Five years in the making, Zhiwa Ling is a tribute to the ornate architectural arts of Bhutan. Every part of the hotel is handmade, from the massive hand-carved wooden beams to the seemingly endless designs of the colorful, hand-painted ceilings and walls. We are Bhutan's first locally owned, faithfully traditional luxury hotel that also happens to have all the modern conveniences that technology can provide. As a result, guests can experience an authentic Buddhist ceremony beside the 450-year-old timbers of our in-hotel temple while remaining comfortably warm thanks to an advanced Swedish in-floor heating system. Likewise, guests can snack on local favorites such as a bowl of traditional chilies and cheese, which the Bhutanese call "ema datsi," while checking their email or surfing the Internet, wirelessly, inside the privacy and comfort of their rooms. Zhiwa Ling is a unique cultural hybrid--an exuberant celebration of the best of a 1,000-year-old culture combined with 21st century innovations. Zhiwa Ling is definitely something to e-mail home about!”

Facilities
Namey Samey: Our night club will make you experience the other side of silence. Trendy, comfortable lounge seating with pulsating music and a bar Namey Samey makes it ‘beyond the heaven and earth’ experience.

Mad Monk Bar:
Located at the lobby level, Mad Monk Bar is an ideal venue to sit around the fire place, relax and enjoy your high ball. The well stocked bar serves a large variety of international beverages along with the local sprits. Ask the bar tender to mix you a delightful cocktail made from warm apple juice and rum appropriately named ‘The Dragon Warmer’ or the local home made ‘Araa’.


Tea House
This intimate and private room located near the meditation house is designed for quiet retreats. A place to read, write postcards, enjoy Zhiwa Ling's Himalayan Tea Service, and experience some quiet in a cozy setting with a wood burning stove to keep you warm.

Chele La and Pele La Conference Halls
Named after famous high mountain passes on the Paro-Haa and East-West Highways, these auditoriums seat 100 and 120 (theater-style), respectively. There is also a board room that seats eight. Media equipment is available for all conferences and meetings. Zhiwa Ling's Business Center provides ready fax and e-mail support, and all guest rooms are equipped with wireless Internet access.

Samden Meditation House
According to Buddhism, meditation is a straightforward spiritual practice designed to cultivate mental development and an awareness of the present moment. There are two basic types of meditation: Calming Meditation (Samatha), which quiets the mind and leads to higher states of awareness, and Insight Meditation (Vipassana), which improves and cultivates wisdom. In addition to mental benefits, it has been scientifically proven that meditation improves one’s physical health. It induces relaxation and sound sleep, and can help alleviate high blood pressure, heart disease, duodenal and gastric ulcers and many other stress-related conditions. Zhiwaling is pleased to offer its guests Buddhist meditation classes taught by accomplished Bhutanese monks at our very own Samden meditation house which draws its inspiration from a direct view to the Taktsang the Tigers Nest Monastery which is one of the most spiritually intense places in the world. Meditation classes for individuals and groups require to be custom designed in discussion with practicing monks and therefore will require advance bookings of a minimum of 1 week prior to your check in.

Yutham Gift House
Our in-hotel gift shop offers a selection of Bhutan's finest regional arts and crafts. Exquisite hand-woven women's kiras and men's ghos elaborate carved wooden masks, handcrafted silver jewelry, and precious Buddhist religious artifacts. A ready source of meaningful mementos from your stay in Bhutan, and an excellent introduction to Bhutan's fascinating art history.
Spa
Hot Stone Bath Experience
An attendant ensures that your hot tub has a fresh supply of hot river stones throughout this one-and-a-half hour soaking session. This soaking session, which comes complete with beverage service, will put your mind and body at ease, bringing you ever closer to the Bhutan Thunder Dragon.

Himalayan Singing Bowl Massage
Like Buddhism, 'Singing Bowls' arrived in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan from ancient India. They are still used by Buddhist monks and Lamas in meetings and meditations today as their tonal vibrations connect human beings with the sounds of Nature and Mother Earth. In the last few decades, European researchers have confirmed the healing properties of singing bowls whose tones have been shown to awaken the body's energy centers, or Chakras. The existence of Chakras are recorded in all ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts, and Chakras figure prominently in traditional Eastern medicine and therapies. More recently, German singing bowl researcher Frank Plate applied the findings of Swiss mathematician John Cousto who claims to have discovered the "tones of the planets." Mr. Plate aligns his singing bowls with Mr. Cousto's planetary tones, thus harmonizing patients' Chakras with the near universe! The singing bowls used in our Singing Bowl Massage are hand selected by our own experts in India and Nepal. During Level One of this treatment, our skilled therapists use tones from the bowls to inspire deep relaxation. During Level Two, singing bowl tones are used to help clear blocked Chakras, according to ancient texts one of the most basic causes of physical illness and emotional upsets such as mood swings and depression. Once the Chakras are clear, guests experience more happiness and better health, a perfect treatment for the challenges of the modern world. As a general tune-up, anti-jetlag therapy or to move closer to universal harmony, the Singing Bowl Massage, and experience another step toward heaven on earth. It's what Zhiwa Ling is all about.

Upper Body Massage Full upper-body combination massages incorporating Thai, shiatsu and Swedish techniques with reflexology and Aroma Therapy. This 30-minute treatment includes head, face, neck, shoulder, and arms, with a special focus on face, head, and hand acupressure points.



Have a Nice Stay…


Tashi Delak!

(All the contents and pictures are © of Zhiwa Ling 2007)