Spaces Vol 1 Is 6

the orientation of the resort and the
rooms is like having the place to oneself
with a beautiful garden in front, and then
a great view beyond. On the lower floors,
it’s the pergolas that give the rooms
privacy and the front of each room
opens up into the garden allowing direct
access to the garden from the rooms. If
it weren’t called the Village Resort, this
place would have done well to call itself
the Shangri-La Garden resort. In fact, it
is one of the best features of the resort.
Probably no co-incidence as the original
Shangri-La in Kathmandu also has a
garden as one of its most attractive
components. In most resorts, a garden is
a formal element of design. Here it is
is like coming across an empty
concrete community hall in the
middle of an otherwise pretty
village. This hall is clearly not an
accident as it was built to serve
as a conference room/restaurant,
but when not being used, it
remains a bare hall that does not
contribute to the overall appeal
of the resort. Conferences and
seminars are an important market
that the resort was probably
geared towards, in addition to the
leisure tourists, and in this respect,
it is a valid structure, but it does
detract from the ‘village’ feel. In
its defence however, what can be
said is that it separates the rooms
and garden area, from the
somewhat different feel of the
swimming pool and the main
building area.
THE POOL AND THE MAIN BUILDING
The pool area and the main building are
a bit more modern - the decidedly unvillage
part of the village. By themselves
they form an attractive area and in a
sense, the village part consists of the
garden area and the guest rooms, and
this part the modern resort. There is a
large open square flagstone area by the
pool, lending sharp geometry to the pool
area. The pool itself is a semi circular
horizon pool, with the main building itself
a cylindrical shape, blending with the
pool’s curve. The main building also
comes with pergolas following its curve,
pergolas being a popular feature here.
Though currently one of the most
popular deluxe properties in Pokhara, its
main disadvantage was not being located
close to the lakeside. The swimming pool
takes care of that in a way, perhaps by
seeming to mimic the lake, so
the star – as far as appeal of the place as
a whole is concerned – with no disrespect
to the other factors that make up this
heavenly resort!
The garden works, but what doesn’t work
so well is the conference hall in the
middle of an otherwise very attractive
garden. It doesn’t block the view or
anything, but is a conspicuous, and usually
empty structure, that guests have to walk
by when passing between the rooms and
the main building. The hall itself is a solid
Nepali-feel building, but could perhaps
have been located elsewhere. Its presence
46 SEP-OCT 2005 SPACES