It’s not just the location. It’s not only the amenities. It’s also the fact that the management is so mindful of making guests feel at home that makes Sagarmatha Apartment the ideal place to live in while in Kathmandu.
Marci Clark of Shanghai, China, was here on a two-week trip in September accompanying her husband Max, a hydraulic engineer associated with the Melamchi project. During their brief stay, while Max was busy in the office, their three-year-old daughter Sophie attended a local nursery school, and Marci stayed mostly at home. Home? Well, not exactly, but something as close as it can get to living in one. “It’s so homely,” she said when I met her at the comfortable lounge of the building in Sanepa. “There’s no checking in and checking out every time you go somewhere. It’s so personal here. It’s like living in one’s own place.” The sumptuous breakfast that comes with the free service must also have been an important factor for making their stay so comfortable. Marci agrees, “Yes, they give us such fine food!”
While she talks, Anita, the better half of Gyan Maharjan, who owns the place, listens with a pleased look on her face. She is as involved as her husband in running the apartments and evidently, she loves her work. “Business is quite good,” she says, when I ask her how the 2-year old venture is faring. And, what kind of people stay in their apartments? “Of all nationalities,” she answers, “many of who work for international organizations. Some stay for a short time, others longer.” At the time of writing, there was an American who had been living there for almost a year.
So, what is it that makes folks like Marci feel so much at home, and what makes people like the above-mentioned American stay for such long periods? Why does Sagarmatha Apartment feel special? First is the location. The building is situated a short distance away from the Patan Nursing Campus in Sanepa. It is a neat and clean locality with no shortage of well-stocked stores and fine dining establishments.
Second is the quality of the apartments. There are eight in total with one, two and three bedrooms. Comfortably furnished, they have most modern amenities, including a well equipped kitchen. In fact, Marci pledges to “bring a suitcase full of ingredients so that I can cook the next time I’m here.”
Third are the amenities. Said to be ‘full service’ apartments, the facilities include 24-hour power back-up, security, and water supply; dry cleaning and laundry services; adequate parking space; and even a baby sitter if required. In addition, there’s a large common lobby that has a snooker table, three exercise machines, a small piano and plenty of reading material besides the mandatory television, DVD player and movie collection.
There is absolutely no doubt that Sagarmatha Apartment already has a respectable roster of satisfied guests so it comes as no surprise when the couple reveal that the have expanded their business to Pulchowk where they recently opened a similar nine-apartment complex. The Maharjans probably foresee that they will have to be ready to accommodate even more guests in the coming days, such has been their growing reputation.
