Three of the four hotels here are Serena properties set in or beside old royal buildings of the north, at Shigar, Khaplu and Altit. The fourth, Shangrila Resort Skardu, is a lakeside resort. Each sits in a different part of Baltistan or Hunza, so the choice turns on where a traveller plans to spend the days.
| Hotel | Place | Rooms |
|---|
| Serena Shigar Fort | Shigar | 15 rooms and five suites |
| Serena Khaplu Palace | Khaplu | 21 rooms and suites |
| Shangrila Resort Skardu | Skardu | Not given |
| Serena Altit Fort Residence | Hunza | Not given |
Serena Shigar Fort occupies a 400Serena Hotels-year-old fort and the 17th-century palace of the Raja of Shigar, restored as a hotel. It stands in the Shigar Valley, with the Karakoram range around it. Rooms in the Garden House are furnished with handmade fabrics and antiques, and have private terraces over the Amacha Garden.
Serena Khaplu Palace is a 19th-century royal residence in Baltistan, laid out as a traditional Raja palace around courtyards and fruit gardens. Some of its rooms date back to the 1840s. Meals are taken at the Sarfa Khar Restaurant, which serves Balti and continental food, or at the Khatamband Loggia, with local dishes and panoramic views.
Serena describes the setting as peaceful and spiritually rich. Days here can include visits to centuries-old mosques and nearby villages, and the hotel also offers treks.
Shangrila Resort Skardu opened in 1983Shangrila Resorts as a resort hotel in Skardu, Baltistan. Its cottages are spread along the shore of a heart-shaped lake. The restaurant is called Pagoda. A guest booking a cottage can ask which ones face the water.
Serena Altit Fort Residence stands at the foot of the 900Serena Hotels-year-old Altit Fort in the Hunza Valley. The Royal Garden surrounds it, with views over the Hunza and Nagar valleys. The Serena Hotels website gives +92Serena Hotels 51Serena Hotels 287Serena Hotels 4000Serena Hotels, the number of its Islamabad hotel, as its contact line.
Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace suit travellers who want to sleep inside old royal buildings in Baltistan. Altit is the Hunza base among the four, and Shangrila is the lakeside choice near Skardu. None of the four sites read gives room rates, so prices have to come from the hotels themselves.
It has 15 rooms and five suites, set in a 400-year-old fort and the 17th-century palace of the Raja of Shigar.
At the Sarfa Khar Restaurant, which serves Balti and continental food, or at the Khatamband Loggia, which serves local dishes.
In 1983, as a resort hotel in Skardu. Its cottages stand along a heart-shaped lake.
Serena Altit Fort Residence, at the foot of the 900-year-old Altit Fort, with views over the Hunza and Nagar valleys.
The Guide's own directory listings for the places named above.
