Ghandruk Lodge

The heart of the lodge is a wood-panelled dining room warmed by a cast-iron stove – the perfect setting for Gorkha beers and popcorn during the nightly happy hour. Meals are served family-style and usually feature plenty of vegetables grown in the lodge's own patch: think fluffy momos, warming pumpkin soup and the famous Gurung bread. Outside, a garden dotted with marigolds and two Buddhist chortens faces the high peaks, while the covered veranda offers front-row seats to the sensational scenery.

Simple but genuinely comfortable, the en-suite rooms feature twin beds piled high with thick duvets, and traditional wool rugs on the walls. Every window frames Annapurna and you'll wake to Hiunchuli catching the first rays of sun. Bathrooms have hot showers (though occasionally temperamental in the early morning rush) and modern toilets. Hot water bottles are tucked into your bed while you're still at dinner, and there's a flashlight on the nightstand for when darkness falls. It's certainly rustic but after a day on the trails, you'll sleep like a king.

Ghandruk is a gateway to the legendary Annapurna Base Camp trek, but there's plenty to explore without heading higher. Wander the village's lanes lined with traditional slate-roofed houses and fluttering prayer flags. Pop into the Old Gurung Museum to try on traditional costumes and learn about the village's proud Gurkha heritage. The lodge can also arrange day hikes through rhododendron forests to neighbouring villages or viewpoints – come in spring and the blooms are extraordinary. For the ambitious, Poon Hill's 360-degree sunrise panorama is within reach, or trek onwards through the Mountain Lodges network to Landruk, Dhampus and beyond.