Amankora, Bumthang — Restaurant in Dawathang_Dorjibi_ Kashingtsawa

Amankora offers a unique opportunity to travel across and experience Bhutan. We decided to plan a trip across all 5 lodges starting in Thimpu.||Pre-travel/ reservations:|Unlike many other Aman resorts where you have to work with a centralised bookings call center Amankora has its own team that are knowledgeable. They handle visas, flight bookings into Bhutan and domestic flights along with helping you plan an itinerary. My bookings experience was positive but it is important to be persistent yourself to get all your questions answered. I evaluated using a travel agent but found that booking direct was more effective to access some special packages. I booked the Quest for Happiness package that gives you 7 nights for the price of 5 and then extended to 10 nights in order to have sufficient time for our itinerary:||1 night in Thimpu|2 nights in Punakha|2 nights in Gangtey|3 nights in Bumthang|2 nights in Paro||Getting there:|We flew Druk Air in business class from Bangkok. There are daily flights from Bangkok and several cities in India. Aman handled the reservations. The flight option we took left Bangkok at 5am which is a little painful but they do the that to avoid encountering potential bad weather and flight delays. The luggage allowance is one case of up to 40kg per person in business class. We had one extra bag they didn’t charge us for. Landing in Paro we were met by our guide and driver from Amankora in a nice Landrover Defender. It was a 90 minute drive to Thimpu.||Thimpu Lodge|All of Amankora’s properties have similar designs. The rooms are spacious and luxurious with free standing tubs. The properties reflect Bhutanese design with modern architectural influences.||Activities:|With Amankora you have a guide and driver with you at all times to take you places. We loved our guide Sangay and our driver. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about Buddhism and Bhutanese history and culture. In Thimpu we visited the Buddha Dordenma, the largest Budha in the world and spent time shopping for Bhutanese clothing and jewellery. You really get to define what you would like to do. In the evening they had a cultural show of dancing which was great. We decided to meet with an astrologer which was a really positive experience.||Service:|Per other Aman’s the service level is impeccable. They learn your preferences and adapt to you. They pay attention to the small details. One service we really value is the limitless and rapid laundry service.||Food and drink:|Food and non premium alcoholic drinks are all included. The menu is diverse and has common elements with small differences between lodges. They are always very willing to adapt. I am a vegetarian and they were always willing to modify dishes to accommodate me. Some menu items are done really well. In Thimpu we loved the mushroom soup. We tried the Bhutanese breakfasts and Bombay toast and enjoyed them. At dinner you have a set dining or a la carte options. My wife enjoyed her sea bass and I tried a Bhutanese curry with...

This trip I have started to understand the meaning of an Aman Junkie! It was a total of seven days of pampering, compassion and delicacy at Amankora resorts in Thimpu, Paro and Punakha. Amongst the three, each of them has unique characteristics that made them memorable, but generally the rooms are nearly identical. Located at the capital of Bhutan within the woods, Amankora Thimpu for me had the best interior design for common areas and impeccable service starting with the manager Rose, and their lovely welcome letter from all the Thimpu family. The detail given to dietary requirements as well as room temperature, and arranging the vehicle for the whole journey (water, blanket, ginger sweets for acclimatisation, lip balm, suncream etc..) included all the items you would dream and also never think of, in its finest quality. Daily excursions as well as extras offered by the hotel were also a good balance, which would allow you to have a balance of tranquil time and learning of Bhutan culture and Buddhism, if you would be interested. We have decided to have bit of both and in addition to the hiking, visiting the Thimpu city centre, art galleries, handmade paper factory and handmade weaving factory, we also enjoyed a lengthy talk on Buddhism with Mynak Trulku Rinpoche, which was a most satisfying experience. In addition, we were lucky that Dr. Akina Kazama was at Amankora Thimpu during our stay and enjoyed a meridian balancing session with her. She is a well known acupuncturist that combines various techniques and really helped me with certain health issues that were ongoing for some time. The dance show at Thimpu was the most interesting and entertaining show we have seen in Bhutan. All in all it is a right spot to begin your journey in Bhutan although you can also consider starting at Punakha, which is about two hours drive, for an easier adjustment to high altitude, and stay at Thimpu on way...

This trip I have started to understand the meaning of an Aman Junkie! It was a total of seven days of pampering, compassion and delicacy at Amankora resorts in Thimpu, Paro and Punakha. Amongst the three, each of them has unique characteristics that made them memorable, but generally the rooms are nearly identical. Located at the capital of Bhutan within the woods, Amankora Thimpu for me had the best interior design for common areas and impeccable service starting with the manager Rose, and their lovely welcome letter from all the Thimpu family. The detail given to dietary requirements as well as room temperature, and arranging the vehicle for the whole journey (water, blanket, ginger sweets for acclimatisation, lip balm, suncream etc..) included all the items you would dream and also never think of, in its finest quality. Daily excursions as well as extras offered by the hotel were also a good balance, which would allow you to have a balance of tranquil time and learning of Bhutan culture and Buddhism, if you would be interested. We have decided to have bit of both and in addition to the hiking, visiting the Thimpu city centre, art galleries, handmade paper factory and handmade weaving factory, we also enjoyed a lengthy talk on Buddhism with Mynak Trulku Rinpoche, which was a most satisfying experience. In addition, we were lucky that Dr. Akina Kazama was at Amankora Thimpu during our stay and enjoyed a meridian balancing session with her. She is a well known acupuncturist that combines various techniques and really helped me with certain health issues that were ongoing for some time. The dance show at Thimpu was the most interesting and entertaining show we have seen in Bhutan. All in all it is a right spot to begin your journey in Bhutan although you can also consider starting at Punakha, which is about two hours drive, for an easier adjustment to high altitude, and stay at Thimpu on way...