Where to stay in Bhutan in 2019
The much-awaited launch of Six Senses Bhutan offers a new circuit for wellness lovers
Six Senses Hotel in Punakha, Bhutan.
Bhutan has a new pilgrimage of sorts in the circuit of five lodges that Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas is set to launch between January and May 2019. The mountain kingdom’s pristine scenery will be matched by the hotel chain’s wellness offerings in Thimphu, Paro, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang.
Six Senses Thimphu, located within apple orchards and pine groves, is the largest with 20 lodge suites and four villas; doors open by January 1, 2019. Six Senses Punakha—nicknamed the flying farmhouse for its setting amid rice fields—and Six Senses Paro, at the site of 12th-century ruins in a valley, will open by February 15, 2019. The Gangteyproperty, in the winter home of the elegant black-necked cranes, and theBumthang outpost in a pine forest, are the most intimate with eight lodge suites and a villa each, and are slated to launch in May 2019.
Each lodge will have a spa and wellness centre and immersive local experiences. The Thimphu lodge has a hot stone bath and its Prayer Pavilion overlooks the valley and the 52m-high Buddha Dordenma statue. Guests at Six Senses Punakha can bicycle down to the revered Punakha Dzong, picnic riverside and dine on paddy terraces. The Gangtey resort has a glassed-in area to observe black-necked cranes swoop into the valley. The Paro property is next-door to a 15th-century monastery, and also has a 17-acre sustainable village adjacent where guests can learn about traditional agriculture practices and pick ingredients for a cooking class. Beekeeping and strawberry picking await at the Bumthang resort. Six Senses Bhutan offers a 14-night journey between all its five properties with visits to palaces, monasteries and breweries.
