Shine Homestay Francophone Family

My stay with Rabina and Rishi was great. After Rishi picked me up from the airport, I was able to move into my room and explore Kathmandu. The two of them helped me with all the important questions and also got me a bus ticket to the next place on my trip. We had dinner together once and Rabina took me to her yoga class (I had to get up at 4:30 in the morning, but it was nice). My room was clean and quiet. All in all a wonderful stay, highly recommended!

Nous avons passé un super séjour chez Rabina. Nous étions au rez de chaussé dans un appartement avec deux chambres rien que pour nous. C'est idéalement situé à 15 min à pied du quartier Thamel. Rabina et son mari sont vraiment adorables. C'est lui qui venu nous chercher avec sa voiture très confortable et qui nous a déposé à l'aéroport. ( Service payant bien-sûr mais prix raisonnable tout comme les lessives qui sont possibles). Ils parlent tous les deux parfaitement le Français. Je recommande vivement cette adresse, vous ne serez pas déçu.

We stayed at Shine Homestay for 3 months, and we loved it there! Rabina and Rishi are the most welcoming and warm hosts, they took such good care of us, and they really made it feel like home for us. We will recommend Shine Homestay to everyone coming to Kathmandu! The place is clean, central, and tucked away from any traffic noise.
Rabina and Rishi would help us with anything, and they included us in events and celebrations, so it was the perfect opportunity for us to experience some of the Nepali traditions and culture. A very social and open family, and we were always welcome in their kitchen! Overall a wonderful experience.

We were really looking forward to an authentic homestay experience in Nepal and chose Shine Homestay due to the pictures and reviews. The room was clean, and the location was somewhat central and felt very safe. Unfortunately we felt that the property was run more like a hostel with a nosy landlord and less like a home. We did not get the feeling that we were at a homestay with a family like we were hoping for. Rabina and her husband did not feel very welcoming and we felt like we were more of an inconvenience to them than anything. They also charge USD $10 for a taxi service when it really only costs about USD $3 if you get your own taxi. The ATM at the airport did not work so we arrived without any cash to pay for the room, but they let us pay by paying their booking.com fee online. However the cost of the booking.com fee cost more than the two nights that we were staying and they were supposed to reimburse us for the extra cost but we never received the change back like we were promised. Overall, if you're looking for a place to crash for a couple days, this isn't the worst place in the world, but if you're looking for a homestay experience where you can experience some culture and spend a little time with a local family, then don't bother. It's a nice little hostel, but that's about it.