This stunning hotel in Nepal is like a living museum

Where: Battisputali, Kathmandu, Nepal

How much: From $621 for Heritage Deluxe room, including breakfast

The Dwarika's Hotel opened in 1977, but the story behind it stretches back a further 20 years. It was during the 1950s that Nepal's first hotelier, Dwarika Das Shrestha, recognised the need to preserve Kathmandu's Newari heritage when he witnessed centuries-old carved-window frames and doorways being torn down for fuel or discarded in the name of modernisation. Shrestha began collecting traditional artworks and architectural masterpieces to preserve that culture and set about creating the hotel with the assistance of skilled craftsmen. While Shrestha died in 1992, his vision continues through his daughter Sangita and grandson Vijay, making this Kathmandu's most original and authentic five-star property.

On the less touristy eastern side of Kathmandu, in Battisputali, Dwarika's is a 15-minute drive from the airport. While the street outside is noisy with traffic and commerce, once you step inside the hubbub drops away, with the reception area and inner courtyards a Kathmandu haven.

The hotel is based on a Newari palace dating back to the 15th century, with rooms and public spaces facing inwards to quiet courtyards. The property's carved wooden doorways, pillars and window frames, and terracotta tiles and decorative brickwork give it the feel of a living museum. Among the restored works is an intricate 13th-century "Torun" door, as well as water features.

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Dwarika's has 80 spacious rooms and I experience two different types, both reflecting Newari culture and a fine eye for detail, with traditional furniture and ornamental pieces throughout, plus colourful cushions and rugs providing contrast with the predominant dark wood. My first night is in a Heritage Deluxe room, with king-sized bed and black-tiled bathroom with twin vanities, separate shower and bathtub, and walk-in wardrobe. For my second night, I luxuriate in a huge Heritage suite overlooking the courtyard, torn between lounging on my corner daybed, soaking in a bath infused with Himalayan salts and snoozing in my four-poster king-sized bed.

Breakfast at Torun, the main restaurant, is buffet-style and full of delicious offerings including local yogurts Juju Dhau, thick and creamy, and Sikarni, whipped with cardamon, and best enjoyed in the courtyard. The onsite Japanese restaurant, Makos, transports me, over lunch, to Kyoto (from where host Mako-san originates), with its minimalist decor and delicate sushi. It is the hotel's signature restaurant, Krishnarpan, however, that produces the standout meal of my whole fortnight in Nepal. Designed as a slow-dining tribute to a range of Nepalese cuisines and featuring produce from the hotel's own organic farms, this ritualistic experience consists of six beautifully presented courses, each bursting with flavour. They include irresistible "momo" dumplings, filled with chicken, buffalo or fish, and a Nepali Thali, with an array of vegetables, curries, rices and pickles.

Kathmandu valley has seven World Heritage sites, most within a short drive of the hotel. I visit five, with the hotel's sister company Kathmandu Travels and Tours, including the Swayambhunath religious complex, overlooking Kathmandu, and Durbar Square's complex of royal palaces.

Swimming in the hotel pool, modelled on sumptuous royal baths, with ornate fountains, is like immersing myself into Kathmandu's past.

Explore more: dwarikas.com

The writer was a guest of Dwarika's.

Pictures: Daniel Scott; supplied