddhism here), such as sky burials; ride sturdy Mustang horses or mountain bikes to the lower and upper regions; spy yaks as you hike by the Kali Gandaki River; take archery lessons; and breakfast at Yharu-Zho viewpoint, more than 3,000 metres up.

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