I've stayed at over 1,000 hotels, but this remote Bhutanese lodge may be my favourite yet

Some people come to Bhutan for its spirituality, others for the hiking, while some simply crave some peace and quiet. Gangtey Lodge specialises in all three.

Perched like a black-necked crane above the farmhouses and potato fields of Phobjika Valley, this charming lodge is understated luxury to a tee. Think all-inclusive, want-for-nothing service, mixed with cosy, traditional Bhutanese touches and views so captivating that a camera doesn’t do them justice. 

As a full-time traveller and hotel critic, I’ve been living in hotels for the past 2,607 days, and I still can’t stop thinking about Gangtey Lodge. Here are all the reasons why this Bhutanese hideaway may just be my favourite stay of all time.

First impressions: a warm welcome

The sound of chirping birds and the occasional clang of a cowbell cuts through the silence of the valley. But as you walk through the large wooden entrance of Gangtey Lodge, another sound permeates the quiet. The hotel’s entire team is singing in harmony, greeting me with a local welcome song. 

With a polite bow, I’m led down a step into the lodge’s main area, which reminds me of a mountain-side living room I’d cut and paste onto a vision board. Cathedral-beamed ceilings, local stone walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows frame the lush forest in the distance. I sit on a plush leather couch while the team lights the glass fireplace in front of me. Seconds later, a warm, locally-made apple cider appears, and a masseuse asks if I’d like a welcome shoulder and neck massage. The answer is an obvious, “yes,” a word I continue to repeat over and over during my ultra-indulgent few days in the valley’s swankiest farmhouse.

The rooms: the cosiest suites in the kingdom

There are just 12 rooms here, all identical and all bathed in cosiness. Once you swing open the wooden door, it's hard not to gasp. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the soaking tub in the bay window overlooking Phobjika Valley, where farm-owners pluck potatoes from the ground and the revered Gangtey Monastery stands in the distance. 

Heated black slate floors line the room, and a wood-burning stove sits against a plush cream-coloured sectional. The ceilings are lofty with dark wooden beams, giving the room a spacious feel, while the mud-finished walls show off a traditional farmhouse aesthetic. Although the lodge provides plenty of ways to fill your day, it's hard to rip yourself away from the pure hominess of the space.

But above its seamless softness, the magic here lies in the details and the service. Every night during turndown, a hot water bottle is placed in your bed to warm your sheets. After dinner, the team asks if you’d like your fire lit before bed, and then again, first thing in the morning, fresh coffee or tea appears at your door with a gentle knock.

The rest: Bhutanese traditions and bespoke experiences

Sometimes when I’m stressed, I close my eyes and think back to when I was lounging in a cushy chair on the wrap-around stone porch, a book in my lap, hot chocolate in my hand and a fire roaring behind me. For me, that’s the ideal way to spend an afternoon at Gangtey Lodge, but every traveller is different and every experience here is bespoke.

Guests can practice their aim during an archery session, Bhutan’s national sport. They can take a mountain bike tour through the valley with the resident experience guide, a local villager, or plant a tree in the meadow, followed by afternoon tea on the forest floor. More uniquely, they can join in on a morning or evening prayer session at the Gangtey Shedra, a Buddhist college a few minutes up the road. 

I recommend venturing off to a local farmhouse for a traditional Bhutanese meal, or hiking to a viewpoint where a multi-course lunch awaits. The area’s signature experience is a visit to the Black-Necked Crane Visitor Centre, a sanctuary for the valley's sacred birds that migrate here every October to February.

When your legs begin to ache, the toasty fireplace at the lodge beckons. After a day of adventures, guests are greeted with a warm towel and a drink. But for me, the lodge’s Bhutanese hot stone bath in its standalone spa chalet is the best activity on offer. Surrounded by flickering candles, this cedar bath is big enough for two, filled with scorching river rocks and paired with iced tea, a cold towel and fresh fruit.

At this point in the day, my eyelids start to get heavy with the weight of pure relaxation, but there’s still dinner. The head chef here creates a daily multi-course menu alongside a limited selection of comfort food favourites. One night it might be beloved Bhutanese dishes coated in chilli and yak cheese, and the next a Thai feast with green curry and sticky rice. But with this kind of boutique stay, you can ask the chef to whip up your favourite dish if they’ve got the ingredients.

During my time here, I preferred to take my dessert back in the suite, surrounded by the glow of the wood burner. Enveloped by warmth, I’d doze off to the peaceful silence that epitomises this sacred valley.

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