Park yourself on the outdoor terrace, preferably by a smoking, standing fireplace, for a seasonally driven dinner made with local organic ingredients-red rice, hand-ground buckwheat flour, apple cider vinegar, and hand-molded farm cheese. The restaurant Bukhari, so named for the traditional Bhutanese fireplace, might be the best place to savor these vistas. About a three-hour drive away, the 11-room COMO Uma Punakha sits at the farthest edge of the Punakha Valley, offering guests views of terraced rice fields, the temple of Khamsum Yuley Namgay, and snowcapped Himalayan peaks. You're in a prime location for hiking and exploring the natural wonders around you, not to mention trekking to visit nearby Buddhist temples. In the Paro Valley, the intimate COMO Uma Paro melds Bhutanese craftsmanship with signature COMO amenities-especially those centered around wellness. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is home to two magical destination retreats by COMO, each of which offers its own unique pleasures. Doubles from $920 (all-inclusive, minimum three nights). For all its grin-inducing whimsy, this is the real thing. Shinta Mani Wild is no airy piece of greenwashing. Among scores of river- and forest-based adventures, the most fulfilling was joining an anti-poaching patrol team, whose sheer love for the minutiae of the jungle belied the AK-47s slung across their shoulders. I could thrill to the snappily dressed staff ushering me to take a river safari or eat wonderful foraged food in the main tent.
This meant I could properly enjoy one of the decadent, whimsically themed tents along the river, and the house-made herbal tonics in the thatched spa, against the happy background hum of the Raging Sister waterfall. No, it’s the fact that Bensley bought an 865-acre swath of magical, orchid-rich rain forest between three national parks to protect it from logging, mining, and poaching. To me, the most thrilling thing about the place isn’t that you arrive by army four-wheel-drive and then zip-wire over the forest canopy, your grins met with a Khmer G&T beside the rushing river. Shinta Mani Wild is an even deeper immersion into nature-specifically, the lush wilderness of southwestern Cambodia. I first came across the work of Bangkok-based American Bill Bensley when I stayed at the Capella Ubud in Bali, a joyous feat of maximalist storytelling in the jungle. There aren’t many hotel designers whose creations have genuinely made my face hurt from smiling.
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