The Grand Dragon Ladakh

The Grand Dragon Ladakh is widely regarded as the finest independently operated hotel in Leh, the capital of the remote Himalayan territory of Ladakh, offering 59 beautifully designed rooms in a distinctive Ladakhi architectural style with Tibetan wood carvings, local stone construction, and traditional motifs that root the hotel unmistakably in its extraordinary high-altitude desert landscape. The hotel offers rooms in standard and family configurations, all with free high-speed Wi-Fi — exceptional for a hotel at 3,500 metres — flat-screen TVs, electric blankets, and private bathrooms. Panoramic views of the Stok Kangri massif, the Zanskar range, and the Indus Valley from the hotel’s upper floors and rooftop terrace are among the most spectacular mountain views available from any Leh hotel room. A restaurant serving Ladakhi, Indian, and Continental cuisine, a rooftop terrace, a comprehensive travel desk organizing Nubra Valley, Pangong Lake, Zanskar Valley, and Sham Valley tours, and a 24-hour front desk with altitude acclimatization guidance complete the amenities. Leh Palace, the 17th-century nine-storey royal palace modeled on the Potala in Lhasa, is a thirty-minute uphill walk. Shanti Stupa, the magnificent Japanese-built peace pagoda above Leh, is twenty minutes by taxi. Thiksey Monastery’s extraordinary cliff-face complex is forty-five minutes by road. The Grand Dragon is consistently rated as Leh’s best hotel.