Retreats | Uma Paro, Bhutan

"Bhutan offers an opportunity to glimpse another way of living, an alternative vision of what is truly important in life."

When my best friend visited Bhutan last year, I had to admit I was a little confused. It was a country I'd rarely heard of, yet alone thought of visiting, but she had an uncle there, so off she went. Looking at these pictures of the Uma Paro hotel in the "transcendently beautiful location" of Paro, I am beginning to understand the appeal. The latest venture of Christina Ong, the Uma Paro takes advantage of "a strong indigenous Buddhist tradition in crafting a serene and possibly even spiritual hotel experience". High in the Himalayas, Uma Paro's main lodge building and its nine outlying villas are set into 38 acres of wooded hillsides, with "stunning views of the peaks above and the valleys below". At the retreat's Shambhala Spa, the emphasis is "less on beauty than on yoga, massage and Ayurvedic medicine, striving to offer wellness not just physical but spiritual as well". I'm feeling relaxed already.

Images and information via Tablet Hotels / Main quote via Lonely Planet