Lonely Planet Review

Once the place to stay in Lhasa, the Banak Shöl is looking a bit tired these days, though it still retains its Tibetan character. A great open-air restaurant and the best-value ensuite rooms in town go a long way to ease the pain.

As you climb the steep ladders up to the rambling wooden verandahs of the Banak Shöl, you can almost fool yourself into thinking you've checked into a medieval monastic retreat. The kind of retreat that serves cold beer and chicken sizzlers (our kind of retreat). The staff have become a bit jaded over the years but are efficient and are generally up for a laugh. For a room with private bathroom choose between the modern Chinese-style doubles (the middle floor is best) or the quieter but darker Tibetan-style rooms in the central block. Note that the cheapest rooms are very simple, with paper-thin walls and shared squat bathrooms. Bonuses include a free laundry service (no, they won't wash your crusty socks after a week's trekking) and an efficient branch of the FIT travel agency. These days most hotel guests are Chinese backpackers.