Arro Khampa Lhasa

The name translates roughly as "Come, friend," the greeting traders exchanged along the old Tea Horse Road, and the hotel wears that spirit without forcing it. Raw plaster walls, dark timber, and thick-curtained rooms with freestanding baths give the place a spare, moody feel. It sits on the Lhasa River beside the old town, with Barkhor Street and the Jokhang Temple a short walk away. The kitchen covers Tibetan and Chinese cooking.