Punakha, Bhutan

Amankora’s beautiful Punakha property sits on a natural balcony a short drive northwest of the confluence and great royal dzong. It’s reached by a suspension bridge, strung with prayer flags and which sways gently as you walk high above the pebble banks and blue-green waters of the Mo Chhu River – as romantic approach to a hotel as you could wish for! The lodge itself incorporates a genuine Bhutanese farmstead – home of a former Chief Abbot and a wonderfully grand affair with fabulous carved, painted eaves and pagoda roofs. Views extend from the eight suites across orange groves and rice terraces rippling in folds down the mountainside. As with the other properties in the chain, Bukhari stoves and banquette window seats come as standard. The interiors are exquisite, combining Scandanvian hygge with Japanese-Zen minimalism with discrete nods to the Bhutanese aesthetic.

Meals are served in a light, airy dining room or out in the walled courtyard under mossy-trunked trees. And there’s a long, sleek infinity pool overlooking the valley that’s large enough for a proper swim.