Amankora Gangtey

Large, family-style tables are at the centre of the dining room, which takes full advantage of the view with a wall of windows. Enjoy candlelit dinners of Bhutanese classics, as well as more continental fare, paired with house wines. In little farm houses with bamboo doors that open to reveal the valley, you'll find two massage rooms and a hot stone bath for an extra dash of relaxation. Decorated in shades of yellow and cream, the lounge is a great place to tuck into a book or enjoy a cup of tea.

Minimalist but not lacking in any comfort, the hotel has just eight suites with tall cathedral windows and a demure day bed. Warmed by wood-burning stoves with woven baskets containing extra logs, the suites are furnished with king-size beds in white linens, quirky lamps and a small lounge area - but no mini bar or TV. The en-suite bathrooms are lovely with a deep tub lined with terrazzo, rain shower, double basins and a spacious, walk-in closet.

Just five minutes from the hotel's tree-lined home, you can join monks for prayers at dawn (with breakfast!) or dusk. In season, the valley is known for its 300-strong flock of black-necked cranes and you can learn all about them at the visitor centre including the legend that they circle three times on arrival to pay their respects to the sacred jewels of Buddhism. There are plenty of hiking trails ranging from lengthy treks into the mountains to shorter meanders through jewel-bright fields of rhododendrons. You can't visit Bhutan without learning their national sport so an hour or two of archery is a 'must'!