Hotel Druk, Thimphu, Bhutan

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.  So many hotels have opened up in Thimphu.  Which one should I put my kids up in?

First off, rule out the ones who are unscrupulous!

We've already been tricked, not once, but twice, by hoteliers who told us they have working internet in the room.  These 2 culptit hotels would even go to the extent of providing you with Internet passwords. 

However, once you've checked into the room, the internet does not come on at all.  By the time you realise it, you'd have attempted rounds after frustrating rounds at getting their long-running password codes to work on your laptop or smartphone.

A call for assistance will invarianly meet with one reason or another as to why it is not working.  Once excuse is to ask you to try later.  Another of their favourite way of fobbing you off is to say there is a technical breakdown from Druknet's end, and a repairman is coming soon.

They get away with it when you're a short-stay guest.  However, we happened to be old residents who used to traverse old Thimphu more than they do.  Upon deeper investigation and checking around, we quickly establish the scam.  One hotel staff even informed that since the hotel's opening years back, they have NEVER ever had internet working in the room before.  The owner had insisted they carry on the unethical act of misleading clients.

In these 2 culprit hotels, you can only access the free internet, if you do to the wired room in the lobby area.  With so many affected guests not able to access the net from their room, the common internet access room is often swarmed. 


Second, rule out the ones with no running water!
We've established at least 4 popular hotels with this issue.
You don't want to have a meeting coming up, go to the bathroom, and realise you can't have a bath!
The water, when it does come on later, often is dirty, sooty and filthy.  Yeah, I know, dirty is sooty, sooty is filthy, and filthy is dirty, so why use three words when I can use one?  Well, because I hate water that comes out of the tap dirty, sooty and filthy, all 3-in-1.  With pigeon feather and insect legs to boot.

You can imagine what kind of water your food there is cooked in as well.


Third, rule out the bathrooms that floods!
Owing to design flaws, one hotel popular with tourists (that charges close to the same price as Zhiwa Ling) has water that floods upto the ankle when you shower.  They only confess to that of course, when you check out. 


All these were highly recommended tourist hotels!  Either the tourists were no fussy or we are! But it does show, you can't trust that a hotel is fine, based on its popularity.

So which is the safest bet? 

We wanted to try the more resort-like hotels, as the kids simply love trying out the different themes of each resort. 

However, owing to shortage of time, we needed a place that is well-located, with most facilities within walking distance.  It can be inconvenient if a trip out is always dependent on car.  The first thought upon reaching Thimphu was to just check us in to Hotel Druk (despite it being under renovation in parts).  Not only is it located right smack at the Town Square, it is also the safest bet to not have to tangle with the 3 issues above.  Food is good too, and that is important when you are travelling with kids.  We also like the hotel owners, so it's a natural tht their hotel comes to mind.

We were accorded world-class hospitality treatment by Dilu Giri (Dy GM) and his team of very competent staff.  They allowed us a selection of rooms to choose from.

We ended up staying slightly longer than intended. It's such a safe, convenient place. It also appears to be a hot spot for networking.  We met up with old friends, Dasho Ngawang Getse and Dasho Ugyen Namgyel there.  Aum Phub Zam too.  Ministers and many others.

Drukasia's Joni checked into Hotel Druk as well, and we took him up on his recommendation of hotel for our next destination - Punakha.