Mr & Mrs Smith

Uma Paro

Bhutan, Bhutan

Just 10 minutes from Bhutan’s only airport, Uma Paro perches proudly on a Himalayan mountainside, flanked by thick pine forest with views over laid-back Paro town. One of the remote kingdom’s only boutique hotels, it offers elegant interiors, gorgeous food, a pampering Como Shambhala spa and a cool pool amid mind-bendingly beautiful scenery.

Need to know

• Rooms 29, including nine villas.
• Rates Double rooms from $290.00, excluding tax at 20 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional government tax of $95.00 per person per night on checkout.
• More details Rates include breakfast. Villas offer a private butler service.
• Facilities Lounge, Como Shambhala Retreat spa, yoga studio, private cars. In rooms: TV, DVD player, minibar. Deluxe Rooms, Superior Rooms and Como Suites have free internet access.
• Poolside The hotel’s quiet, compact pool is set into a chic stone-walled space with windows looking out over the pine-clad valley of Paro. Loungers beckon from the adjacent alfresco sundeck.
• Check-out 11am. Later check-outs may be accommodated, subject to a possible half-day’s room charge.
• Children Under-12s stay for free and extra beds can be provided for US$50 a night. Babysitting is available for US$5 an hour, with a day’s notice. Food can be tailored to suit childish palates. More...
• Eco-friendly Restaurant ingredients are organic and locally sourced and many members of staff are involved in local clean-up and conservation projects.
• Also Smoking is allowed in the bar and courtyard. Uma Paro will organise all visas necessary to visit Bhutan – the government maintains tight control on tourism.

Food and drink at Uma Paro

• Hotel restaurant

  A warm, round space encased in glass, Bukhari restaurant centres on twin woodburning stoves (bukharis) with lush forest views. The chef offers a choice of Bhutanese or Indian set dinners, as well as western dishes and more complex à la carte options. Portions are generous, drawing on delicious seasonal, local ingredients such as buckwheat, honey, red rice, matsutake mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns.

   

• Dress code

  Driglam namzha – Bhutan’s natty national dress – is only compulsory for its citizens; most guests opt for smart-casual blacks, usually coupled with hiking boots.

• Top table

  The circular shape of the room means almost every table has 300º views of the valley, but table 10 has the edge. Priivate dining in the courtyard or garden can also be arranged.

• Last orders

  The stoves are ablaze until 10.30pm but the bar is open for snacks until the last guest retires – usually around midnight.

• Room service

  You can have meals brought directly to your room between 7am and 10pm. Villas sport outdoor terraces, if you'd rather dine with a view.

• Hotel bar

  The low-key lobby bar is a jazzy chill-out area panelled with dark wood. Although it’s rarely busy, it’s popular with guests hankering for a pre-dinner Cheli La Latte (Kahlua, tequila, Bailey’s, espresso, cinnamon and nutmeg).

Uma Paro PO Box 22 Paro, Bhutan, Bhutan