Just finished up a 7 day cultural tour of Bhutan. There were just two of us and we went with Nirvana Expeditions. They were very prompt with any responses to my emails before the trip. During the trip, a few things i asked about never materialized and as we checked out on our last day from the Zhiwaling Hotel in Paro, our guide suddenly told us that meals were not included at this hotel. That was a bit of a bummer since he was the one telling us to eat there. I really enjoyed speaking with Dechen and Sonam who run the company, and i can see if Sonam is your guide that it would be a great trip but he wasn%26#39;t our guide so I can%26#39;t fully recommend using Nirvana. If you do go with them, i think you%26#39;ll still have a great trip but i would confirm the total cost before you leave.
All the sights are amazing. It%26#39;s an unbelievably beautiful and extremely safe place. Yes, the trek up to Tiger%26#39;s Nest is difficult but worth every second. The people are friendly and dogs are everywhere but they are not a problem as long as you look where you walk!
We stayed in Thimphu, Paro and Punakha.
Thimphu we stayed in the Taj. very nice large rooms, friendly bar, great location for walking around thimphu. Didn%26#39;t look like the gym or the spa was open but we never tried either.
They are doing a lot of construction on some retail stores as part of this complex but it didnt cause any problems. My biggest complaint with this place is that it is a bit over the top with service. Every time you turn around someone is asking if everything is ok, can they do anything, do you need help etc.. I am all for good service but this doting became annoying. Otherwise it%26#39;s a great place to stay if you don%26#39;t mind spending the extra money.
In Punakha we stayed at the Meri Peusum. This is essentially a Bhutanese Motel 6. The room was very basic but the setting of the hotel is great. Up on a hill, great views. It felt like being in a wine country Inn.
In Paro we stayed at the Zhiwaling Hotel. This was the nicest place. Not the best location. You can%26#39;t walk anywhere but the grounds and the room were great. You get your own little deck to sit outside on, heated bathroom floors and a good place to have dinner. (not Bhutanese or even an asian menu in anyway but still good)
All the food was edible but three places stood out for us. All three served traditional Bhutanese food according to our guide. They all served similar chilli based dishes
In Thimphu, Mid-Point was good. In Paro, Bhutan Nest and Sonam%26#39;s Trophel stood out. The least impressive was the Meri Puensum Hotel in Punakha. It was edible but I really don%26#39;t think that was chicken.
Not every dish at every place was spicy but most dishes were. We didn%26#39;t have any intestinal issues and we ate everything put in front of us, drank the milk, coffee, juices, teas etc.. we always used bottle water, even to brush out teeth.
Three things i would say to bring:
#1 if you have an old polaroid camera, bring it. The people love having their picture taken but it%26#39;s difficult to give them a copy any other way.
#2 Children%26#39;s books. If you can afford to bring a few extra children%26#39;s books it would go a long way. The schools and libraries have very little. Email your guide before hand and ask if they can help get the books in the right hands. I know Dechen at Nirvana can.
#3 Antibacterial Hand cream. The kids love to slap your hand and touch your camera but their noses are always running.
Overall we loved the trip and would not hesitate to go back.
Bhutan Oct '08-My Take
Dions:
Thanks for the report. My wife and I are off today for 11 days and we are also utilizing Nirvana. We flt into Paro on the 23rd via Bangkok. I agree that Sonham and Dechen have been quite resopnsive to our inquiries. I think the only place we%26#39;re staying that is the same is the place in Punakha. Thanks for the eating tips. I%26#39;ll note your concern on the guides and be alert to any changes etc. We have had fairly good experiences with guides on previous trips to China, India, Nepal, Tibet and Vietnam so we%26#39;ll have a decent basis of comparison. I%26#39;ll do a trip report when I return.
Bhutan Oct '08-My Take
we are also going with Nirvana, in March, so it was helpful to read your feedback and about your experience.
One thing I have not gotten clear about is the dining issue. How are the meals paid for? Does the guide take a wad of cash and pay for meals wherever you are eating? We definitely don%26#39;t want to always eat at hotels, and Dechen has said we can eat where we want, but I am not clear on the process. also, does the guide eat with you or can you eat without them? If so, how is the money handled? I%26#39;d appreciate any more infof you can give me.
Jeanie
As we have been to Bhutan three times with Nirvana, I can tell you that wherever we ate, our guide took care of the payment for meals. Mostly he preferred to eat somewhere else, not with us, but sometimes we asked him to join us. We could ask to eat either in the hotels or in any local place. Sometimes on the way there was no choice of different cafe%26#39;s, and usually we ate dinner in the hotel.
