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eric + leandra travel around the globe

Himalayas 2025: where we stayed in Bhutan

by | Jun 19, 2025 | Food & Drink, International Travel, Travel

As we wrote in the intro post, the Bhutan portion of our trip was organized and booked by Raven Tours Bhutan.

The accommodations were generally good — we had checked reviews beforehand and our expectations generally matched up. Khangkhu Resort and Thimphu Tower were fine; Gaselo Eco Lodge was a little rough around the edges but the owner/manager could not have been friendlier and it offered great views. We really liked the experiences at Ogyen Choling Guest House and Gangtey Tent Resort. The one exception was a last minute change from Valley Resort (well rated) to the River Lodge (lower ratings) in Jakar / Bumthang. This accommodation was really bad, filthy and uncomfortable, with the worst food of the trip.

Khangkhu Resort – We spent both our first night and our last night at this hotel perched on a hill with a view of the Paro airport. There are a lot of stairs! Thankfully our bags were moved for us. On both visits our room was fairly large with a firm bed. Very quiet at night, with some birds chirping at dawn.

The bathroom was fairly cold, and getting heat to work was a challenge – the plug had two prongs, but the outlet expects the third prong to open a plastic bit protecting the other two prong receptacles. The solution is to use a plastic stick to force the plastic to move… anyway, we managed to get heat in the bathroom 😂

The wifi was pretty good, roughly 30/30. Weirdly, they use one-time random codes that were different for each device and in the lobby vs room. So ask for a second code, or just use it in your room. Once connected, the code worked overnight into the next morning.

Dinner in restaurant: We didn’t expect a set menu, but that was what we got! We were waiting to be handed menus, instead, asparagus soup was delivered, followed by dishes of sesame chicken, steamed broccoli, roasted chickpeas, fried potatoes, veggie noodles and white rice. Potatoes and chickpeas were our faves, chicken was tasty but had bones. Green Banana (surprisingly good) and watermelon to finish. Waaay too much food for just the two of us. Breakfast the following morning was fine, scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and toast with juice and coffee.

Ogyen Choling Guest House – The exterior featured large walls around a courtyard, and another building in the middle.

Our room was surprisingly cozy, with stone walls and large beams, plus a small balcony nook with a view.

Our bed was firm, but we had three blankets so I used one as a cushion layer. The bathroom had surprisingly modern features and a good fan so it wasn’t humid. Leandra liked this shower the best on the trip – good pressure and warmth. The only issue we had is that wifi wasn’t great. It wasn’t reachable from our room and from the restaurant it connected then stopped working after a few minutes.

Dinner was a fixed menu, but plated for us, and included spinach momos, buckwheat noodles, potatoes, large beans and a piece of chicken, plus red rice and a salad. The buckwheat noodles had a weird aftertaste, but the rest was quite good. Leandra also had the banana raspberry yogurt for dessert.

River Lodge – This accommodation was really bad – filthy and uncomfortable, with the worst food of the trip.

Some low lights:

  • Wifi didn’t stay connected in room; in reception it is slooooow – 1mb down and up.
  • Room was filthy – cobwebs, dirty sheets, etc. We thoroughly checked both beds for bedbugs… (thankfully didn’t see any).
  • Padlock and key combo for door was cumbersome.
  • Sleep was difficult with noise and curtains that didn’t block light.
  • Dinner was quite bland – undercooked rice and chewy, overcooked beef. The only place we had to ask for chili cheese!?
  • Breakfast at hotel was basic – buckwheat pancakes, toast, etc. At least the fried eggs were decent.

Two other groups had been moved here from the full Valley Resort, so I’d recommend avoiding both.

Gangtey Tent Resort – Cozy! Especially on a cool, rainy afternoon. Our tent had a space heater, radiant floor heat, and a mattress warmer, so we were definitely not cold. No king bed available, but the doubles were quite roomy.

All tents have a porch with two chairs that offer great views across the valley.

There are some stairs to get to the tents, and given the near 3000m altitude, you do get a little winded. Thankfully the staff took our bags for us! The wifi was surprisingly good for a fairly remote site, 27/25.

We ordered dinner from the menu in advance when we checked in, rather than opt for the set menu. I decided to get the Thai chicken with some red rice and Leandra opted for the lemongrass soup and the Chinese noodles with vegetables and beef. Although there wasn’t much beef in it, the amount of spice was tolerable. The manager seemed worried that we didn’t like the food because I didn’t eat a lot so she brought over some of the semi-spicy pork ribs for us to try which Leandra happily ate. This was also an opportunity to try a Bhutanese red wine, a dry Shiraz with a peppery notes and a little bit of smoke, very pleasant to drink.

This was one of our favorite stays and I wouldn’t have minded additional nights here.

Gaselo Eco Lodge – Located way up a mountainside, which made for some nice views!

We were in a quirky cabin, with nearly every surface made of wood, including a rough floor, which lent a unique resin/wood smell to the room. The bed was king sized, firm but reasonably comfortable.

On a positive note there were outlets by bed, but the nightstand tables were two feet away. For sleeping, the room had a ceiling fan, and the curtains let in some light. In general it was very quiet – except for birds, who start very early!

The door to the room doesn’t have a knob, you need to latch it closed from inside, or use the padlock on the outside. We helped two other couples figure out their doors too. The bathroom is sparse, no shelf for items and no shampoo, just a bar of soap sitting in shower. Internet is slow, 2/2, and there was not a strong signal at our room on the end of property.

Dinner on both nights was good – we ate here because it was wildly impractical to go all the way back into town after dark. Only vegetarian options were available but there was plenty to eat. Started with pumpkin ginger soup, then helped ourselves from a buffet area of freshly made items (non-steam table). Red rice, charred green beans (fave), eggplant, chili cheese (of course) and several others. For protein, one night we had eggs that were boiled, then fried, then halved and mixed with onion, ginger, etc. and the next night we had fluffy whipped eggs.

Breakfast was also good, with toast, spicy potato, red rice, and egg crepes. The owner was around for each meal and was exceptionally nice.

Overall, we appreciated our stay here, but it probably would have been easier for one night rather than two.

Thimphu Tower – located right in the middle of the city, surrounded by lots of restaurants and shops.

Our room was large with lots of open space, a little beat up and the floor was slippery in spots, but generally clean. Our room faced south with nice views of the clock square and beyond to the Buddha statue.

Our room had a firm bed, as expected, and the windows didn’t block much noise (cars, barking dogs) so we slept with earplugs. The bathroom had a nice shower and good towels, but they got smelly overnight. We left our key at reception, so they replaced our towels and tidied up a bit for us while we were sightseeing.

We were on the top floor and the elevator was also weirdly odorous, smelling different each time we were in it… it became a running joke during our two days. Wifi was surprisingly slow, 2/5 in lobby; 4/2 in room. Thankfully, laundry prices were reasonable so we had about 3 days of clothes cleaned for about $5.

We didn’t eat dinner here as we could easily walk to a number of restaurants, but we did have breakfast. The night before they only wanted to offer boiled eggs in the morning, but when we got there, they definitely had scrambled and fried eggs along with several other hot items made to order, plus cereal, toast and juice.

Our Itinerary

2025 Trips

Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls, Argentina + Brazil (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Doha, Qatar (May)
Bristol, UK (Jun)
London, UK (Jul)
Long Island, NY (Jul)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
Turin, Italy (Oct)