Recommended accommodations in Bhutan
 
 

Amankora by Aman, Bhutan

Amankora has created a series of lodges, all creatively unique and sympathetically balanced to their environment, in order to discover and comprehend the extraordinary wonders above and beneath this treasured land. The lodges are created to provide a circular pilgrimage in Bhutan’s breathtakingly spectacular central and western valleys.

Most journeys start at Amankora Paro or Amankora Thimphu. The lodge in Paro is nestled among glistening conifers in a 24-suite pine forest retreat. There are six dwellings with four suites each, two on the ground floor and two on the upper floor. The 24 suites are similar in design featuring natural rammed-earth walls, gently sloping roofs and wood-panelled interiors with a king-size bed, a traditional bukhari (wood-burning stove) and a large terrazzo-clad bath.

Amankora Thimphu, raised up in a blue-pine forest of the Motithang area, sits close to the capital’s intriguing sights and traditional shops. Two dwellings house a total of 16 suites, featuring a combined living and bedroom that includes a king-size bed, a reading chair and a window banquette providing views across a landscaped courtyard or directly onto the nearby stream and pine forest. Room interiors feature combined wood panel and chocolate brown walls. The traditional bukhari is positioned between the bedroom and the bathroom. The spacious bathroom opens from the bedroom and provides a terrazzo-clad bath that enjoys a view through a vertical slot window. A shower, toilet and twin vanities and hanging space complete the bathroom. The suites are individually heated during the cold winter months.

Amankora Gangtey, set in the remote wilderness of the Phobjikha valley, offers magical views across the bird-strewn gorge and to the empowering Gangtey Goemba, a 16th century monastery. The eight suites are identical to those of Amankora Thimphu, offering an open plan bedroom and bathing area. The aesthetics combine wood panelling and chocolate brown walls, the traditional bukhari, terrazzo-clad bath, shower and vanity, and daybed offering views across the valley. Suites are individually heated during the cold winter months.

Amankora Bumthang rests adjacent to First and Second King’s palace, Wangdichholing, within the town of Jakar in the Choekhor valley, a valley sprinkled with an exotic mix of sloping pine forests, apple orchards, and restful fields of farm produce. Accessed through an impressive stone-clad hallway, 16 guest suites are situated in four separate dwellings, each containing two suites on the ground floor and two on the upper floor. Each suite features wood-panelled interiors, a traditional bukhari, king-size bed, terrazzo-clad bath, shower, twin vanities and daybed overlooking the courtyard and nearby Wangdicholing Palace and monastery.

Spa facilities are available at all Amankora lodges. The Amankora Spa incorporates Bhutan’s physical healing traditions and its extensive pharmacology, all based on the use of plants and herbs.