Amankora Punakha — Hotel in Yebisa

We visited Amankora Punakha for two nights as part of a week-long “journey” through Bhutan. The lodge has 16 rooms spread across four buildings along with a central farmhouse, pool and spa.||The arrival experience is truly memorable as you cross a suspension bridge across the Mo Chhu river before being driven in an Amankora buggy up the hill to the restored, historic farmhouse which is the focal point of the beautiful lodge grounds. The farmhouse houses a communal dining space, several private dining rooms and a library where you can read, do work and enjoy various artifacts and reading materials about Bhutan and the surrounding regions. In front of the farmhouse is a stone courtyard where (thanks to the Punakha Valley's warm climate) we were able to dine for breakfast and lunch each day. The courtyard has a beautiful backdrop of the surrounding mountains as well as the 30-meter swimming pool at the base of the property which overlooks the hillside, rice terraces and grazing cows. The former farmhouse kitchen adjacent to the courtyard has been converted into a lounge and cooking studio and leads to a spa which has a space for morning yoga classes, treatment rooms and a steam room.||We were upgraded to a Mo Chhu Suite upon arrival, which in addition to the large, open-plan bedroom and bathroom that is present in all of the rooms, comes with a massive living room, additional bathroom and small kitchen. The views from the building are breathtaking, and everything about the room was extremely comfortable (made even better by frequent, perfectly-timed housekeeping).||Speaking of which, the service was flawless the entire stay. The communication between our guide and the property staff meant there was never a moment we didn’t feel cared for. There is always someone available to take a drink order, help you with on-property activities like archery (and serving the local rice wine, Ara, typically consumed during archery), offer a hot towel before a meal or a cool towel after a hike etc. I can’t imagine a more comfortable way to navigate the country than with the supportive team and attentive service at this lodge. Housekeeping were pros, with daily turndown gifts and service offered every time left the room for a meal.||The quality of the food across all of the Amankora lodges was excellent. There is an extensive cocktail list, a large a la carte menu and Bhutanese or Indian tasting menus (depending on the day) each evening. For breakfast, they did a great job of interpreting Western staples with Bhutanese ingredients (e.g. local fruit, housemade jams, juices and smoothies, buckwheat etc.). Our picnic lunch on the day of our big excursion to a local festival about an hour away was well-made and surprisingly extensive.||The Amankora experience is mostly about traveling throughout the valleys surrounding the lodges with your driver and guide to experience highlights in each region. In the Punakha Valley we visited the Punakha Dzong, did a hike to the Golden Temple (Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten) followed by a stroll along the river and through the neighboring town and wore the local dress (lent to us by the lodge) to attend the Talo Tsechu (three-day festival at Talo Monastery). We were able to explore other areas based on our interests too like a nunnery, local school and “phallic village.”||The entire Amankora experience is easy to recommend, but I think the lodge in Punakha is truly unskippable if you decide to make the journey. The natural beauty, climate, cultural importance and friendly people of the region made this a huge highlight on an already...

After a leisurely morning drive from Thimphu through the scenic valley and stops at 2 monasteries, we arrived and a non-descript car park and our guide told us we had arrived - keeping a hidden smile as he said this. As we get out of the vehicle, we then saw the suspension bridge and he grinned and said that we had to cross it to get to the Punakha lodge! A little nerve wrecking if you are scared of heights and fast flowing water beneath you but safe and easy. We were picked up by a buggy on the other side and driven to the lodge where the lodge manager Choni was all smiles and welcoming. This lodge was a former farmhouse that is connected to the Bhutanese royal family - and it was simply magical. The setting, views across the Punakha valley and the swimming pool (the only Amankora lodge that has one) are simply glorious. The rooms are in separate buildings scattered around the compound and although slightly different from Thimpu, everything is still familiar and one feels as if it is the same as there is continuity in all the decor and little touches. Love the kettle in the room which is simply operated by pressing down on the handle - perfect for making that quick cuppa (although the staff keep telling you to let them know if you ever want anything). The food is absolutely delicious - you can basically have anything you want (within reason and provided the chef can make it) so you don’t have to stick to the menu.There is a wonderful royal dining room on the top floor of the farmhouse (where we had dinner one evening). Beautifully set up, one felt so special and spoilt as the chef and entire kitchen crew came up to serve us and explain the Bhutanese feast we had. We spend 3 nights and could have easily stayed a week or more! Our daily activities exploring the area were well planned by our guide Tashi who ensured we arrived back at the lodge with enough time to enjoy the pool (really so relaxing) and viewing the sunset from the pool deck was just out of this world. Everything takes a step down from the frantic world and one even feels that time slows down to appreciate the simpler things - it slowly dawns on us why happiness is used as a factor in Bhutan’s GDP! The lodge host Prasad suggested we get truly local by dressing up in the local Bhutanese national costume “Gho” - wearing it required some help from the housekeeping team who came to our room to “dress us up”. One did feel regal and very special wearing them! Each evening on our bed was a little gift left by housekeeping and throughout our 2 weeks stay, we had a collection of mementoes of Bhutan (all different)! We were absolutely spoilt staying here and felt a little sad upon leaving after 3 nights. As intrepid travellers, we felt this was as close to the perfect stay one could ever have. Amankora Punakha will always remain special in our hearts! Kudos to Choni, Prasad and the...

Amankora Punakha was the second lodge we visited on our 5 lodge journey and one of our favourites.||Arrival:|A really unique part of the experience is getting to the lodge where you have to leave the car and walk across a suspension bridge and then take a buggy to the lodge. No need to fear Amankora has a team that carry all your luggage for you.||Arriving at the lodge we were greeted by the manager and team with fresh towels and welcome drinks - an apple cider.||The room:|Our room was on the second level and had fantastic views of the valley. The room style in Punakha is the same as Bumthang but slightly different from Gangtey and Thimpu. It feels more modern and airy and we particularly liked the style of freestanding tub. We slept with our windows open and heard the peaceful sound of the river.||The lodge:|The Lodge’s main building was formerly the 67th Abotts farm house. The Abott is the head of the Buddhist faith in Bhutan. They have a spa and steam room but we didn’t visit it. They have a fruit orchard with guava, pomegranate etc. A unique aspect is the very large infinity pool which is extremely peaceful with a beautiful back drop. We really enjoyed our time in the pool after our first day of sightseeing. It was good to cool off and if you are a lap swimmer like me it is a great length- I think 50m.||Food and drink:|The menu was similar to Thimpu but had some variations. I tried some Indian dishes like a masala dosa and a paneer curry which were ok but not great. My wife loved her sea bass with lemon and asparagus, and also fried rice with egg. Poolside my wife had a kimchi chicken burger but it was more like a chicken salad consistency than a patty but nonetheless tasty. They served it with fat english style fries which she loved - thought they were the best fries she has ever had. We also enjoyed our poolside cocktails.||Activities:|On the drive to Punakha we stopped at the Fertility temple which was a really fun experience. We also visited a local town where we were able to purchase artwork and admire the proliferation of phallic symbols.||On day 2 of our time in Punakha we visited the Punakha Zhong - a fort / monastery which is the second oldest and largest in Bhutan and honestly quite breathtaking. It has probably been our highlight of our trip so far. We also visited a nunnery in...