Bedding Down in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country of amazing contrasts. Luxury exists side by side with abject poverty. Sparking new architectural edifices sit beside battered buildings of tin and mud. Imported luxury cars jostle for road space with battered buses, thousands of motorized three-wheeled taxis and hundreds of thousands of peddle rickshaws.

The accommodation situation is no different. In Dhaka, a few luxury hotels cater for the business guests and aid gurus who come from around the world to help or hinder the country’s development. Below these are the three-star hotels that are proliferating in Dhaka and Chittagong and are now also appearing in some of the other larger cities. Then there are the traditional ‘local’ hotels which provide a bed, a bathroom and nothing much else. Some of these are clean and cheap and they can be an acceptable low-cost alternative for those who find themselves off the beaten track or just want to save some money. Below these again are basic rooms that most foreigners will avoid at all costs.

Quick Tips:

The trick for visitors is to understand what they are likely to get in the accommodation of choice. The word ‘International’ in the title or names with one letter different to international brands is almost a guarantee that the establishment is doubtful. The names hotels (residential), guest houses and lodges don’t provide a good guide to the standard of facilities or service. Price is probably the best guide. In Dhaka, any establishment charging more than US (most quote in US) should be reasonable. You will get an air-conditioned, clean room, an attached bathroom with hot water, and there is likely to be a restaurant and perhaps some other facilities. In country towns the same will apply to hotels charging more than Tk700 (about ).

Rooms in Dhaka can be difficult to get at times so a forward reservation is desirable. Forget the quoted rate. You will always get something lower when you haggle. Expect about a 25% reduction for a ‘corporate rate’, a ‘mates rate’, or just because you have haggled. Long stays (two weeks or more) will invoke a further reduction. Many of the upmarket hotels include breakfast in the tariff.

Best Way To Get Around:

Within Dhaka and some of the other large cities, there are buses, taxis, three-wheelers, and rickshaws. The buses can be crowded and it is difficult to find out where they go. The taxis are small and often battered but most have meters and many drivers know some English. The CNG three-wheelers and rickshaws are good for short-trips but you must negotiate the price or give the driver a fare that is considered reasonable. For the motorized vehicles Tk50 is often good and the rickshaws only get Tk10-20 for short trips.

Traveling around the country is an experience. There are some train services and many more long-distant busses. Most long-distant buses are on a continual ‘make-the-best-time’ challenge so accidents are frequent, but it is usually the ‘other’ vehicle and passengers that suffers most. By far the best way (and the most expensive) is to rent a vehicle and driver. This will cost around Tk1000 a day plus the cost of fuel, driver’s meals and accommodation and extras such as road and bridge tolls.

The Sheraton was the first international hotel in Dhaka and many say in some ways it is still the best. It competes head-on with the Pan Pacific and the two properties are located within a kilometer or so of each other. I must say that I felt very welcome here but that may have been partly due to the fact that I had a vague past connection with the manager and his wife.

The hotel has 233 rooms and suites, all with the normal 5-star facilities. They are furnished in a fairly standard way but there are a few local touches like potted palms and flowers in the room. The staff is friendly and service is at a high level on most occasions, however, anything out of the ordinary will throw many of the junior staff. Senior management seemed to be very willing to help.

Except for the glass-domed ceiling in the reception area, the other public areas and facilities are not as grand here as at the Pan Pacific but they have a more intimate charm. The swimming pool is certainly much smaller and there is little sitting area but on the positive side it rarely had more than a handful of other swimmers. There is a squash court, a tennis court and a health club with gymnasium, Jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room. The business centre will meet most travelers’ needs.

As with most Sheraton Hotels, there is an Executive Club floor which provides a ‘business class’ level of service. I did not experience this area but it is said to offer ‘distinguished services in an ambience of refined sophistication’. Sounds impressive? The floor has its own private lounge for breakfast and cocktails.

I am not an expert on the dining opportunities having only taken lunch in one of the restaurants. This was in the restaurant near the pool where they operate a buffet, but as I am not a large lunch eater, I just opted for a soup and rice dish and was able to pay accordingly. Both were good. It is difficult to get a beer in most places around Bangladesh so the Sheraton bar was a welcome find. Under the circumstances the cost at around US$4 for an imported beverage seemed reasonable.

The hotel is close to green Ramna Park for those interested in a stroll though tropical vegetation or a ride on the boating lake. Suhrawardi Park, which is where the Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence took place, and Dhaka University are also within walking distance. There are good shopping opportunities in New Elephant Road and Eastern plaza, and you can reach these by rickshaw.

Cost: US$190 and up

This is regarded by many as the premier hotel in Dhaka. The five-star property has 304 air-conditioned rooms and suites. All rooms have IDD telephone facility, voicemail, Internet service, satellite TV, minibar, electronic safe, full bath tub and shower, bath robe, slippers, hair dryer, daily newspaper, and 24-hour room service. In short, it’s just what you would expect from any five-star hotel.

What is different to most Western five-star hotels is the level of staff. There are people everywhere. There are a team of people to run a security mirror under your car as you approach the building, a bellboy to open your car door, security staff to run you through the scanner at the front door, upwards of half a dozen staff at the front desk, someone to open every hotel door and to instantly offer you a drink when you sit in the lobby, and so on. It may sound great, but after awhile, it is all a bit too much. It would be nice to be able to do something by yourself.

The hotel has three restaurants. The cheapest is the Café Bazaar, which offers buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Cheap is relative. Dinner one evening cost US$15, plus drinks, which is quite acceptable on an international scale. I had an equally good meal, however, the next night outside the hotel for US$7 and a Thai buffet later in my stay for US$5. The Café Bazaar buffet is extensive and varied. The food is the so-called "international cuisine," which in my book reads, "an Asian-Western mix without the herbs and spices that make Asian food so interesting and tasty." I enjoyed the soup and the range of cakes, because they were what they were supposed to be.

The other two restaurants were beyond my price range and had little appeal when dining alone. Ciao is an Italian restaurant that is only open for dinner, while Jharna is the hotel’s signature restaurant and advertises itself as elegant dining in a fountain setting.

One of the nice features of the hotel is the 25m swimming pool. Unfortunately, during the day, it is often crowded by locals who pay around US$12 to use the facility. Each family seems to bring several children, and while there is a separate children’s pool, no one wants to use it. I found that around 6:30pm was the time if you actually wanted to swim. Other recreation facilities are a gymnasium, sauna, massage, tennis court, squash court, and steam bath.

For those who don’t want to venture outside and see the real Dhaka, there is a shopping complex selling souvenirs and handicrafts, porcelain, jewelry, art, books, and much more. There are banks, travel agencies, an airline office, a beauty and barber salon, and photo shop. More adventurous travelers will walk a half-kilometer down the road to the largest shopping centre in Dhaka for prices half those in the hotel.

This is one of many hotels situated in the Gulshan/Baridhara residential area. The location is about 10 kilometres from the traditional ‘downtown’ area but this has become the centre for foreign embassies, a growing number of businesses and most of the best restaurants in town.

The Lake Castle Hotel is undoubtedly very popular. I stayed there for five days then tried to book on another visit and found there were no rooms available. In retrospect, I believe that there are better hotels in this area (but generally at higher prices) and there are probably better value hotels, but Lake Castle seems to fill a niche space very well.

From the outside the hotel is unimpressive. It is built right on the street line and there is only space for one vehicle to unload under cover. The lobby is not outstanding and frankly neither are the rooms. They are adequate, however, for those looking for three-star accommodation. Each has a TV, a refrigerator and a bathroom with bath or shower but they are rather tired. The best part of the hotel is the restaurant. A buffet breakfast is included in the tariff and there is adequate choice. Lunch and dinner are also available and everything I tried, I enjoyed. There is a choice of Western, Asian, and local food at reasonable prices.

Rooms are not provided with internet access but there is a room off the lobby with four computers and broadband connection. All internet/email connections in Bangladesh are painfully slow and unfortunately, there are also frequent power outages that play havoc with the system. Computer use is free but a charge applies if you want to download anything.

My experience with the staff was mixed. All restaurant staff were friendly and helpful. Reception staff varied considerably. The bellboy who helped me to my room (with one medium-size suitcase) stood around waiting for a tip then told me it was not enough when I gave him one US dollar. I later found out this was one-third his daily wage. The room boy did an adequate job in making the bed and wiping down the bathroom but the carpet was never vacuumed and some waste paper remained in the room for the length of my stay. Despite this, he was always outside my door every morning to tell me what a great job he was doing and how I should show my appreciation. I have never had the same experience in any other hotel in Bangladesh. It seems that popularity and success has gone to some heads.

The name Lake Castle probably comes from the fact that the hotel looks out onto a nice park with a large lake. For those walkers and joggers, this is a major asset as there is a pathway circumventing the lake and there are few people around in the mornings. There are also several restaurants within walking distance and for those staying longer, several membership clubs within a kilometer or so offer short-term membership.

Jessore is one of the larger cities in western Bangladesh on one of the main routes (Asian highway route 1) towards Calcutta, India. The city calls itself the "oldest modern town in Bangladesh." It has some fine old colonial buildings that have seen better days and some narrow alleys crowded with stalls and activities.

The Hotel Hasan International is by far the best hotel in town. It is in a central position and was only finished a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it has already seen better days. I arrived about 1:30pm on Friday after a 5-hour trip by road. I was hungry, tired, and surprised to discover that the hotel’s dining room was not open. The receptionist understood my plight, so he volunteered to take me around the block to a local restaurant that was open. Although no one spoke any English, I was able to get some rice and a cola to satisfy my stomach at a very reasonable cost.

The rooms at the hotel were reasonable. Although mine was not large, it contained a double bed, a TV, a small cabinet, and a wall air-conditioner. There was an attached bathroom with a Western toilet, a hand basin, and a shower rose in the ceiling. Although there were separate hot- and cold-water taps, I failed to get any hot water at the basin or from the shower. The TV had a variety of local, Indian, and cable channels, of which a handful was in English.

The restaurant opened in the evening, so I ventured inside. There were a few other people there, including a local family group of around 12. The food consisted of a mix of Bangladeshi/Indian fare and Chinese/Thai. I settled for a dish of chicken and vegetables in a bland sauce and some rice. The chicken dish was clearly for two people, and I only finished about half of it, but the food was able to satisfy my hunger. I would certainly not remember it as a memorable meal. What was memorable was the local family who spent about 10 minutes convincing a little boy of about 4 years old to come over to my table and say something to me. Finally, he very tentatively came across, and I took his hand. He and his 7-year-old sister then made a further four or five visits to my table, finally pulling up two chairs. Even though they could not speak to me in English, quite clearly a foreigner was a big attraction and would be a talking point for days to come.

The meal cost around US$3, including a bottle of soft drink.

Khulna is one of the largest cities in Bangladesh after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is situated in the delta country of the southwest of the country. The Royal is considered to be the second best hotel in the city and will meet the needs of most travelers who want to experience rural Bangladesh. Khulna attracts tourists who are interested in visiting the Sundarbans National Park, which is home to the Royal Bengal tiger. This is probably the best place to arrange your trip, and the Hotel Royal International is considered to be the best place in the city to do this.

The hotel is a modern building on a prominent corner. The entrance is from the car park, and there is a surprising feeling of space. We arrived by road and were greeted by two porters who took our gear to the front desk. The first thing you notice is the slope on the lobby floor, which gives a strange feeling of instability. The floor slopes down from the doorway so that if any rain or storm water enters the lobby, it immediately sheet flows past the front desk to the elevator shaft. It is a most unusual arrangement. Check-in was reasonably quick, as I ignored more than two-thirds of the questions on the extensive form. One thing I didn’t ignore was the requirement that all foreigners pay in US dollars rather than taka. When queried, the clerk said the taka would be okay.

The room was fairly standard. It seemed clean, and there was an air-conditioner and a TV. The brochure said that there was a refrigerator, but my room certainly didn’t have one. The bed was on the hard side, but this is certainly preferable to be saggy. The bathroom had a Western-style toilet, a hand basin, and the usual shower outlet in the centre of the room.

I ate at the restaurant that evening. It was quite a swish affair, with plenty of glass, chrome, and mirrors. I had been told that it had a reputation for good food, so I was looking forward to something a little different. Maybe my choice of soup and main course was wrong, but I found it pretty much like the other food I had been eating recently. There was nothing wrong with it, but it certainly wasn’t memorable. Frankly, one week later, I can’t remember exactly what I had. It has blurred with many other hotel meals. I do know that it was very inexpensive.

Other features of the hotel are 24-hour room service, a business centre with Internet and photocopying facilities, a barber shop and beauty centre, and the availability of an airport transfer to Jessore (about 1.5 hours away). The hotel accepts major credit cards. A travel service will book you a visit to the Sundarbans National Park. Three day, two night trips are the most popular and cost around US$100 to US$200, depending on the number of passengers.