Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [83]
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Thimphu really comes alive during the annual tsechu, held consecutively over eight to ten days in September/October, corresponding to the eighth lunar month in the Bhutanese calendar. For dates and more information Click here. Another colourful and entertaining event that is uniquely Bhutanese is a good archery competition; Click here for details.
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SLEEPING
If you are on a normal tourist visa, you will probably be booked into one of the comfortable midrange hotels unless you have payed a premium for a top-end hotel. Also, if you have scheduled your trip during the Thimphu tsechu, you may find yourself ‘bumped’ into budget digs, a smaller guesthouse or even a private home. If you end up as a house guest, you will get the chance to make new friends and will have found the perfect recipient for the bottle of duty-free liquor you bought en route.
If you are an Indian national or are working in Bhutan on a project, you have the option to choose a more moderately priced hotel. The budget hotels listed here are not as comfortable as the tourist hotels, but they’re all quite adequate. For those paying their own way, hotels will charge 10% sales tax and 10% service on the rates shown. Many of the smaller hotels make no distinction between double or single occupancy and simply charge by the room.
Budget
All the hotels listed below have hot water and heating, but you may have to turn on your hot water service yourself (and don’t forget the tap as well) and request a portable room heater.
Hotel Zey Zang (Map; 334707; Norzin Lam; s/d Nu 600/800) The recently established Zey Zang is a comfortable and secure hotel at the top of the budget range. The rooms are rather characterless (save for the bright curtains), airy, carpeted, spotless and equipped with cable TV and heater. The small bathrooms have a shower but no tub. There’s a large restaurant-bar and very attentive staff.
Centre Lodge (Map; 334331; fax 324709; Centre Mall, Norzin Lam; d Nu 800-1200) Most of this hotel’s rooms are bright and sunny, heated, have a TV and are very well kept. The name is apt for this central location. The down side is the seemingly endless staircase to access the rooms.
Hotel Tandin (Map; 322380; Norzin Lam; s/d/ste Nu 350/450/650) The Tandin is in the centre of the city, near the cinema, and boasts a bar, restaurant and a nifty little philatelic shop. The rooms are plain and not immune to noise, but have the all-important heater plus the less necessary TV.
Hotel Yoedzer (Map; 324007; fax 325927; City Centre Complex, Wogzin Lam; s/d from Nu 400/500) This friendly hotel is conveniently located near Clocktower Sq. The rooms are a little tired but clean enough and there are larger suites available. The restaurant does great Indian food and the chef’s shepherd’s pie has attracted a small appreciation society.
Hotel Norling (Map; 322997; fax 324447; Norling Centre, Norzin Lam; s/d Nu 350/550) The Norling is central, cheap and noisy and the basic rooms are clean and the staff friendly.
Midrange
All hotels in this range have TV (cable or satellite), heating, phones and private bathrooms with 24-hour hot water. Prices given are usually for standard rooms; a smaller number of deluxe rooms and suites are also usually available for a higher tariff, and some hotels have apartments for long-term rental.
Druk Hotel (Map; 322966; fax 322677; drukhotel@druknet.bt; Wogzin Lam; s/d/ste Nu 2700/3000/6000; ) This hotel has long been considered the best in Thimphu. With the arrival of the big boys in the form of Taj and Aman, the friendly Druk will settle for a lower profile – which will suit many of its fans. It is in the centre of town, overlooking Clocktower Sq and boasts a bar, a multicuisine restaurant noted for its Indian food, a business centre with wireless internet, a hair salon and a health club with a gym, sauna and steam bath.
Jumolhari Hotel (Map; 322747; fax 324412; www.hoteljumolhari.com; Wogzin Lam; s/d