Uma Paro
Paro

Uma Paro is one of Ampersand's Top 10 Hotel Spas.

Uma Paro is part of the COMO hotel group; founded by Christina Ong and renowned for their unique style and approach to luxury, this hotel is no exception, and is one of the best hotels in Bhutan.

Just a picturesque 10-minute drive from Bhutan’s main airport and set high on a hillside with flawless views of the Paro Valley below, Uma Paro is ideally located providing easy access to the surrounding sights. It’s the perfect base to start or end a tour of Bhutan, or for spending a longer period of time in Paro.

Most of the rooms have valley views and the elegant villas are located in separate buildings within the grounds. All the room types are spacious with oversized bathrooms, and many come with traditional wood burning stoves and luxury amenities, as well as some more quirky touches, such as an in-room yoga mat. The sleek interiors are contemporary and minimalist but combine stylish Bhutanese elements and designs to give it a truly unique feel. There are 29 suites and villas in total, so the hotel still very much retains an intimate feel. But it’s the views at Uma Paro that truly are what makes this hotel so special; wrap around windows, with vast mountainscape views, and the laid-back Paro town below – you could lose hours absorbed in the magical landscape.

Bhutan is a trekking country, so excursions include scenic treks to ancient fortresses such as Zuri Dzong and Ta Dzong. There are also cultural tours and opportunities for leisurely strolls to nearby ruins, visits to some of the valley’s oldest and holiest religious monuments or a wander down Paro’s main street. However, when not out and about exploring, you may wish to indulge in one of the many healing and rejuvenating treatments on offer at the Shambhala Spa. Enjoy the steam room and sauna to soothe those over-trekked muscles or take a dip in the slick indoor pool with windows looking out over the pine-clad valley of Paro. Yoga programmes are also available.

The food is, as you would expect from the Como properties, of a very high standard, with sumptuous signature Bhutanese dishes and Indian cuisine from the charcoal tandoor oven on the menu. Bhkhari restaurant is a pavilion-style glass dining room, which centres around twin woodburning stoves, and views from every angle over the valley and pine forests. The head chef only uses the freshest ingredients which are organic and locally sourced.

Bhutan is leading in eco-friendly and conservation efforts, and many members of Uma Paro’s staff are involved in local clean-up and conservation projects, of which hotel guests are also welcomed to be involved in.

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.
Bill Bryson