Bhutan - The Hotel

I don't normally talk about the hotels we stay in during our holidays but in this case, it was really the star of the trip.  

In our younger days, we had our share of dodgy hostels and backpackers' inns crawling with mice and roaches (really!), and common showers that make you feel dirtier after you use them.  But in our old age, we got soft and now it is luxurious bedding and swanky showers that get our vote.  For all you youngsters out there, take heed.  It WILL happen to you.

Anyways as it was also going to be our 10th wedding anniversary, we wanted to keep it special, so there was really no two ways around it: it has to be the Uma by Como.  The boutique hotel chain is owned by Singaporeans, but run by Malaysians (like many businesses, ain't it?) and the Indonesian chefs ruled the kitchens.  In the two properties we stayed in Bhutan - one in Paro and one in Punakha - both were managed by a succession of fellow Malaysians.  Malaysia boleh!!  We had a nice chat about walks and satay with the hotel manager at Uma Punakha, a young amiable KL-ite who was sent to set up the property a year ago.  

We also took up our week-long tour package from the hotel, giving me a break from researching and planning our itinerary.  

But here I am, reading up about the country during dinner anyways.

All our meals were catered by the hotel's restaurant and, boy, they were some of the best meals we have ever had.  We failed miserably in our objective to lose weight during the trip.

The hotel's restaurant in both its properties is named Bukhari, which refers to the traditional Bhutanese heater.  This one is in Uma Paro.

Breakfast of red rice porridge with pork strips- a simple, delicious, filling breakfast!

Momo - Tibetan dumplings - were often on the menu.  So were satay, mee goreng and Indian briyani.  All very nicely done.  You can trust us - look at the extra kilos that we brought back.

Both properties boasts of extraordinary hill settings.  Our favourite - by a far margin - is Uma Punakha, set up on a hill overlooking a valley fringed by imposing mountains, carpeted with rice paddy fields, dotted with traditional wooden farmhouses, and a river runs through it all.

Our hotel room in Uma Punakha - only one of 11 rooms in the entire property.

This was the view that greeted us every morning when we drew open the curtains.  It is like living inside a landscape painting.  One could almost touch the mountains across the fields.  We are not easy to impress, but without a doubt, we were impressed this time.  Just this view alone is worth the whole trip.

View from breakfast area

Sipping tea while watching the morning mountain mists swirl around us.

Mustn't forget to talk about Uma Paro.  While Uma Punakha has an unbeatable setting, it lacks in facilities.  Uma Paro, on the other hand, is well equipped (and its location isn't too shabby either) with a gym, spa, DVD in each room, library, souvenir shop, archery grounds, yoga room, etc. 

View from our room in Uma Paro

It is also set against a mountain.  View of the front part of the hotel.

Exploring its grounds.  The hotel has a fleet of golf buggies to reach the villas and suites scattered across the property

On our last night in Uma Paro, either as a special wedding anniversary gift or to make up for the inconvenience several days earlier when our car broke down on a 4-hour drive, we were upgraded to a one-bedroom suite that comes with a personal butler.  We had just returned from our 2-day hike to the Tiger's Nest Monastery where our toilets were the bushes, our tees were marinated in sweat, and our hiking boots were covered in mud and animal droppings.  We were Tarzan & Jane with a palace.

The jungle man testing out the furniture.

You don't need to see the rest of the suite.  You only need to see the the toilet to know how luxurious it was.  The toilet itself is half the size of our entire apartment in Singapore.

A trivia for you:  Tony Leung & Karina Lau stayed at one of the suites in Uma Paro when they were married in Bhutan several years ago.  Hmm, I wonder if I walked on the same path that he did?  Sat at the same dinner chair?  YL will forgive me for dreaming of another man because we are talking about TONY LEUNG here...

Our personal butler was Kinley, a 23-year old mother-of-one.  She served our dinner in our suite, and in between dishes, she hid in the pantry next to our massage room (yes you read correctly - THERE IS A BL**DY PRIVATE MASSAGE ROOM INSIDE OUR SUITE).  She even cleaned our rotting hiking boots without our knowledge, and remarked "That's what a butler is for"  when we thanked her profusely.

Our guide and driver for the duration of our trip - Ugyen Dorji (UD) and Tshering.  Both spoke excellent English and had been in the tourism field for more than 9 years.