Hotel Review: Dewachen Hotel in Gangtey, Bhutan

Hotel Dewachen in Gangtey, Bhutan

By the time we got back to our car after walking through the Gangtey Village and went looking for Hotel Dewachen, where we were booked, it had started drizzling in Gangtey Valley. So what we had a long day driving from Bumthang to Gangtey? We weren’t tired. But yes, we were longing for some hot afternoon drink 🙂

Perched in a little hillock is Hotel Dewachen. It is lined with a thick cover of pine trees at the back, thereby giving it a very royal look. We were scheduled to be stationed in Gangtey for just that night. The long drive to Paro awaited us the next day.

Dewachen Hotel’s Restaurant: Sonam took us straight to the restaurant, while the hotel staff unloaded our bags and kept them in the room. The restaurant on the 2nd floor, right in the middle of the hotel and flanked by rooms on either side, overlooking the Phobkjhika Valley. Your instant impulse will be to grab the table by the window so that you can dreamily sip your drink looking out into the valley. They even have a fireplace. Which means, the days when it is too cold, this is where you hang around over drinks. Very clean and very well maintained, the food is reasonably good here at the restaurant. The Hotel staff try their best to honour every request of yours.

Our stay at Hotel Dewachen:Hot tea, coffee and milk over, we headed straight for our roon. By now it had started raining and was getting colder. We needed our jackets.

One look at the room and the view from it, I told Jayanta that there was no way he could get me out of Hotel Dewachen at 8 am the next day!!! One large King-sized bed covered with the colourful Bhutanese bedcovers, wooden floors, a fireplace, large chairs by the window, this looked so sot cosy. And wait. The view outside could take your breath away. Large French windows and all that you could see through the panes was the unending Phobjhika Valley. Both Jayanta and I were speechless for a while. It didn’t take much haggling on my part to convince him about a later than scheduled check-out the next day. He called up Sonam, requested him for a check out around 10am and a trek of the Phobjhika Valley. Sonam warned us that this would delay our arrival at Paro. But we were fine reaching Paro even after dark. Plans changed, stay extended, we happily sat down in the chairs and kept looking out as dusk fell and slowly covered the valley in its dark cloak. Ethereal.

Next morning, I woke up early to catch the first ray of the sun in the valley. Bliss.

Final Word about Hotel Dewachen: If in Gangtey, don’t even think of any other place. Criminal not to stay in Hotel Dewachen.

****************

Plan your #BhutanHoliday with the help of our itinerary and compilation of experiences in Thimpu, Punakha, Bumthang, Gangtey and Paro — click this link — 10-day Itinerary & Tips for a Bhutan Holiday