Metta Resort & Spa at Bhutan’s Paro

Metta Resort & Spa was the last of four hotels I stayed in Bhutan before departing from Paro.  Arriving on a wet rainy day from Punakha, the guide had called ahead to request for umbrellas for us.  I suppose the idea of a huge porch for a drop-off point had yet to catch on in Bhutan.  

Low-hanging (well, technically Paro is at least 2000m above sea level, so 'low-hanging' is quite a misnomer) dark clouds gathering outside my room

Rooms are in a semi-detached fashion.  This meant that there was an entrance or a genkan area of sorts to every two rooms.  The row of rooms in opposite the building housing the reception, dinning room and karaoke room had doors side by side in pairs of two.

My door to my room faced the door to another room within this genkan area.  With the outer door closed, we could keep our room doors open as we shuffle through and fro the two rooms.  This was fun, but I doubt travelers who did not know guests staying in the other room within the genkan area would appreciate this little quirky area where wet umbrellas could be opened to dry and where laundry could also be hung.

Metta Resort & Spa is run by a Bhutanese man and his Malaysian wife, so Bhutanese and Malaysian influences could be seen.  The rooms and décor were Bhutanese with wooden floors and furniture.  Malaysian influence came in the form of food, where Penang-styled chicken rice was served during dinner and Malaysian-styled rice porridge with condiments for breakfast.  I had read the reviews on Trip Advisor, and was a little surprised by some of the negative comments.  I did not experience indifference from the staff, possibly because there were more staff than guests during low season and they were not overwhelmed, and perhaps because the Malaysian man staying at the property (who was either the Manager running the property or a shareholder) was quite chummy with us.  

An extra perk of being acquainted  with the Malaysian man, in addition to hearing his stories of investing in Bhutan, was being given a personal tour of the private temple built by the owners of the property, before breakfast.

The layout of my room was one of the most sensible ones I’ve been it, almost resembling the layout of a real home minus the kitchen.  Before the area for beds was a smaller area that served as a living room and next to it was the bathroom.  There was a rectangular ottoman that was placed next to the sofa so it became an L-shaped sofa.  Very useful for propping one’s tired legs after the hike up and down Tatksang Lhakang.  Also useful for laying out whatever things that the fairly large coffee table had no further space for.

My room was reasonably good, however there were some minuses.  The shower tray was not aligned properly, and tilted away from the drainage hole, such that after every shower, water collected at one corner of the shower tray instead of draining away by itself.  The lamp next to the television didn’t work, because the plug could not fit into the socket.  Television images were slightly grainy, with the exception of programs from India – this I found a common occurrence in all the hotels I stayed in Bhutan.

Otherwise Metta Resort & Spa is a decent place to stay during low season and I won’t mind returning there if there is a second Bhutan trip.