Le Méridien Thimphu

Le Meridien Thimphu has the price tag of luxury, the service of luxury, but the brand is only mid level. The hotel is small (78 rooms), so they are definitely able to provide luxury level of service. There are not many hotel chains in Bhutan so I would normally be lenient; Hyatt, Accor and Hilton have nothing at all, and Marriott only has 2; strangely they are both same brand, LM. Anyway in the end, I didn’t need to be lenient because the hotel was thoroughly excellent. By scanning the calendar the LM in Thimphu is about 600-800 USD per night pretty much year-round, but if booking a stay of 5+ nights the rate can come down to a more attractive 300 USD per night so this is what I did. They are in effect making it something close to “buy 2 get 5”, making a split stay between the two LMs in Bhutan onerous if both stays are too short – it’s better to book a longer stay at only one of them. I do not think they get many Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elites here, and even less so, very young children (because of the nature of the destination). Staff were so friendly and happy to have children as rare guests, the service was better than the vast majority of our luxury hotel stays anywhere in the world. It was like having numerous babysitters available during breakfast or happy hour whenever we needed, many staff offering to entertain children, either taking them to front desk (even in the back office area) or walking our youngest daughter in the stroller to make her fall asleep. In other countries I might be mildly worried about losing sight of her, but not in Bhutan. The executive chef offered to cook us anything we wanted. We saw fish in spicy sauce in the breakfast buffet, we asked if children could have plain fish (no sauce) – no problem, they provided every morning. For happy hour the menu was not very suitable for children so we asked for plain chicken noodle soup (not spicy) – no problem, they were happy to oblige once again. Happy hour was 6-8pm but we were told we could come at 9pm or 5pm if we wanted and it would be fine, whatever was convenient for us. They frequently went off script to please at every step of the way. The hotel originally built a lounge on the top floor but it is not really being used, guests can use the space for meetings but it was otherwise empty. Happy hour was rather served in the bar so I was happy with that. It was very quiet every day, max 2-3 other guests in there. Sometimes we are alone, which almost made it a private happy hour and lounge. Drinks were good, happy hour food menu was limited but at least it was a la carte so hard to complain. We were upgraded to top level royal suite 132 square meters. Such an upgrade for a long stay was great, unlike quick 1-night stays in premium suites where we might not have much time to enjoy. Overall we loved our stay at LM and we will return when our children are older to partake in other kinds of activities that Bhutan has to offer for example hiking.

We enjoyed Le Meridien Thimphu. While we prefer smaller, heritage properties, Le Meridien is ideally located in Thimphu and superbly modern and clean and comfortable. It has a good restaurant and an outstanding staff that caters to your every need. Check-in was most pleasant. We were seated in the lobby while the reception team took the passports and completed the formalities. We were then escorted to our room, a spacious deluxe room on the second floor. It had a huge comfortable bed, three good chairs with a desk, and a great oversized bathroom with both tub and separate shower. My only complaint about the shower was that the shower head is awfully low and you have to bend over to wash your hair. The towels were sumptuous. Like many high-end Asian hotels, the bathroom has a picture window that opens onto the bedroom. You can watch TV from the tub! We opted to close the shade to give the person in the bathroom more privacy. We had tea once, dinner twice and breakfast twice in the dining room during our stay. The food was good and varied. The first night there was a good buffet dinner. The second night, with fewer guests, was a la carte. Be sure to try the national dish, Ema Datshi, melted cheese with chilies. Yummy. In particular we would like to cite the stellar service by Tshering and Deki in the dining room. Both were charming, efficient and helpful. As the hotel wasn’t very full, they had time to talk to us about Bhutan and what to see and do. Both were shining examples of the Bhutanese education system, speaking nearly flawless English. But more important, their charming smiles and caring attitude ingratiated us to the people of Bhutan. I’m confident you can find a cheaper hotel in Thimphu that will serve you well. But you won’t find more caring service. A truly wonderful stay.

A flawless stay, marked by flawless hospitality & a flawless start to the journey across Bhutan is perhaps the best I’d sum up my experience at the Le Meridian, Thimphu. Post arrival in Bhutan, we were to travel to Thimphu first to begin what was our maiden trip across this beautiful country. As we commenced the road trip from Paro to Thimphu, we were met with some picturesque & enchanting views en route in the form of the mighty eastern himalayan ranges as well as a multitude of streams & rivulets flowing through the vast landscape, breathing life into every nook & corner of what was a fascinating start to the ride to Thimphu. Alas, we were welcomed into one of the major settlements in Bhutan & its capital, Thimphu. After navigating our way through the bustling streets of Thimphu, we made our way to the hotel, Le Meridian. Upon arrival, we were immediately taken aback by the hospitality we were treated to at the check in & were certain at that point of the fact that we were in for a great experience, befitting the name & the brand. The sprawling indoors of the hotel, combined with the joyful & the service driven attitude of the people in charge at the hotel immediately transported us into a space of ease & that of utmost comfort. The room was spacious, clean & offered us everything we were looking forward to on our maiden trip to Thimphu. We decided to spend the rest of the day at leisure & had a chance to explore the delightful looking indoor heated pool with a good hour long session enjoying the warmth of the heated pool followed by a relaxing session at the in house spa, availing Ms. Rincho’s services for a 60 minute deep tissue massage. A special mention to the entire team in charge for ensuring provisions in the form of heated sheets & heating units installed in the treatment room. The food was delicious & served in the most incredible ambience imaginable at their in house restaurant. Special mention to the F&B members Deki Yangden, Kelder Yoezer, Sital Soberi, Indra Adhikari, Jigme Lhendup, Kezang Bida, Nguyen Choki & Ms. Tshering among others for their exceptional service day in and day out. Mr. Ganesh, the head chef is very accommodating of all special food requests & even otherwise, doles out the most incredible of dishes in what was a never ending food fiesta. All in all, a very satisfying stay & undoubtedly, a lifelong memory. Also, a short walk down from the hotel towards either ends will lead to a very active & a busy market area in mainland Thimphu & a walk down the same street will guarantee a satisfying shopping experience with decent dining options as well.