COMO Uma Punakha

Renowned for its rice farming, glittering temples, and enchanting landscapes, the Punakha Valley is the forested setting for this COMO Uma Punakha, which overlooks a scenic bend in the Mo Chu River. Designed in the classic Bhutanese style with stacked-stone and carved-wood exteriors, this stately property occupies the perfect perch to enjoy vistas of the lush valley floor, hill-ascending terraced rice paddies, and the misty cloud forests covering the mountains.

Murals from local artists adorn the clean, white walls of the hotel’s 10 bright and airy suites and spacious villas, whose minimalist, wood-clad interiors look out over the river and valley from floor-to-ceiling windows.

Although Punakha is an agricultural cornucopia—known throughout Bhutan as the country’s Rice Bowl and producing everything from chilies to different varieties of its signature starchy grain—COMO Uma Punakha proudly grows much of its own produce on the grounds in a kitchen garden. Nearly everything else is sourced from nearby farms and providers, with meals at the Bukhari restaurant constantly changing to reflect what’s fresh and in-season.

The days of your stay can be filled as you see fit, from hiking along ancient pilgrimage routes to rafting down the river. Holistic healing treatments like hot-stone baths and massages are waiting at the end of the day back at the spa, followed by sipping locally made whiskies on one of the breezy outdoor terraces as night falls over the valley.

COMO Uma has a sister property: Como Uma Paro.