Cover Traditional shingle roofs rise from the long grass at Pemako Punakha, with the Mo Chhu glinting beyond
Traditional shingle roofs rise from the long grass at Pemako Punakha, with the Mo Chhu glinting beyond
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Pemako’s two hotels in Bhutan, Bill Bensley’s tented retreat in Punakha and a dzong-inspired building in Thimphu reworked by P49 Deesign, place traditional Bhutanese building methods alongside contemporary luxury
Outside the entrance to each tented villa at Pemako Punakha, in the Punakha valley of western Bhutan, a small roof covers the doorway. Its pine shingles are held down with river stones rather than nails, as Bhutanese carpenters have long done. Inside each tent, the renowned designer Bill Bensley has filled the rooms with saffron, copper and carved black timber, and out on the deck a private heated pool overlooks the Mo Chhu, the “Mother River”.
Throughout the resort, Bhutanese building traditions stay in plain sight, on its roofs and along its arrival route, while the designer is given free rein inside the villas. At Pemako, Bhutan’s first home-grown luxury hospitality brand, the two sit easily side by side.
Above Mist over the river: Morning mist settles over the Mo Chhu and the hills of the Punakha Valley
Mist over the river: Morning mist settles over the Mo Chhu and the hills of the Punakha Valley
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Threaded through the landscape
Above The main lodge on the banks of the Mo Chhu, surrounded by retained forest and meadow
Above The arrival path passes walls of caged river stone, where water falls into a pebbled pool on the way into Pemako
The main lodge on the banks of the Mo Chhu, surrounded by retained forest and meadow
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Above The lodge on a bend of the Mo Chhu, as clouds lift off the Punakha valley
The lodge on a bend of the Mo Chhu, as clouds lift off the Punakha valley
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On the banks of the Mo Chhu, a short distance from Punakha Dzong, Pemako Punakha occupies 60 acres of forest. The valley is lower and warmer than much of the country, and Punakha was Bhutan’s capital until the 1950s.
Dasho Wangchuk Dorji, owner of Pemako Hotels and chairman of the Tashi Group, bought the land with a hotel in mind. “Bhutan has such a deep respect for nature embedded in how we think about land,” he says, “so from the start our approach was to leave the surroundings as wild and undisturbed as possible, letting the resort be threaded through the landscape rather than imposed on it.”
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Above A covered timber bridge, carved and bracketed in the Bhutanese manner, leads towards Soma
Above Prayer wheels line a timber gallery at Pemako Punakha, so guests can turn them as they pass
A covered timber bridge, carved and bracketed in the Bhutanese manner, leads towards Soma
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Above Carved timber galleries rise from a stone base with ochre columns below
Above A gravel courtyard framed by ochre walls and timber colonnades, with metal lotus sculptures at its centre
Carved timber galleries rise from a stone base with ochre columns below
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Parts of the site had once been farmed, and the few old structures that stood on it were kept. Trees came down only where the internal roads and the villas required it, and more than 5,000 have been planted since.
Twenty-one tented villas, among them a two-bedroom family villa and an expansive presidential suite, opened here in 2023. Each is individually sited, so that privacy comes from the landscape and the lie of the land rather than from walls or the distance between identical units. The contours were studied closely, and the road and each villa were set at different elevations to balance access against views. The masterplan was then refined villa by villa, allowing each to respond to its own stretch of hillside.
From the lobby, the farthest villa is about 1.7 kilometres away. Butlers drive guests by buggy to meals and the spa, and nearly all of the staff are local residents.
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Above A tented villa set into the pine forest, its pool facing the valley and a shingle-roofed buggy shelter on the slope above
A tented villa set into the pine forest, its pool facing the valley and a shingle-roofed buggy shelter on the slope above
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Across the water
Above The prayer-flag-lined suspension bridge over the Mo Chhu that marks the crossing into Pemako
The prayer-flag-lined suspension bridge over the Mo Chhu that marks the crossing into Pemako
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Pemako translates as “hidden lotus-shaped land”. Reaching the villas means following the story of the beyul, one of the hidden earthly paradises of Himalayan Buddhist tradition. Guests cross a suspension bridge strung with prayer flags and pass a waterfall, a reference to the original hidden land, which could be reached only by crossing water. A blessing with an offering of water follows, and the buildings come into view gradually as the path winds through the forest.
“The sequence is intended to give guests the time and space to detach from everyday distractions before they have even seen their villa,” Dorji says
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Above Water spills down walls of caged river stone into a shallow pool on the arrival path, beside a whitewashed shrine housing a prayer wheel
Above River stones weigh down the pine shingle roofs at the entrance to Pemako Punakha
Water spills down walls of caged river stone into a shallow pool on the arrival path, beside a whitewashed shrine housing a prayer wheel
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Under canvas
Above The living area of a tented villa, with black lacquered furniture, saffron upholstery and windows onto the pines
The living area of a tented villa, with black lacquered furniture, saffron upholstery and windows onto the pines
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Bensley, an American landscape architect and interior designer based in Bangkok, is known for his theatrical hotels across Asia, and Pemako Punakha is his only resort in Bhutan. He met Dorji while on holiday in the country, and a conversation about hotels led to the commission. The tents, however, were Dorji’s idea. “The concept of the tented pool villas also came from me, as I saw an opportunity to create Bhutan’s first luxury tented resort,” he says. Bensley developed the concept, and local craftsmanship brought it to life.
Above A tented villa bedroom, where a headboard of black arched niches is framed by windows onto the forest
A tented villa bedroom, where a headboard of black arched niches is framed by windows onto the forest
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Above A daybed beneath a rounded window looks out to the pool, with a painting of a dzong on the wall beyond
Above From the bed of a tented villa, a rounded window looks out to the deck, the pool and the valley beyond
A daybed beneath a rounded window looks out to the pool, with a painting of a dzong on the wall beyond
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Inside the fabric walls, the bed is large enough for four (and change), with saffron cushions along its length, and faces windows that can be unzipped for an expansive view of the pines. The black lacquer cabinets are carved with arched niches, and above them runs a band of dark Bhutanese cornice work, while a metal chandelier hangs from the tented ceiling. In the bathroom, the ochre-red walls are painted with traditional motifs, and the bathtub is hammered copper. Bensley makes no attempt at restraint, and the rooms are richer for it.
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Above A copper bathtub in a villa bathroom, framed by red walls and painted Bhutanese cornices
Above Hammered copper basins and brass-framed mirrors in a villa bathroom, screened by sheer curtains
A copper bathtub in a villa bathroom, framed by red walls and painted Bhutanese cornices
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For all its exuberance, much of the decoration has Bhutanese roots. The brief drew on monasteries and dzongs, village houses and the life of the country’s nomadic highlanders. Smoky black finishes recall the interiors of traditional homes, where cooking fires darkened the walls over generations. The artefacts come from highlander culture, and the oranges and yellows from the national flag.
“The overall aim was to create a contemporary expression of Bhutanese identity that felt entirely connected to its setting,” Dorji says, “rather than introducing a generic luxury aesthetic.”
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Above A villa deck of grey stone, its heated infinity pool facing the pine-covered hills
A villa deck of grey stone, its heated infinity pool facing the pine-covered hills
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Each villa has its own heated pool at the edge of the deck, facing the river. The paths winding between the villas were laid out with privacy in mind, so no one passing on foot or by buggy can see into the pool area, while the river and the valley stay in full view.
Keeping 21 heated pools in a forest takes some care. Each holds about 35,000 litres of water, which is filtered and circulated continuously rather than drained and refilled, with ozone treatment to keep chlorine to a minimum. Solar covers hold in the warmth and limit evaporation, and the power for all of it comes from Bhutan’s grid, which runs largely on run-of-the-river hydropower.
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Above A tented villa and its long private pool, framed by flowering trees on the hillside
A tented villa and its long private pool, framed by flowering trees on the hillside
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Stupas, banners and mythical beasts
Above The lobby at Pemako Punakha, where Bill Bensley sets gilded stupas against a black wall beneath long white lanterns
The lobby at Pemako Punakha, where Bill Bensley sets gilded stupas against a black wall beneath long white lanterns
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Above A carved and painted relief of a dzong beside saffron velvet armchairs in the lobby
Above A corridor at Pemako Punakha, hung with silk temple banners and lined with sculpted mythical beasts
A carved and painted relief of a dzong beside saffron velvet armchairs in the lobby
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In the common spaces, Bensley’s flair for drama comes fully into view. Gilded stupas fill the niches of a black wall in the lobby, and a carved stupa rises from a copper lotus at the centre of the room. Beyond it, a corridor of saffron, red and blue walls is hung with silk temple banners and lined with sculpted mythical beasts. The artwork throughout is by Bhutanese artists, and Bensley stages it with the scale and colour of a dzong festival.
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Above Soma, the all-day restaurant, where a cascading white chandelier hangs beneath a carved timber ceiling
Above Arched Bhutanese windows frame the river and the valley beyond Soma
Soma, the all-day restaurant, where a cascading white chandelier hangs beneath a carved timber ceiling
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Above A riverside deck with terraced rice fields rising beyond the Mo Chhu
A riverside deck with terraced rice fields rising beyond the Mo Chhu
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Across an ornate covered bridge lies Soma, the all-day restaurant. Inside are burnished marble, carved columns and ogee windows that frame narrow slices of the valley. Outside, a terrace of cushioned banquettes and day-beds faces the river.
For the best view on the property, guests head to the Five Nectars Bar, which looks out over the river and the lower Punakha valley. Worked largely in wood, it is lit at night so that it glows against the hillside. Beneath it is Sura, which has a chef’s table at a granite counter and private dining rooms furnished with saffron velvet chairs and woven pendant lights.
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The Five Nectars Bar on its stone base above the Mo Chhu, with the lower Punakha valley stretching beyond
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Some distance from the main lodge, a restored heritage home houses Alchemy House, the resort’s Bhutanese restaurant. Its walls are finished in black, and its cornices carry the traditional horzhu and choetse details in dark lacquered wood, with brightly coloured furniture and lamps. Diners sit cross-legged on cushioned benches at two long, low tables, and dishes are cooked in clay pots and served in wooden bowls.
Above A whitewashed Bhutanese farmhouse with carved timber windows, one of the old structures kept on the site
A whitewashed Bhutanese farmhouse with carved timber windows, one of the old structures kept on the site
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Above Low tables and cushioned benches at Alchemy House, where diners sit cross-legged beneath dark timber beams
Above The resort’s picnic spot with its doors opening onto the pines and the valley beyond
Low tables and cushioned benches at Alchemy House, where diners sit cross-legged beneath dark timber beams
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The Lotus Realm Spa’s treatment rooms are gathered together on the hillside, set among the trees. Its treatments draw on Sowa Rigpa, Bhutan’s traditional system of medicine, and include a hot stone bath, in which heated river stones warm water infused with herbs.
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The steam and sauna are in a row of stacked-timber buildings beneath the trees, linked by a stone path
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A hidden land in the capital
Above Pemako Thimphu’s dzong-inspired façade, its tiered roofs rising against the mist-wrapped hillside of the capital
Pemako Thimphu’s dzong-inspired façade, its tiered roofs rising against the mist-wrapped hillside of the capital
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Three hours’ drive away, in the capital, Pemako Thimphu has 66 rooms and suites in the former Taj Tashi, a building that opened in 2008 close to the city centre. It already had a dzong-inspired character when Pemako took it over, with sloping walls, carved timberwork and courtyards, and Dorji says the aim has been to work with that structure rather than undo it.
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Above Saffron and teal against grey walls in a guest room, beneath a painted Bhutanese lintel
Above A bathroom finished in veined amber marble, with a round black-framed mirror
Saffron and teal against grey walls in a guest room, beneath a painted Bhutanese lintel
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Above A newly renovated bathroom by P49 Deesign, finished in veined amber marble with a round black-framed mirror
Above A newly renovated guest room by P49 Deesign, where the headboard wall is framed in the shape of traditional Bhutanese windows and a copper bathtub stands beyond
A newly renovated bathroom by P49 Deesign, finished in veined amber marble with a round black-framed mirror
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P49 Deesign, the award-winning hospitality interior design studio headquartered in Bangkok, is leading a full renovation, scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. The rooms are being redesigned with more Bhutanese motifs and with Pemako’s emblem, the lotus, a reference to the meaning of the name. Headboards take their patterns from traditional windows and textiles, sliding doors follow the outline of Bhutanese windows, and local motifs run through the furniture. Water is dispensed from a traditional Bhutanese kami.
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Above A fire pit in the courtyard, set beneath carved timber eaves with the forested slopes of the Thimphu valley beyond
A fire pit in the courtyard, set beneath carved timber eaves with the forested slopes of the Thimphu valley beyond
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Above Black panels painted with gold flowers alternate with deep orange drapes at Chig-je-gye the Bhutanese restaurant in Pemako Thimphu
Black panels painted with gold flowers alternate with deep orange drapes at Chig-je-gye the Bhutanese restaurant in Pemako Thimphu
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Bhutan’s national guidelines had already fixed part of the design language, requiring traditional architectural elements on new and renovated buildings, particularly in Thimphu. “Within that framework, there is real room for interpretation,” Dorji says, and that interpretation lies in how familiar forms are carried into the materials, proportions and finishes of a contemporary hotel.
Where Punakha draws its sense of place from the forest and the river, Thimphu has to create its own. The hotel is conceived as a hidden land within the city, its courtyards and quiet interiors closing off the traffic outside. Privacy depends less on distance than on how the building holds guests once they are inside, and the dzong and the markets are a short walk away.
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Chapters of the same story
Above Masked dancers perform the cham, a Bhutanese sacred dance, beside a private dinner in the meadow
Masked dancers perform the cham, a Bhutanese sacred dance, beside a private dinner in the meadow
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A third property, Pemako Paro, is due to open in 2029. It is being designed with the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and his firm, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), whose landscape-responsive projects include Hôtel des Horlogers in Switzerland and NOT A HOTEL Setouchi in Japan. BIG is already working in Bhutan, on Gelephu Mindfulness City and Gelephu International Airport. In Paro, the plan is for a small number of hillside villas with private pools, set into the contours of the land, with views towards Tiger’s Nest.
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Above The Five Nectars Bar lit at dusk, a tiered timber pavilion on a stone base above the river
The Five Nectars Bar lit at dusk, a tiered timber pavilion on a stone base above the river
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To Dorji, Punakha and Thimphu belong to the same story, the retreat in the valley and the base in the capital. Both, he says, were built with “the same instinct to make guests feel part of the culture rather than observers of it.” They share exterior finishes in the same colour, made with locally sourced clay, and the same roofs. From a window in Thimphu, the shingles below are held down with river stones, as they are above the villa doors in the Punakha valley, where this story began.
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Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
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