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&Beyond Punakha River Lodge
Punakha, Bhutan · andBeyond · Grand Luxury
Bhutanese royalty once owned this stretch of the Mo Chu River, and an earlier American-led resort project on the same 50-acre site was abandoned before completion. AndBeyond bought the land in 2016 and opened Punakha River Lodge in September 2023 as its first wholly-owned property in Asia: six tented suites raised on traditional rammed-earth-and-timber frames, plus a private-pool villa and River House, with local craftsman Ap Gembo carving the bedside and bathroom woodwork.
- 6 rooms
- Opened 2023
- Interiors: Fox Browne Creative
About &Beyond Punakha River Lodge
- The lodge's 50-acre site once belonged to a member of Bhutan's royal family and was later slated for an American-owned rafting resort that was never completed.
- AndBeyond acquired the land in 2016 and opened Punakha River Lodge in September 2023, its first wholly owned and managed property in Asia.
- Six of the lodge's suites are canvas-and-timber tents suspended inside frames built in the rammed-earth style of traditional Bhutanese homes.
- Local craftsman Ap Gembo of Thimphu carved the decorative wood panels around the beds and bathtubs.
- The lodge offers easy access to the Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten, a hilltop temple across a river suspension bridge that is one of the valley's biggest draws for hikers.
History
The lodge's 50-acre site on the Mo Chu River once belonged to a member of Bhutan's royal family and was later slated for an American-owned rafting resort that was never completed. andBeyond acquired the land in 2016 and, working with hospitality design firm Fox Browne Creative and local Bhutanese craftspeople, opened Punakha River Lodge in September 2023 as its first wholly owned and managed property in Asia. Six of the suites are canvas-and-timber tents suspended inside frames built in the rammed-earth style of traditional Bhutanese homes; craftsman Ap Gembo of Thimphu carved the decorative wood panels around the beds and bathtubs.
Restaurants and bars
- Punakha River Lodge dining room — Restaurant
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