Leh’s newest boutique hotel is located on a street that used to border barley and buckwheat fields, just a short stroll from the city’s main market. Situated on a parcel of land that had belonged to owner Rigzin Wangmo Lachic’s grandmother, The Dolkhar is a compound of seven villas encircling an apple and apricot orchard. Lachic recalls, a bit sadly, “I remember her spending nights here in a sleeping bag just to ensure her trees were being watered.” We sit in the shade of an apricot tree and drink herbal teas—I drink sea buckthorn, she drinks wild lavender.
Every element of the hotel reflects this connection to the earth, from the construction materials to the menu of the plant-based restaurant Tsas to the furnishings and amenities that are sourced from artisanal communities around the Union Territory. It’s partially motivated by Lachic’s experiences living in cities like Tokyo and New Delhi as well as her desire to establish a connection with the country she has always called home but has never settled in. Lachic moved around India due to her father’s employment as an Indian Air Force officer. Even as an adult, she would only go on brief vacations to Leh. “My grandmother had wished that I would apply my education to make a difference in the community.”
The Dolkhar, a play on her grandmother’s name Dolkar and the word “palace,” is the result of a four-year journey with collaborators that included a seventy-year-old gompa builder, a contractor knowledgeable in traditional building methods, and a chef with training from Le Cordon Bleu who traveled to remote villages to study and comprehend traditional cooking methods and recipes. As a consequence, you’re greeted with a place that seems grounded but nevertheless feels distinctly modern.
Inside The Dolkhar, Leh
The Dolkhar consists of seven villas, each with two stories. The bottom floor’s living and dining quarters are equipped with cozy seating, such as a couch that can be used as a daybed, a smart TV for watching your favorite streaming content (DTH service is not available), and an outdoor patio perfect for sundowners and evening coffee. The bedroom is on the floor above. A few creative design features are the roofing made of willow and poplar, the walls coated with a mixture of hay and Multani mitti from Spituk, and the feature walls made of rich green stones from Chilling and merlot. The use of handcrafted carpets, pillow covers, and throws made of sheep and yak wool lends a particularly cozy feel to the area.
Tsas, which translates to “garden” in Ladakhi, serves modern cuisine made using hyperlocal products. potatoes from Igu, pigeon peas from Lehdo hamlet, and sun-dried tomatoes from farmers in the Brokpa. This little abundance of foods, combined with those specific to Ladakh (like the herb tsamik, which grows only in Turtuk), motivated consultant chef Dhruv Nijhawan to design a menu that not only reimagines classic meat-based dishes but also include dishes that are influenced by the produce of the season. I’ve been craving the flavors of the Japanese and Ladakhi Confluence, which is a delectable dish of root vegetables with apricot kernels and spicy nori atop a bed of lime vinaigrette and chilli-honey foam. Likewise, the noticeable acidity of the Burnt Lime
Good to know
As the normal summer temperature in Ladakh is about 25°C (although global warming is gradually raising the temperature), The Dolkhar does not have air conditioning or fans. However, throughout the winter, portable heating is available.
The restaurant follows a zero-waste philosophy, and its meals are created to creatively repurpose leftovers as garnishes, pickles, and broth additives. All of the goods and toiletries in the rooms are either created by neighborhood non-profits like Pagir, which serves the disabled, or purchased from eco-friendly businesses like Bare Necessities.
An outdoor bar with specialty cocktails made with regional ingredients is on the horizon. A spa using ancient Tibetan relaxing methods like Mentsekhang and Sowa Rigpa is also being developed.
The Dolkhar; Lower Tukcha Road, Opposite Community Hall, Leh, Ladakh. Doubles from Rs25,000, plus taxes; includes breakfast and a spa experience for two. Website
