We stayed at the St.Regis hotel, Lhasa last month and were very favourably impressed with the hotel and its staff.

Our butler showed us to the room 1516 (overlooking the Potala Palace) which was vast. It was divided into three areas which could all be curtained off for privacy if necessary. It was our wedding anniversary during our stay and our room was decorated with rose petals on the bed and a vase of red roses followed by delivery of chocolate cake once we had settled in.

The main bedroom had a seating area with coffee table and comfy sofa and a separate area with an apple docking station and free wifi for laptops etc. The minibar was well stocked and there was a good supply of tea and coffee in this area too. The bathroom was one step higher than the rest of the room and had two sinks, deep bath, walk in shower and separate glass enclosed toilet. Each sink had a powerpoint at the side so I could dry my hair whilst my husband was shaving. Lots of white fluffy towels and good quality toiletries, comb, mending kit etc. Bottled water was replenished in the bathroom and by the side of our bed several times each day. All windows in the bedroom and bathroom had views of Potala Palace.

One plus point on the bathroom was the lighting; once we put the main lights off at night small discrete floor lights showed the way to the bathroom so there were no stubbed toes in the middle of the night.

The TV had HBO as well as many other English speaking channels so I did not miss CSI Miami! This was most welcome on our first night as we both suffered from the altitude which, although not as bad as some other reports did give us a pounding headache in the middle of your forehead and trying to get as much air into your lungs as you could was a bit panicky but this seemed to go by the following day and we were able to climb all the steps at Potala Palace.

We ate in the Social restaurant each day for breakfast which had a wonderful supply of cooked to order and fresh meats, salads, breads etc.I settled for fresh cooked ham and cheese omelette each morning. We had dinner in the Social restaurant a couple of times as the Tibetan restaurant was empty so lacked atmosphere (you could have the same food in the Social restaurant anyway) but we did eat in the Tibetan restaurant one night as it was so beautifully furnished and decorated. I had Yak curry and Tibetan noodles which were delicious. The only minor complaint I found with the restaurants if you ordered wine by the glass it had to come from the Decanter bar on another floor to the restaurant which could take a little while. I think if the wine is offered by the glass there should be at least one bottle of that particular wine in the restaurant. Having said that the food was good and staff very pleasant, I have just read a review from someone commenting on the lack of English spoken but during our stay if there was any doubt on what we were ordering/asking the waitress called for help from another member of staff who was more fluent. With the absurd restrictions being put on getting visas into Tibet I was astounded to find the Tibetan people so delightful. When we were exploring the streets by ourselves, we encountered nothing but friendly smiling faces (except for the Chinese guards) we were greeted with handshakes and faltering English sentences from toddlers to aged pensioners.

We did visit the Spa, I particularly wanted to swim in the Golden Pool but I found it much too hot (not the water but the air temperature in the pool and dressing areas) - this might have been due to my suffering a bit from altitude sickness but I couldn't stay for a swim or treatment.

The hotel had a gentle elegant feeling and there were lots of antique treasures on tables and shelves throughout the hotel (I daresay when more Western tourists start visiting these will have to be locked a\way). The hotel shop stocked an assortment of local paintings, jewellery and scarves which were specially made for the St. Regis and of exceptional quality. Tibet is too far for me to ever return but it will stay in my mind and heart as a place of exceptional beauty both of the landscape and its people.

My husband and I stayed at this St. Regis as part of the land portion of a river cruise in China. The room that we were given overlooked a lovely and large pond. I never tired of gazing out of any of the three windows in our room and bathroom...such a calm feeling. The room was grand - huge, meticulously clean with an abundance of closets, well furnished and comfortable with a spacious bathroom with double sinks, large soaking tub, separate shower, fluffy towels, and glassed in commode. ( I have to agree with other reviewers that more privacy in that area would have been welcomed.) The staff was friendly and great. My husband needed the doctor because of altitude sickness, and she came very quickly and gave him wonderful care. The lobby was a pleasure to be in, and the buffet breakfast superb. It would have been helpful to have the path from the main hotel to our building lighted at night, but this was a very small inconvenience. My only real complaint is that I did not find the pillows comfortable. For me they were too high and hard. This would not deter me from staying here again, however, if I were ever able to return to Tibet. This hotel, like Tibet, is a unique and wonderful place to be

We had our fair share of ups and downs with this property. Resort is amazingly beautiful. The architecture blends in perfectly with the surroundings. The feel, the serenity of this place just makes you feel so calm and relaxed. The rooms are well-designed and spacious. We had a Grand Deluxe room (which was a suite for SPG Platinum members) for 3 nights and shifted to a suite facing the Potala Palace after some complaints.

The Grand Deluxe room we had on the 4th floor was great, only problem is the afternoon sun which was affecting the room temperature even though it’s winter. Avoid the suite rooms at Level 2 for 2 major reasons. 1) Suites are located below the restaurant. Every movement of the chairs and tables by the guests are heard loud and clear in the bedroom. 2) The suites reeked of cigarette smell. Even after spraying air-freshener by the housekeeper, the smell still lingered. It was suffocating especially when we also have to deal with altitude sickness. Signs of wear and tear were also showing in these rooms. We were finally given a better suite facing the Potala Palace which is in a better condition.

As for service wise, hotel staffs are friendly although they do not really understand or speak English well. They try their very best to accommodate the guests. There should be more staff at work especially during night shift as there was one night where we were shifting the luggage ourselves due to staff shortage.

Reading the recent reviews, we can see that Edward and team are doing a great job and hopefully Edward will solve all the teething problems and bring the level of service to be on par with the St Regis branding.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find such a wonderful hotel in remote Lhasa. The St. Regis Lhasa can easily compete with the best hotels in Beijing and Shanghai (Peninsula, Park Hyatt, etc.), which is twice as meritorious when you consider how isolated it is.

It has stunning views of the Potala Palace. The views are hard to match for any other hotel in any other part of the world. It is expensive but Tibet is probably not where you want to scrimp on your hotel bill. With the altitude sickness, the lack of English and the difficulty in getting there, having an oasis at the St. Regis is worth every penny. I very highly recommend it.