Spirit of Bhutan Resort

Lovely boutique stay in Paro Lovely small hotel. The staff are so so attentive and really made sure every comfort was met. I enjoyed learning about Bhutan (culture, history, current affairs) just from long chats with them while waiting for dinner. The food was also really good.

Stayed for three nights (booked by travel agency). Had seen positive reviews, but my experience was quite negative. Good location within walking distance of the Paro festival. Soundproofing is entirely lacking. You can hear dogs barking outside, conversations in other rooms and in the hallway as if it happened in your own room. The first two nights the hotel was nearly empty, but it filled up on my last day. I was awakened before 06:00 by what sounded like a herd of buffaloes in the room upstairs pacing the super-squeaky floor, then some men in Bhutanese attire (not sure whether hotel staff or guides) talking loudly in the hallway right near my door. The electric heaters provided are a safety hazard. When I arrived, the room was very cold. An electric heater was plugged in but appeared too weak to warm up the room, which was quite spacious. I asked for another electric heater, then realized that the plug of the first heater was overheated, and when I unplugged it one of the prongs had melted! Beds and pillows were reasonably comfortable. Room amenities included an electric kettle, which had an Australian plug that didn't fit any of the power outlets in the room. One of the night lamps had no cord to plug it in, so it was on the nightstand for decoration only On the first day the hot water in the shower ran out abruptly after a couple of minutes. The staff indicated that I should have turned on a switch labeled "Geyser" which was hidden in the back of the bathroom. No one had mentioned it on arrival when they showed me to my room. On the second night I had the water heater turned on but the hot water ran out abruptly after about five minutes. It was a double room, so five minutes’ worth of hot water is all that’s provided for two people. Housekeeping left a lot to be desired. Every day there was something missing or not replaced: soap bar, toilet paper, hand towel, etc. I never had a bath mat. Wifi was extremely slow (2-3 Mbps). Breakfast to order (no buffet), quite mediocre. Staff was nice, albeit often inept. The front desk rarely answered the phone.