Accommodation

Where you stay

Bhutan’s hotel stock is small, and the difference between valleys is larger than the difference between star ratings. Here is what to expect, honestly.

The honest version

Location matters more than
the star on the door

Bhutan grades its hotels, and the grading is broadly reliable in Paro and Thimphu and less so elsewhere. What actually determines whether you enjoy a night is where the hotel sits, whether the heating works in November, and whether the kitchen is any good — so those are what we book on.

Comfortable valley hotels

What most itineraries use, and what most people are happy with: well-run three- and four-star properties in each valley, with heating, hot water, wifi that mostly works and a kitchen that can cook for a Western palate as well as a Bhutanese one. Chosen for location and service rather than star rating.

Higher-grade and luxury properties

Bhutan has a small number of internationally-run lodges and resorts, mostly in Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang. They are very good and they are priced accordingly. If you want them, name them in your enquiry and we will quote them — availability in high season is the constraint, not willingness.

Farmstays and village houses

In Haa, Phobjikha and parts of Bumthang you can stay in a working farmhouse: a clean room in a family home, meals cooked by the household, a wood stove for heat, and in some properties a shared bathroom. People who choose it usually name it as the best night of the trip.

Trekking camps

On the Druk Path and Jomolhari routes you camp: two-person tents, a dining tent with table and chairs, a kitchen tent and a toilet tent, with a full crew and pack animals carrying everything. More comfortable than most people expect, and colder.

What we will and will not promise

We will tell you which properties we intend to book before you pay anything, and we will quote a named alternative if you want a specific hotel. We will not promise a particular room, a view, an upgrade or a specific property until it is confirmed — Bhutan's better hotels are few and they sell out, and a promise made in March about an October room is not worth anything. Everything we quote is subject to availability and we say so in writing.

Practical

Things worth knowing before you arrive

Heating. Bhutan is cold from November to March and central heating is not universal. Many good hotels use bukhari wood stoves, which are effective and need lighting in the evening. Ask us if this matters to you and we will book accordingly.

Hot water. Reliable in the western valleys, occasionally solar-dependent further east. Showering in the evening rather than at six in the morning solves most of it.

Wifi. Present almost everywhere and variable in speed. Mobile data is often faster; we include a local SIM on arrival.

Food. Hotel kitchens cook a milder buffet for visitors as a matter of course, usually with Indian and Chinese dishes alongside Bhutanese ones. Vegetarians are well served. Tell us about allergies at the enquiry stage and we brief every kitchen on the route.

East of Bumthang. The choice narrows to a handful of guesthouses. They are clean and welcoming and they are not smart. This is the trade for going somewhere almost nobody goes — see The Eastern Road.

Tell us what you want from a hotel

Name a property, name a grade, or tell us you would rather be in a farmhouse. We will quote it and tell you honestly what is available in your dates.