06.04.08
ROYAL BHUTAN

Looking for an off-the-beaten-track spot to spend a little downtime? Try Uma Paro, a full-on resort in Bhutan, a pristine Himalayan country squeezed in between India and Tibet.

The countryside is simply gorgeous: unspoiled villages, pine-clad valleys, terraced hills and towering, snow-tipped mountain ranges where Buddhist monasteries cling to the cliff sides. And in the middle of an idyllic valley, on a 38-acre hilltop, you’ll find Uma Paro with its architectural sophistication and impeccable hotel service.

The resort’s twenty rooms and nine villas are comfortable and spacious. And the on-site COMO Shambhala Retreat offers first-rate relaxation: a Jacuzzi, an indoor pool with outdoor sundeck, a hot stone bath house in the forest, a fully-equipped gym, a sunlit yoga room and multiple steam and treatment rooms where guests can enjoy facials, body therapies and massages heavily-influenced by Ayuverda, the ancient Indian healing tradition.

And for guests eager to take in the dramatic scenery of the Himalayas, there are guided walks, camping treks and mountain biking tours led by the hotel’s English-speaking guides; or for a little Bhutanese mountain culture, they’ll organize visits to local monasteries, villages, and markets.