FIELD REPORT
Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary: Hidden gem in a hidden land
Karma Dorji, Travel Programs Coordinator, Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions
Karma Dorji, Travel Programs Coordinator, Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions
The Euthok Goemba lamasery is window-framed picture perfectly from every single room of the Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary
With thoughtful itineraries honed since 1999, we unveil the depths of Bhutan's happiness philosophy, the daily physical adventures through the beautiful Himalayan landscape complemented by the intimate and in-depth cultural experiences sensitively curated for you every day.
Through the eyes of a select few informed leaders we saw the dilemmas of a culture: A hitherto sheltered nation discovering the arguments for and against remaining a cloistered society in this 21st Century. I loved the adventure, and I loved the discovery. Unlike anything else I have ever experienced!
Lola W., California
IN THE SMALL market of Shaba, a few miles shy of Bhutan’s only international airport, we hit a rocky dirt road leading to a narrow fold between overlapping mountains.
Ramshackle shops in cheerful Bhutanese colors lean on either side of the bumpy road, followed by local homes and farms, and a small community school. Soon, the road disappears behind the broad, sumo bulk of one of the mountains seen from the road.
At the bend, there’s a small sign in Dzongkha, the national script of Bhutan. “This is the mythic site of a hidden lake,” it says on the sign, followed by the cryptic words: “Sometimes a black snake is seen here; take that as a bad omen.” Thankfully, there’s no sign of the lake or the ill-omen snake. Such articles of mystic faith populate the Bhutanese landscape where striking natural features are seen as portals to other unseen realms. And none more so than this tucked away corner of Paro which is sometimes described by Bhutanese elders as a Bae-yul, one of the many secret paradises hidden across the Himalayas.
It’s easy to see how the idea got started. The massive bulk of the mountain in front of us blocks the interiors of what we’re about to see. We turn the corner, and the revelation is dramatic. A secret village, awash in the golden winter sun, hidden from the rest of the well-traveled Paro Valley below, blooms in front of us. Like James Hilton’s Shangrila come to life, the famous lamasery of Euthok Goemba sits atop the opposite hill like an ornate gemstone on a wedding ring.
The rocky road winds upward, bouncing us past local farmhouses and dry rice terraces etched into the hillside in this stubbly winter season. Soon, we come up on the monastery-style building that’s the first all-inclusive wellness center based on Bhutanese healing traditions. The entry past a small grove of pine trees feels less like arriving at a hotel, and more like stepping into another world.
Bishal, from guest services — sporting a smart, striped Bhutanese gho — is waiting at the entrance with traditional silk khadhars, the soft folds of the scarves falling over our necks like a gentle benediction. He leads us through the striking crimson wooden doors—with elaborately carved brass knockers—that open to a classic stone courtyard surrounded by prayer wheels you can turn for spiritual merit. He guides us past the small bridge to another set of doors next to a small plaque announcing the lodge’s membership in the coveted SLH “Small Luxury Hotels” group.
“This threshold marks our passage to an intermediate transformation space, the kind found in Bhutanese monasteries,“ Bishal says, as he invites us to light votive butterlamps. “We leave the ordinary world behind to enter a sacred space.” It’s all a bit self-serious, but as the radiant golden doors open, and the breathtaking panorama of Neyphu Valley reveals itself in its luminous splendor, I find myself taken in. Inside, Tracy, the pastry chef and acting lodge manager, greets us and provides a warm introduction, followed by Govind, from the front desk, who guides us and settles us in.
There’s no formal check-in; instead, you’re greeted with a small shot of medicine tea from local herbs and minerals concocted by the resident Menpa, or physician. Then we’re invited to relax by a vast picture window that opens to clouds drifting languidly across the Paro Valley and the sloping roofs of the picturesque Euthok monastery.
After check-in is over — a simple matter of signing in with your email and picking out your house made herbal soap — we’re led downstairs to the wellness center. A traditional Bhutanese doctor — a graduate of the National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM) — joins us for the complimentary consultation.
Dr. Dochen says traditional Bhutanese medicine focuses on balancing the body’s internal energy, similar in some ways to Chinese traditional medicine. Health is understood as a harmonious flow of subtle energy through about 70,000 channels, summarized into three main ones: a central channel from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, and right and left channels that meet at the center of the chest at key energy centers or chakras, such as the heart and sacral chakras.
“When these channels are blocked or the energy becomes excessive, deficient, or disturbed, it leads to physical and mental symptoms that can eventually develop into disease,” Dr. Dochen says. “Treatment follows a stepwise direction: first adjusting diet and lifestyle, then, if needed, prescribing compound herbal medicines in forms like pills or powders, and finally, if these don’t help, using external therapies such as massage, compresses, moxibustion, cupping, and bloodletting.”
Dr. Dochen’s calm voice and thoughtful gaze makes the exchange feel restorative. He takes my pulse, asks about sleep, digestion, energy — listening not only to what I say, but to what lies quietly unspoken. It’s a fitting introduction to a sanctuary built around balance, introspection, and Bhutan’s therapeutic traditions.
Later, as dusk falls, the valley below turns liquid gold before melting into a deep, enveloping blue. Through tall windows, the last light fades, leaving us with an exquisite sense of stillness.
Dinner unfolds slowly, almost ceremonially — garden herbs, an amuse bouche of crispy flatbread on a bed of yogurt, a light and delicately flavored wild mushroom consommé, roasted chicken strips atop a colorful vegetable stew, and, for dessert, a small cup of dark chocolate mousse, with the cup made wholly from chocolate. We enjoy our repast with Louk Lennaerts, the Dutch founder of the lodge, who regales us with tales of his wide and varied experiences across the hospitality industry.
Lennaerts first visited Bhutan in 2013, initially seeing it as a somewhat mysterious, little‑known destination, but was deeply moved by the country’s tranquillity and spiritual atmosphere. That visit inspired the idea of building a sanctuary dedicated to inner balance and wellbeing, rather than a typical sightseeing hotel, leading him to acquire hillside land in Neyphu Valley with sweeping monastery and mountain views. “This is not a hotel, this is not a resort,” Lennaerts says. “The name says it all. It’s a sanctuary. The luxury is not the luxury of materialism but the luxury of time, of connecting deeply within. These days that’s the deepest luxury of all!”
Back in our room, high ceilings, warm timber floors, handwoven textiles, and gentle lighting create a space that feels more like a mountain retreat than a hotel suite. The bed faces the valley, with every one of the 24 rooms looking out on to the storybook Euthok monastery. The silence is almost tangible — broken only by the faint rustle of prayer flags stirring outside our window.
Morning brings a dreamlike vision outside our tall windows. The valley with long ropes of mist, pierced by slivers of light as the sun edges over the eastern horizon. Wrapped in a robe, tea in hand, my better half stands at the window to watch the day awaken. Later, she goes downstairs for a yoga session that unfolds in a sunlit studio overlooking the valley views. The heated indoor pool features panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass windows framing an ocean of clouds. Time feels briefly irrelevant.
By midday, the world below reappears, reality drawing us back to our commitments. Yet something lingers — a quiet recalibration, a sense of inner spaciousness. As we drive back down the hillside, the Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary recedes into the afternoon, and soon is hidden behind the final bend, shrouded back in its dreamlike mystery, a hidden gem in a hidden land.
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Travel Logistics Organizer for CBS 60 Minutes 2024 special report on Bhutan
“First, thank you for making my trip to Bhutan run smoothly. Second, for explaining your culture and customs to me and our team in a way that helped our 60 MINS story come alive. Third, for making the visit seriously fun!”
~ Lesley Stahl, Correspondent, CBS 60 Minutes, September 2024
