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BHUTAN'S FIRST CONTEMPORARY CONCEPT HOTEL Retreat from the hustle and bustle of Thimphu city to Zhiwa Ling Ascent - Bhutan’s first contemporary concept hotel. Located just outside the centre of the city, Zhiwa Ling Ascent welcomes you to relax in a park-like setting with panoramic views. Enjoy first class hospitality by an attentive team of professionals.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
This hotel was a quick stopover for us after arrival in Bhutan prior to our trip started. It was a great opportunity for us to acclimatize to the country. The hotel is in complete isolation, beautiful forest with a hiking trail nearby with the most amazing views. A bonus is a calisthenic park/outdoor gym just at the bottom of the hill.
Beautiful design and aesthetic that is organic modern. Rooms are comfortable and meals are delicious. Staff are friendly, discrete and accommodating. It was peaceful and very tranquil. Oh and they make a mean ginger tea!!!
Word has it the King of Bhutan stayed here when he quarantined/isolated after traveling outside of Bhutan during covid. So this property is fit for a king!
Would recommend and we’re happy to stay at a local owned luxury hotel.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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A hotel with an exceptional architect. Beautiful, large and clean rooms, in a reduced "Scandic style" with lots of wood. Friendly and courteous service. The breakfast was delicious, great selection. The food was very nicely presented. It is located outside of Timphu in the middle of the countryside, so it is very quiet. Fair price-performance ratio.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Clean, attractive decor, nice bath products. We just had one nights stay. It was comfortable and the beds & linen was nice. Dining was just ok but not worth the price. Very high end and expensive place for the area.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
To start with the positive, the rooms are beautiful and most of the employees of the place very friendly and helpful. However, the one point which made the entire stay unenjoyable in the end and created a very bitter taste was how they ripped us off with the dinner charges. First, they never mentioned the price of the dinner to us and their menus consisted just of a set menu with no prices whatsoever (which made us believe that the dinner was included as it was the case for other hotels in Bhutan). The drinks menu had prices which was clear and easy to handle and we got charged our drinks amount fair and square upon checkout. After we have checked out and left the hotel long time ago, our tour operator all of a sudden informed us that the Zhiwa Ling reached out to them with an insanely overpriced bill for missed dinner payments - around 50 USD per person per dinner. At this point, we were willing to pay but not that much. Not only was the food at best mediocre, also my fiance who had problems with her stomach didn't order all of the courses on the pre set menu. When notifying the hotel manager of the short coming of not mentioning the prices beforehand, they agreed that they made the mistake but sticked to their narrative of us having to pay anyway. When we pointed out that we didn't have all of the 4 courses in all dinners, they came up with the ridiculous excuse that only the main is to be paid (since that was the only course we both had during both dinners) as the other courses are coming for free next to it. Bottom line, just inacceptable managerial behavior which just left us feeling ripped off and not at all appreciated. For the future travelers, please just order starter, soup and dessert as they should be for free and skip the main which is in no way worth 50 USD. We also spoke to a hotel manager of a different luxury hotel in Paro who confirmed that the costs for food are basically near 0 in Bhutan.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pros: 1) The size of the rooms are decent with nice floor to ceiling windows.. 2) Appreciate turn down service (but could do better with a little treat!) 3) Breakfast and especially, coffee was acceptable. Would appreciate something local 4) Staff were helpful but lacks warmth of a small boutique hotel… 5) BIG plus… Beautiful views, especially from the 3rd level!
Cons: 1) Had to change room (to a smaller one) on 2nd night as toilet glass panel cracked! 2) Dinner was meh! 3) No bidet/ bidet spray for toilet 4) No other activity ard the area for us (no gym/ spa/ activity) 5) staff was not too reassuring on check out, as I had to leave quickly… Got a friend who checked out later to settle with the front desk if there were any other issues with my check out…
Overall, a great experience but may think twice about staying there again…
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Having read the 5 star reviews perhaps we expected to much. We could ignore missing towels and a chilly room, but the food was very disappointing- the set menu was very limited, and the food served cold and undercooked. A large external group had taken over the restaurant so we were moved to the lobby area, and left to feel as if we were an inconvenience. Has certainly taken the edge off an otherwise unforgettable trip. I note the original reviews all date from 2019. It seems that things have changed.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed three nights here and enjoyed it immensely. The location in the park is wonderful and quiet. The food by the New Zealand chef is fantastic. Rooms are spacious and so are bath rooms. The TV is small but we did not turn it on. ( no need in Butuan) You can have breakfast inside or outside in the garden. We saw families having breakfast outside. There is a huge roof /terraces on the 3 rd floor. I went up every morning and saw girls doing their wake up procedures here. There is also a sauna on the roof terrace. Did not try it. Down town there are more luxurious international 5 star hotels at double price but be aware of street dog’s noise. They sleep during day and bark during the night. A national problem in Bhutan. You will like this hotel for many reasons.
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Date of stay: October 2019Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I’ve been there last Sunday with my family at the restaurant of the hotel. The place is fantastic and, I think is the best food I’ve tried in Bhutan. Really good bread home made, food from different nationalities, good ingredients, well presented plates. Thanks to the chef!
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Date of stay: September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was our first hotel on trip around Bhutan. It has a beautiful entrance and great welcome by the local staff (who are trained at the institute for hotel management below the hotel). The staff are professional, courteous and welcoming. During our stay a member of the hotel management was on a visit and introduced himself and explained the rationale of the hotel.
Our room was overlooking the woodland and had huge floor to ceiling windows that project you into the woods. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom well-appointed. It was clean and there were plenty of amenities if you forgot items on your travels.
There is a beautiful roof terrace with barbecue opportunities, loungers and a sauna.
The food was excellent. The NZ chef prepared fantastic food that was beautifully presented and good size proportions.
However, we just couldn't get away from the 'clinical' feel of the hotel. Although, we enjoyed our stay we could not get away with it being a modern concrete block. We could have been in any country or any major city. It did not have a feel of being in Bhutan. What could have helped: adapt the menu for a flavour of the country (and not just adopt a NZ menu), use local artwork (heritage, culturally appropriate) to provide the hotel with a backdrop of the country.
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Date of stay: June 2019
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:A room overlooking the valley
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel itself is clean with pleasant staff , big open views . Only issues were howling dogs outside at night ( obviously hotel can’t control the hounds) and the bathroom had very strange door access as in one had to be fully opened to stay open and then going into the toilet a very heavy glass door. It actually came Off the tracks when I was in the room alone and the only way out was to lift entire door up after about 15 minutes I got out but only due to perseverance and being quite strong ! The stand out has to be the incredible food from the Kiwi chef who we saw down in his herb and veggie garden prior to dinner and then tasted results ! Food was very western based but after two weeks in India a piece of beef that melted in your mouth was most welcome. The set menu was beautifully balanced , presented and delicious and the breakfast amazing !
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Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Thimphu area.
LOCATION
BhutanThimphu DistrictThimphu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
20
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Frequently Asked Questions about Zhiwa Ling Ascent
Which popular attractions are close to Zhiwa Ling Ascent?
Nearby attractions include Bhutan Post Office Headquarters (0.08 miles), Clock Tower Square (0.2 miles), and National Folk Heritage Museum (0.09 miles).
