Survival & Maintenance
Dress codes – to Bling or Not to Bling?
Exercise opportunities, tailors, dry cleaners, hair & beauty salons, travel agents, airport transport &, travel tips
ChI Stays At…… Recommended hotels
Not hugely spoiled for choice in terms of accommodation, but you could do a lot worse….(try out of town hotels, in the secondary-sized cities, for example!)
• Lakeshore Hotel. A very nice, 4 star, in the heart of Gulshan, nicely decorated, around USD 120-140 per night.
• Other, lower-priced OK-ish options are the Lake Castle and the Quality Inn.
• For guesthouse-type accommodation, if you have (or can get) an Insider recommendation, the Dutch Club is an option, with recently renovated.
• For 5-star, the Radisson Hotel and
• The Westin Hotel, both of which also do great breakfasts
• The formerly old faves, the Sonargaon and Sheraton are now somewhat run-down.
Survival & Maintenance
Ladies - think Muslim SubContinent – similar to Pakistan, in that covered up is definitely the guiding principle, but slightly more relaxed, whether in terms of western or eastern (Indian) dress codes.
Best for women to have arms and midriffs covered. Head covering definitely not required, and (heat and humidity apart), full length trousers or jeans and a t-shirt are fine for day wear, morning walks in Gulshan etc.
Exercise Opportunities
The big hotels (5-stars) all have gyms, and outside membership is usually possible. Try the Radisson or the Westin. The Sonargaon is a bit past-it, but still do-able.
Tailors
• Marigold Tailors in DIT 1 Daily Market (Upstairs) – for women and men
Dry cleaners
• American Drycleaners, DIT 2 Square Market in the corner
Hair & Beauty Salons
• Avera Spa for total head to toe pampering and great massage. Open 10am
to 8pm Road 11 House 41 Baridhara tel 0288 11383
• Nelo’s Beauty Salon : Road 55, Hse 12-B, Apt. 3, Gulshan-Ave, Dhaka 1212
Phone: 988-4288, 989-6411, Open Daily- 9:30am to 7:00pm, Friday 11:30 am to 7:00pm.
• For total top to toe care - the Ramani Fernando Salon, Rd. 27, Hse 61, Banani, Dhaka, tel: 9861581
Car Rental
Sadly there is no recommendable, reliable car rental and/or taxi service; and no private self-drive hire.
However, some private taxis are available via travel agents such as Guide Tours www.guidetours.com, or the Sonargaon hotel, though beware – prices reflect the five star category of the location.
Better still, ask a local business contact to arrange something, and if it’s a long-term hire, then personal contacts can usually come up with something. (Yes you may be depriving the wife ‘n kids of the second family car, but think of the money they will be getting!)
Otherwise, local black and yellow cabs, and some cab companies, can be called for regular taxi hire on metered payment. Tuk Tuks (called CNGs in Dhaka) are rickety, hair-raising, but available – as well as being convenient and cheap. Scary, though!
Travel Agent
Guide Tours, run by Elizabeth Fahrni Mansur and her husband Hasan, who are also the owners. Elizabeth’s father in law also has a ship that does deep sea exploration, looking for whales and dolphins, so check that one out too!
The Guide Tours Ltd
Darpan Complex, Gulshan II Dhaka 1212.
Tel 880 2 986 2205, 988 6983
Fax 880 2 988 6984
Comfort Blankets & Clutching at Straws
Dhaka has lots of places to go that stock imported “foreign” foods - (a reflection of the large economic aid programme and the huge textile & garment business) – and essential “from home” toiletry items. Most ChI’s use the two large supermarkets, Agora, on Gulshan Avenue, and X, in Bonanni, but there are plenty more, listed below.
There are also lots of other shops in the two DIT markets in Gulshan, and in areas down town such as Dhanmondi, and Rifle Square (yes that really IS its name!) Rifle Square was the site of the first shopping center in Dhaka. It is built in an army cantonment-type area (for those of you with a Raj heritage!) and originally was accessible only for army personnel and their families, but later on was opened to the general public.
For those food essentials, there are a number of supermarkets which stock Western and Eastern supplies, in different residential locations….
• Banani Supermarket, Banani
• DCC Market Gulshan-1, Gulshan
• Government New Market, Azimpur
• Gulshan Shopping Centre, Gulshan
• Gulshan-2 Municipal Market,Gulshan
• Mohakhali Municipal Market, Mohakhali
• Shahin Super Market, Dhaka Cantonment
• Pick & Pay Supermarket DOHS (New)