Amankora is a journey of five lodges across the western and central valleys of Bhutan, at Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, designed to be travelled in sequence. Punakha is the warmest of them. At 1,250 metres in a subtropical valley, the lodge is built around a farmhouse some 300 years old, raised by a former Je Khenpo, the chief abbot of Bhutan, and now holding private dining rooms. Around it are 12 suites: 10 of 52 square metres and two Mo Chhu Suites of 144 square metres, all with wood-burning stoves, king-size beds, window seats and terrazzo bathtubs. A heated infinity pool of 29 metres looks over the rice terraces, and the two-storey spa has a yoga and meditation room, two treatment rooms and a steam room. Meals are taken on a terrace facing the valley and the fields. Punakha Dzong, at the meeting of two rivers, and the Khamsum Chorten on its ridge are both close, and the lodge arranges Bhutanese cooking classes, riverside barbecues and breakfast hikes. In spring it makes a mild counterpoint to the higher valleys, when rhododendrons flower on the passes.
- Nearest airport
- Paro International Airport (PBH)
- Rooms
- 12 suites
Insider tip Ask for a breakfast hike up to the Khamsum Chorten, then a swim in the infinity pool over the rice fields.
Why I choose it The warmest, lowest stage of the Amankora circuit, a 300-year-old farmhouse among rice terraces with Punakha Dzong close by.