Thimphu's Norkhil Boutique Hotel: an affordable cut above the rest

Positioned somewhere between the stratospheric luxury brands such as the Six Senses and the Amankora and the less expensive, primarily adequate, no-frills three-star hotels on most Bhutanese itineraries, this home-grown boutique property is a good choice if you’re looking to splurge a bit without blowing a hole through your entire travel expense account.

You can sense the owners’ ambition as soon as you step through the tall see-through glass doors of the earth-toned five-storied building, a height that seems practically skyscraper-ish in a country with a strict moratorium on tall buildings.

A giant floor-to-ceiling mural dominates the expansive, open foyer created expressly for the hotel by the nationally-recognized, award-winning Bhutanese artist Kama Wangdi. The mural depicts a traditional Buddhist mani wall and stupa, with impressionistic images of red-robed monks and gold inscriptions in the ancient Lenza script. The restaurant, Zama, is a light and airy space surrounded by tall glass windows on all sides with clean, linear wooden furniture. Seasonal potpourri and decorations often grace the table, such as pinecones in the winter and rhododendrons in the spring, a small touch that brings the outdoors in and connects the diner to the time of year. The rooms are light, airy, and expansive and have city views from balconies where you can sit and enjoy a cup of afternoon pick-me-up as you contemplate the busy life of the city and the peace of the mountains beyond it. Other rooms without balconies on the opposite side of the building look up to the towering middle Himalayan ridges above the city.

Some corner rooms have a view of the National Memorial Stupa. It lights up each evening like a giant Christmas snowman, adding a touch of festivity and promise to the evening.

Churma—a word that means wine in the Bumthangkha tongue of central Bhutan—is a stylish, modern bar on the ground floor adjacent to the restaurant. It has a comfortable loungey air, a nice place to relax evenings and afternoons after a day’s sightseeing. And, if you’re looking for that extra bit of self-care, then the Nor Spa below the ground floor is a tranquil spot for some pampering or, for a modernist take on one of Bhutan’s oldest, most democratic of indulgences—the traditional hot stone bath, an ancient relaxing concoction of water and river rocks roasted over an open fire, rocks that sizzle when dropped in the water a safe distance away (releasing beneficial minerals in the bath, or so goes the lore).

This boutique hotel’s location on the main “Swimming Pool Road, “a primary thoroughfare of the capital, means it is just far removed enough from the city center to afford some quiet and close enough to downtown Thimphu’s busy city center should you decide to take the short walk down to embrace the excitement.