Gopal, the main staff person and wildlife guide at the hotel. A genuinely good and trustworthy man, he is the primary commodity at the Hotel Parkside. He is fantastic; kind, honest, knowledgeable, helpful, and absolutely hustle-free. He treated me above and beyond what was expected. Even if you stay elsewhere, I recommend you come see him as your guide before choosing any other guides in Chitwan.
Located on the very edge of Sauraha instead of right in the middle of it, you will have a somewhat quieter stay here.
The grounds of the hotel have many shade trees, flowers, hammock, and a pavilion with a fireplace that is a good place to sit and read, as long as you stay stay from the noisy goose pair. These geese made me think of having Goose Momos. You’ll understand soon enough.
The rooms are quite nice, being large, airy, comfortable, fairly quiet, and at a very reasonable price. The shower is lukewarm, not hot. The wifi in the rooms is lousy, sometimes acceptable, but never good, especially if it rains. But wifi in the restaurant is decent enough.
The restaurant could improve a bit. Service can be slow, and it would be great if they offered real coffee- but in Sauraha, you can’t find real coffee at many eateries, just instant, which I sincrrely hope changes soon. Also I don’t like having an additional 10% “service fee” + a “VAT tax” automatically added to the check, as I prefer to choose how I tip.
I hesitated a moment to give this hotel a 5 star rating, but Gopal’s goodness compensates for the few imperfections. It is a decent choice and good value overall, mostly credited to Gopal. Center your stay around him and you’ll be happy.
Mosquitoes in Sauraha are bad. Bring balm such as Golden Cup, Icy Hot, or Tiger Balm, which works great and stays on. 2 days is enough for safaris, and have zero expectations or demands about seeing wildlife, as it is by nature unpredictable and unguaranteeable. Temper your experience with this mindset.
