travelandleisureindia.inHow to Plan a Retreat in Bhutan
What you need to know before booking a trip to the
Himalayan kingdom.GETTING THERE
Indian citizens do not require
a visa to travel to Bhutan.
Bhutan Airlines (bhutan
airlines.bt) and Druk Air
(drukair.com.bt) serve direct
fl ights from Delhi, Kolkata,
Bagdogra, Guwahati, and Gaya
to Paro. One can also go by
road—cross the border and get
a permit at Phuentsholing.WHERE TO STAY
Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary
(doubles from `44,500,
all-inclusive; bhutanspirit
sanctuary.com), near Paro, is
the country’s fi rst dedicated
wellness resort. Treatments
are inspired by Buddhist
teachings and Eastern
therapies and supplemented
with cultural activities.One day, you might hike to a monastery to join
student monks for a morning meditation. Another,
you might trek to the nearby hills to forage
ingredients for treatments at the spa.
“You can see a country from a car, but you don’t
connect with it,” Lennaerts told me over a pot of
ginger tea on the terrace overlooking the rolling
valley. “To personally connect with a place, you need
to also have an inward journey.” He hopes a holistic
experience that includes yoga, meditation, and spa
treatments, as well as meals and activities, will give
guests everything they could desire.
From the moment I arrived at Bhutan Spirit
Sanctuary’s large red gates, I could tell that it was
diff erent. Many lodges incorporate a design element
or two from traditional Bhutanese architecture—
fl ared roofs, intricately carved window frames—but
Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary takes all of its inspiration
from the dzongs (fortresses) found throughout the
kingdom. Lennaerts personally greeted me in a
courtyard ringed by wood-beamed porticoes and
traditional prayer wheels. I followed him around a
meditation maze, then across a small wooden bridge
where welcoming staff stood dressed in the
traditional robe-like gho or kira. Doors opened to what
Lennaerts called the Transformation Room. “Enter
and leave your stress,” he ordered, as he handed me a
From extreme left:
The year-old lodge
was designed to look
like a traditional
fortress; guests are
invited to perform a
welcome ritual at the
beginning of their stay.match to light a butter lamp set on a small altar in front
of a mural of the Buddhist Wheel of Life.
At check-in, I selected local bath products
(sandalwood soap, a bergamot bath bomb) before being
escorted to my white-walled quarters. Even the
smallest of the 24 rooms spans 54 square metres , and
that doesn’t include their generous private outdoor
spaces with monastery views. The decor was simple:
a few glazed vases that had been thrown in the on-site
pottery studio; an obligatory photo of Bhutan’s beloved
king and queen; and a copy of The Restful Mind,
a Buddhist guide to quieting your thoughts, which
Dr Om instructed me to dip into each night before bed.
I could have spent the entire time in the spa, which
off ers daily yoga and meditation sessions, as well as
therapies that include not only moxibustion but also
kunye, or Tibetan massage, and numtsu, or hot-oil
compression. But there is also a broader itinerary of
activities, like hiking excursions to the iconic Tiger’s
Nest and Drakarpo Kora, a hilly Buddhist site in
Paro Valley that pilgrims trek around 108 times
(I barely completed two circuits). Guests can also try
pottery classes led by Sanctuary’s resident art teacher,
Lhatso , and experience archery with activities guide
Dechen Dorji.
At Dr Om’s recommendation, I swapped my nightly
glass of red wine for Terminalia chebula, a regional tea
that is said to remedy defective energies. Everything
I ate was selected by Parash Chhetri, the Bhutanese
head chef, who customised nightly menus that featured
dishes like risotto with green peas and mint and
pumpkin soup scented with Chinese fi ve-spice.
By the end of my stay, Dr Om had stopped asking
about my condition. I could attribute my refl owing
chi to the daily massages or restful sleep, but I think
staying in a place where I was so thoroughly looked
after, by a team that felt like a family, is what really
allowed me to relax.