In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- Amankora’s huge guest suites fall into two types: Paro-style, with a combination of wood and black steel walls creating an air of ultra-modern chic, and Thimphu-style, where all walls, floor and ceiling are lined with warm wooden panels. At Paro, all rooms have equally impressive views, but at Thimphu, we love rooms 14, 15 and 16, which offer guests the most privacy as well as the sounds of the nearby stream to fall asleep to. At Punakha, rooms 5 and 6 boast the best views of the paddy fields. At Gangtey, go for room 4.
- Packing tips
- Mountain-view-gazing is the number one activity at Amankora, so if you’re into gadget-based entertainment, a portable DVD player and some iPod speakers wouldn’t go amiss. A reading torch will help address the dim light in some bedrooms.
- Also
- If you’re after a break from mountain trekking and can’t face another hot-stone spa therapy, then make like William Tell and try your hand at Bhutan’s national sport, archery. Amankora can provide tutors who’ll help you hone your bow skills.
Current offers
- Smith card offer
- A bottle of champagne on arrival
More photos
Amankora
Bhutan, Bhutan[view map]
- Style
- Himalayan pilgrimage
- Setting
- Cloud-capped mountains
Himalayan exploration doesn’t have to involve Gurkhas, tents and yak-hair blankets; thanks to Amankora you can now make the journey across Bhutan’s cloud-crowned, pine-lined peaks in boutique hotel bliss. With five luxurious lodges, each with its own dramatic natural backdrop, Amankora offers untouchable tranquility, jaw-plummeting views and a smug sense that you’re the only person you’ll ever meet who’s had this unique experience.
Need to know
- Rooms
- Each of the five lodges has between eight and 24 suites, with 72 in total.
- Rates
- $1,050, including all meals and drinks; excludes 15 per cent tax, surcharge of $60 a day, government royalties of $65 a person a day, and a Tourism Development Fund tax of $10 a person. And a $20 visa fee (hey, tourism’s complicated in Bhutan).
- Check-out
- Midday, although some flexibility is possible depending on Druk Air's departure times.
- Facilities
- Paro: library, spa with sauna, hot stone baths and yoga area. Thimphu: spa, dining deck. Punakha: tea pavilion, yoga room, steam room. Gangtey: massage rooms. Bumthang: spa, library. In rooms: bukhari wood-burning stove, terrazzo-clad bath.
- Eco-friendly
- Amankora's lodges recycle extensively, including donating organic materials to pig farmers, and processing waste water. There's also a reforestation programme in place, and all power is hydroelectric, where possible.
- Also
- Guests staying a minimum of seven nights will also receive a free spa treatment, a private car with driver, and long road and monument permits. You don’t have to stay at all five lodges, the hotel will help you put together a bespoke itinerary.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- Each lodge’s dining room serves a choice of two set menus for every meal, featuring either Bhutanese cuisine, or Western, Indian or Thai. The glass-enclosed space overlooking the valley at Gangtey is the most impressive.
- Dress code
- Travel attire with a spritz of evening elegance.
- Top table
- The tables at most of the lodges are large and communal, but, at Paro, ask to sit outside on the patio so you can gawp at the plunging mountain vistas while you eat.
- Last orders
- Each lodge's restaurant is open between 7am and 11pm, although early risers can ejoy breakfast out-of-hours.
- Room service
- The full restaurant menus are available in rooms during opening hours.
- Hotel bar
- Each of Amankora’s outposts has a communal lounge where a selection of drinks is laid out in the evening and Bhutanese musicians sometimes play. Simply take what you fancy or mix yourself a cocktail and sit back to soak in the sunset.
Also worth knowing
- Children
- This hotel is better suited to couples - leave the children at home!
Smith Members offer
A bottle of champagne on arrival
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member
Book this hotel
To book this hotel please click here, or contact our travel team on 1 866 610 3867.
Amankora
PO Box 831
Thimphu
Kingdom of Bhutan
