I spent my last two nights in Paro at the Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, a five-star wellness-inclusive luxury resort that is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) group and Mr. & Mrs. Smith and partners with both Hilton and Hyatt.
Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary Review
My week in Bhutan came to a tranquil end at the Spirit Sanctuary which is the kind of property you do not want to leave.
Booking
Paid rates run about 650 to 950 USD per night, depending on the season. Hyatt and SLH were still partnering during my visit and I was able to use Hyatt points (30,000 per night, a Category 7 hotel) to book my stay, meaning I redeemed at a value of more than two cents per point.
SLH has broken up with Hyatt and now partners with Hilton, meaning you can use Hilton points to book this property (rates are variable, but start at about 100,000 Hilton points per night).
But the partnership with Hyatt remains, though now via Mr. & Mrs. Smith (like SLH, a collection of luxury and boutique hotels and villas around the world). Unfortunately, using points does not make sense, with World of Hyatt points rates starting at 67,750 points per night and often exceeding 80,000 points per night. That represents a poor use of Hyatt points.
Note: The hotel often runs a fourth night free promo as well, which can offset the price if paying cash.
This is an all-inclusive resort. Included in room rates:
- All food (breakfast, 4-course set lunch, 6-course set dinner), snacks, and non-alcoholic drinks
- Free consultation with one of the in-house Traditional Bhutanese Medicine Doctors
- Daily free access to all the wellness facilities such as the indoor heated pool, the gym, saunas, and steam rooms
- One traditional treatment per day per person for free, such as a massage, hot stone herbal bath, or moxibustion
- Daily free yoga classes and/or meditation sessions
- Free laundry service (up to four pieces per person per day)
Not included in room rates:
- Visa or travel permit costs
- Sustainable Development Fee (SDF)
- Costs for hiring a car, driver, and guide if you would wish to visit places outside the Sanctuary, such as the Tiger’s Nest or Thimphu
- Entry fees
- Transport to and from the international airport in Paro
Location
The resort is located on a mountain on the outskirts of Paro and is quite tranquil…you’ll share the road with cows. It is very quiet at that resort and there is little light pollution as well…you feel like you are far away from everything even though Paro is not far.
Grounds
As you enter the resort, you’ll pass through the door and then walk through a large courtyard in order to enter hte main resort building, which houses the lobby, boutique, and dining room.
Room
My room, B12 was located one level below the lobby and accessible by stairs.
The room included a king-sized bed, spacious sitting area, bathroom, and terrace.
I loved sitting on the outdoor terrace: the gentle afternoon breeze and views of the mountain below were lovely.
The bathroom included a tub, shower, and water closet.
A wooden toothbrush and toothpaste tablets were placed by the sink: no plastic waste at this hotel.
Back in the room, a water kettle, coffee, tea, and French Press were available, along with a bottle of water and cans of Sprit and Coca-Cola in the refrigerator.
A welcome amenity included a book called “The Restful Mind” and treats like dried apricots, cashews, and chocolate.
Plugs were not universal but accepted European-style 220-volt receptors, including on the balcony.
I took advantage of the free laundry service to have my shirt, coat, and trousers laundered. They were returned same day neatly folded (the pants hanging in the closet).
View of the spa complex and guest rooms from the “backyard” of the resort:
Food + Drink
All food (three meals per day) and non-alcoholic beverages are included. Barista-made coffee and tea are available all day…as are snacks.
The dining room felt a bit like a Swiss alpine lodge.
There was a beautiful terrace as well:
The hotel emailed beforehand asking if I had any dietary preferences and I sent a detailed note back noting my fondness for animal protein, but also for a daily detox green drink (I even specified the ingredients) and fresh berries. I appreciated the outreach, though I did not receive either the green drink or berries.
If there was anything that was slightly disappointing about my stay, it waw the food. The main courses were just fine…but I cook better at home and the meat was on the dry side and the flavor lacking. Unlike the Six Senses in Thimphu, I was not blown away by the quality of the food.
Afternoon snack: fried corn fritters and potatoes with fresh-squeezed orange juice (no choice of food).
On my first night, dinner included a six-course meal, but no menu was presented.
Breakfast was the same both mornings, including a selection of juices, pastries, fruit, coffee, a ginger shot, yogurt, and eggs made to order.
I had the same thing the second morning:
Service was fast and friendly.
Dinner on the second night inclued a mango salsa amuse bouche, pea soup with fried broccoli, a salad with lettuce, kiwi, and tomato, stuffed grape leaves, a main course of beef with asparagus, and an empanada with carmelized apple for dessert.
Fitness
I took a break from the gym during my visit (I figured the hike up to Tiger’s Nest and back was enough and did some pushups and situps in the room), but noted that the gym included an exercise bike, treadmill, rowing machine, free weights, and a strength resistance machine.
Pool
The indoor pool was tranquil and very warm…I did go swimming twice.
Wellness + Spa
One thing I greatly appreciated about this “all-inclusive” hotel was that a daily spa treatment was included as well as a consultation with a Bhutanese doctor of traditional medicine.
I’ve shared before that I suffer from erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a rare, inherited metabolic disorder that causes painful, blistering skin reactions to sunlight and artificial light…it means I generally wear gloves when I go outside. There’s no cure for this genetic condition, but that does not stop me from exploring remedies for it, including in Bhutan.
I’ve tried Eastern medicine (Chinese) before to combat this skin issue, but was intrigued to see what the Bhutanese doctor would say. The spa lobby has shelves with floor-to-ceiling ingredients that are used to create herbal and other homeopathic remedies that we in the West would simply treat with drugs.
The doctor was a very kind man who listened to my issue and then concocted a treatment involving Leontopodium (a genus that includes the edelweiss), candles, chants, and prayers.
My Christian faith makes even passively taking part in these sorts of rituals difficult, as I don’t believe in the very premise of this approach to medicine. I didn’t take part in terms of participation beyond sitting and later laying down as he did his thing and may not have even done so if I knew he was going to pray over me, but on the other hand, I pray for many people who do not share my faith and I recognize his noble intentions and kind heart.
Sadly, my skin condition persists…
I also had a Ku Nye massage (full body, neck, feet, and back) that was excellent.
On my second night, I enjoyed a herbal hot stone bath after the Tiger’s Nest hike, which was quite therapeutic. The bath basin was partitioned into two areas, one for the hot stones and the other for me to sit in.
Next day, I went around back and saw that the stones are heated in a cauldron and then dropped on the ramp directly into the bathtub, keeping the water hot.
However, I wish I had just done another massage instead of the stone bath. Both are recommended, but if you can only do one, choose the message.
I also appreciated and utilized the sauna and steam room each day, though see below in my next section for one service issue concerning this.
My Criticism
I always want to be fair in my reviews and when a property falls short, even if you deem it quibbling, it is only right that I note it. In addition to the disappointing quality of the main courses, there were a few other things:
- Not clearing away cups and dishes during dinner – my empty orange juice glass and appetizer plate sat throughout dinner
- Reusing cutlery – not a huge deal because I do it at home too, but it would have been nice to have fresh silverware for the main course when my fork and knife were clearly used (had food all over them)
- The sauna and steam room open at 7:00 am – I called at 6:20 am and asked that the sauna and steam room be turned on since I knew they take time to warm up, however, that did not occur until 7:00 am: staff showed up at the same time I did, and I had to wait an hour for the sauna to warm up
- Wireless internet was very slow
On that last point, thankfully, I was still able to get my work done, but the internet was painfully slow.
CONCLUSION
I wish I could have doubled or tripled my two-night stay at Bhutan Spirt Sanctuary.
Yes, I think you’ll enjoy a better overall experience at the Six Senses Paro, but you will also pay 2-3x more and this was still a very nice stay. It is nice to have an option in Bhutan that partners with both Hyatt and Hilton.
I would gladly return and the minor deficiencies I mentioned above were not close to being dealbreakers. However, the resort does have room for improvement.
Interesting. I loved my hot stone bath in Paro. To each their own of course.
May I ask, was Aman just out of the price range? (Since no points)
“I sent a detailed note back noting my fondness for animal protein”
What a douche.
They asked, I answered. They asked me what I ate and if I was vegetarian. I made clear I was not a vegetarian…
“I didn’t take part in terms of participation beyond sitting and later laying down as he did his thing and may not have even done so if I knew he was going to pray over me.” This sounds like you are insecure about your own faith. Participation in a foreign cultural and/or religious ceremony does not negate your Christian faith.
100%- Dont go to Bhutan if you want to celebrate your Christian faith. You can choose Jerusalem.
Nothing to do with “celebrating” my Christian faith or being insecure about it. But I’m not going to take part in pagan rituals that strike me as peculiar just to be polite. Nor would I ever insist that a visitor to my church take part in anything they were uncomfortable with.
Matthew,
Thank you for this report, the Six Senses report. Really helps inform my Bhutan trip planning.