Hot List Hotels 2008
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This seven-story structure is a welcome addition to the emerging kingdom's small capital city. Offering an appealingly chic design, it also reflects traditional architecture, with its exterior walls painted a saffron hue with swirling dragons and Buddhism's eight sacred symbols. The 66 elegant rooms—the smallest of which measure 450 square feet—are a haven with high ceilings, dark-brown lacquered wood floors, walls mounted with mandalas, heated floors in bathrooms, and cushioned daybeds from which to gawk at the Himalayas. Early-morning risers may catch sight of the monk who chants prayers in the outdoor courtyard, also where traditional dancers perform most nights around the sunken fire pit. Mirrored walls affixed with an auspicious 108 Tibetan horns decorate the walls at the restaurant Chig Je Gye, where the impressive Bhutanese menu includes a milky river-weed soup and ema-datshi, the national dish of melted cheese with grated chilies. Rimps, the lobby-level tea lounge with dramatic carved walls rising another four stories, serves a tasty salted butter tea and offers a selection of authoritative reads on the region. Beneath the indoor pool is the aromatic Taj Spa.
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