The Soaltee

Having opened more than 55 years ago. The Soaltee is the original luxury hotel in Kathmandu, and they continue to lead the way with constant upgrades and improvements keeping them at the head of the pack. From the moment you drive along the tree lined driveway and take your first view of the grand entrance and expansive lobby, you know that you’ve arrived at one of the best hotels in Kathmandu. Their extensive conference and event capabilities made them the obvious choice as host venue for the first ever Himalayan Vegan Festival, which in turn ensured that The Soaltee is a vegan friendly hotel, exactly the type of hotel that we want to experience and write about!

Our Classic Heritage Room provided the perfect ‘home from home’ during the three days of the festival. Our busy schedule meant that we didn’t have too much free time but when we did, our spacious room with a very comfortable bed was just what we needed. Whilst we weren’t sleeping, we were able to keep on top of any last minute festival work commitments at the desk, which was where we started each day before heading for an early breakfast.

The Vegan Food

During our stay, The Soaltee created an extensive vegan breakfast buffet for the festival delegates and speakers. But with a staff team that now have an even greater understanding of veganism, rest assured that all guests who wish to eat vegan and plant based food at The Soaltee will be very well catered for. From the ‘Vegan Counter’ during the festival we were able to enjoy a selection of curries, vegetables, breads, salads, fruits and wellness shots. They also had almond milk for coffee and cereal, whilst there is a regular dosa and idli station with sambar and chutneys. The idli are 100% vegan and as long as you ask for your dosa to be fried in oil and not butter, you can enjoy this breakfast staple safe in the knowledge it is suitable for vegans.

The Soaltee Executive Chef offered to prepare a selection of vegan dishes for us to try with another delegate at the vegan festival, Derek Sarno, founder of Wicked Kitchen. It was interesting to have a pro vegan chef opinion, and compare it with our vegan food blogger opinion! Chef Vinay Singh started with momos, no day in Nepal should pass without eating these delightful Nepalese street food staples, that’s a rule, and The Soaltee vegan take on them really hit the spot. They looked good and they tasted even better. Next up, some lightly fried pea and potato cakes served with a trio of spicy chutneys, followed by a bamboo shoot clear soup and a flavourful potato curry. Each of the dishes were prepared expertly, with local ingredients and it was an honor to be invited to sample them. Our vegan tasting session ended with a divine carrot and pistachio halva which was excellent, enough sweetness to satisfy that craving for an end of meal sugar hit, but not too sweet like some halva that we’ve tasted before. Thank you to Mr Sharma and Ms Pratiksha from the executive management team at The Soaltee for their kind hospitality, and thank you to Executive Chef Vinay for his delicious Nepalese vegan cuisine.

The Vegan Essentials

The swimming pool provided two things during our stay. Firstly. it provided a shock to the system as was much colder than expected, and secondly it provided the perfect workout opportunity as we love to swim, and much rather in a cold pool instead of a heated pool! We didn’t visit the adjacent spa and gym, but colleagues assured us that the gym had modern facilities and machines. Our bed had feather bedding which as vegans we would rather avoid, but it was good to find bathroom amenities from Indian brand Inara, who use natural and organic ingredients which are free of animal derived ingredients and not tested on animals. Just a shame that they are in miniature single use plastic bottles, and not refillable large dispensers as this would be far better for the planet.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

As the host of the first ever Himalayan Vegan Festival, we of course expected that The Soaltee would be vegan friendly. We would have to say that not only were our expectations met, but they were exceeded. Chef Vinay and his team created an array of local vegan delights during our stay, and the other staff members that we encountered were all incredibly welcoming. This might be the oldest luxury hotel in Kathmandu, but they are doing everything possible to remain at the forefront of (vegan) luxury travel to the Nepalese capital.

We were guests of The Soaltee but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.

The Soaltee
Tahachal Marg
Kathmandu 44600

Telephone: +977-1-4273999
Email: info@soaltee.com
Cost From: £100 / $120 (September 2022)