Rinpung Dzong Travel Guide

We have selected a package of 6 Nights and 7 days with 4 star hotel. None of the hotel provided to us were 4 star hotel. We were charged incorrectly for 4 star and were forced to stay in 3 star hotels. 1) Hotel Druk in Phuentsholing - we didn’t get Hot Water in bathroom. They could not rectify it. Also when drinking water got finished, when asked for refill at 6:30 am, it was not provided. 2) Hotel Jumolhari in Thimphu - Room was very small. Service was good. 3) Hotel Lekhar Resort in Punakha- was really pathetic place to stay. Bed sheets had food stains, towels provided were smelly, comforter were smelly. There were cockroaches in the room. Toilet was shaky. Water in the hand wash area will come only if we turn on/close at the inlet below, not from the tap in hand wash sink. We checked out and were doing sightseeing in punakha,- suddenly we got call from hotel that we did not pay for dinner. How come they did not realise this at that the time of checkout. We went back and paid. 4) Hotel Kuenphen in Paro looked like a homestay/travel lodge. We complained about the hotel quality to our Travel agent - Bimal from KNP Tours and Travel who was unapologetic and insisted these are quality hotels. We were cheated for the money we paid. Bhutan is very beautiful country full of greenery and free of pollution. Beautiful valley and clear river water. Must visit country during vacation to regain your energy levels and mental peace.

Please find below the review of our trip(my wife and myself) to Bhutan from 1st Oct to 8th Oct. Day 1: Went as expected. Day 2: As per our itinerary, we were supposed to cover Kharbandi Monastery as well as Crocodile breeding center in Phuentsholing. Even though our travel permits were ready by 10 am,the permit for our cab took too long. We were told that our journey to Thimphu would start by 12 pm. However, we continued to wait till 3 pm local time. Worse, we had to vacate our room by 1 pm as per the hotel policy and hence, we continued to wait in the lobby. If permit was to take this long, Himavat should have arranged a room for us or better still, they should have arranged for a local sightseeing in Phuentsholing itself while the cab permit was in the works. While we were waiting at the lobby, we were constantly being stared at by the staff and it was clearly evident that they wanted us to leave the premises at the earliest. They asked us at least a couple of times as to why our cab had not arrived.It turned out to be such a frustrating and disappointing experience for us as our precious time was wasted for no fault of ours. Our good mood was spoiled and a great holiday spirit was killed. In the end, we could cover only Kharbandi monastery. As per the cab driver, Mr Milan, he let us visit the monastery only because he was waiting for his permit papers(as if he was doing us a favor). He also refused to let us visit Crocodile breeding center because as per him, it was getting very late. We covered the journey in very risky conditions as it was raining heavily and there was no light on the roads. This was because our trip started way too late. Please note that as per the itinerary, we were supposed to reach Thimpu by evening time and cover a few destinations like craft bazaar, handicraft emporium etc. However, we could cover none as we reached Thimpu very late and simply retired to our room. Day 3: Although most of the Thimpu sightseeing spots were covered, our driver, Mr Milan, showed reluctance in covering a few spots(like local craft bazaar) which were clearly mentioned in our itinerary. He did not have a copy of the itinerary and it appeared as if we was showing around the spots at his whim and fancy without caring for the itinerary. When we objected, he plainly told us that it is easy for tour operator to add all the destinations but for us, drivers it is not feasible to cover each and every spot. If that is the case, then what is the point of having the itinerary in the first place? Eventually, a few spots were not covered as the driver was simply waiting for the 'deadline' of 5 pm to call it a day without caring for whether we had covered what was mentioned in the itinerary. This experience left a bitter taste in our mouth. Day 4: Though it went as planned and all the places were covered, our driver again showed a little reluctance to cover one of the places, Chime Lakhang in Punakha. He asked us whether my wife and I were having trouble in conceiving as the temple is only visited by those who are not able to bear children. We found it to be very offensive and something which was trespassing on our private zone. However, knowing that we were in a foreign land without much support, we decided to ignore the comment. Eventually, we had to persist hard to get him to take us to the place. I was not aware that by opting to travel via Travel Triangle/Himavat Destinations, one also has to provide response to such 'private' questions. Day 5: We covered Tiger Nest, Paro and it was a wonderful experience. However, in the evening, when we requested our driver to take us to the main market area, which was again part of our itinerary, he once again showed reluctance and was least inclined to take us there but somehow relented when we requested him repeatedly. We had to literally beg him to take us to the market area. Moreover, the hotel was also very substandard and very far from main market area which further added to our woes. While we were on our way to the market, our driver 'informed' us that the local sightseeing spots to be covered the next day(Punakah Dzong and National Museum) were not open and provided a lame reason for closure that which we did not buy. He instead try to make a deal with us by offering us to drive us to Chelala pass for an additional amount of INR 3000. We had our suspicions and hence we checked with some local shopkeepers as well as a beat cop and we got the confirmation from them that the places were not closed as mentioned by the driver. It is a clear case of the driver cheating us and trying to rob us of our travel experience just to earn some quick extra bucks. This was very unprofessional and did not go down with us at all. Once we knew the truth, we refused his 'offer' and insisted on still going as per the itinerary. Day 6: Both the tourist spots mentioned above were open and our driver's lies were nailed. But we decided not to confront him there due to the same reason as above i.e. we were in a foreign land with no support. hence, we pretended that we just wanted to click some pictures outside the museum even though it was closed but 'accidentally' stumbled upon the ticket counter and realized that it was open. However, as mentioned earlier, it did not go down well with us at all. Day 7: The same driver picked us up from our Phuentsholing hotel to drop us at Bagdogra airport. On the way, it was hot and humid and we requested the driver to turn on the ac. However, to our utter surprise, the driver told us that he would turn on the ac only if we pay him INR 500 extra. He did not even consider the fact that throughout the tour we cooperated a lot with him and despite his lies and lack of professionalism, we did not utter a single word during the trip. We found his 'offer' to be insulting and refused. We also requested him to make a stop a t a shop where we could buy the local tea leaves. Even though he initially promised, later on he made a lame excuse and did not make the stop and again disappointed us as if to snub us for not accepting his 'offer'. To sum it up, except for the hotel in Thimphu, the other hotels, especially the one in Paro, were quite sub standard. Throughout the trip, our driver made a mockery of the itinerary due to which we could not cover many listed spots. we got the impression as if we were at his mercy and if he was in a good mood, only then we could cover the places. This is not the experience that I was expecting when I booked the package from Himavat. I would clearly not recommend them to any of my friends or relatives.

We were planning to visit Bhutan and we thought to try planning with Travel Trianle. We got everything what we were looking for which fits in our budget from Sunshine Travels, Bhutan. They provided best possible tour plan and we were happy about the quote and plan. Sanju from Sunshine Travels managed our entire tour and I must say, the planning was amazing. We covered Thimphu, Punakha and Paro cities. We didn't face any problem in our entire journey. From airport pickup to airport drop it was smooth plan. Sanju and Lalit were cooperative, support and service was really great. They were constantly in touch making sure that we don't face any kind of problems. Sukman, Amit & Tinku were our driving buddies. Thanks to them also. Complete piasa vassol experience, perfect planning and humble people. Looking for next tour with Sunshine again. Photos (on instgram) and blog coming soon (I will cover all details there, and hotel reviews will be on MMT)... I am happy with Sunshine travels with my recent Bhutan tour. However I have little suggestion to Travel triangle, if they can improve it will be best deal for everyone, additional payment charges are little high so if travel triangle can reduce it, it would be really great thing.

We had a wonderful trip in Bhutan all thanks to Bhutan INC and especially Sharan, who helped us to get the permit into Bhutan as we were not having the Original Birth Certificate of my younger daughter. We had our flight booked from Calcutta to Paro but as we did not carry the originals we were denied entry at Calcutta airport. We then called Bhutan INC and they guided us to get the originals and book alternate flight to Bagdogra. At Bagdogra we were received by Bhutan INC representative and were taken to Phuentsholing. Sharan from Bhutan INC met us at the Indian Embassy and got us the permit. He then drove us to Thimphu and ensured that we covered all the places as planned in the itinerary. We had the most memorable 4 days of our lives in Bhutan. Bhutan INC did not charge us anything extra for our land journey from Bagdogra to Thimphu. Sharan also helped us on our return journey by obtaining a letter from Indian Embassy in Thimphu ensuring we fly back to Calcutta as planned. Thank you Bhutan INC for some of the best moments of our lives.

The trip was quite hectic. The tour agent could have planned to make it a little more relaxed. The driver was excellent and helped me out even out of the planned itenerary. Hotels weren’t that great... some of them were okay but the one in Punakha was really below average. Except for Paro, in all the places the hotels were located way outside the main city.

The trip was quite hectic. The tour agent could have planned to make it a little more relaxed. The driver was excellent and helped me out even out of the planned itenerary. Hotels weren’t that great... some of them were okay but the one in Punakha was really below average. Except for Paro, in all the places the hotels were located way outside the main city.

First, Thank you for your wonderful service and arrangements we both the families had during our visit to Bhutan. Let me provide you the feedback/ recommendations of our entire experience 1. Transportation: Firstly, I am very thankful for providing an amazing driver, Dorji Wangdi, who was very patient, kind, gentleman and an excellent guide. He was wonderful and very helping nature throughout our entire trip. The vehicle was good and well maintained and we never felt stressed throughout. His services were impeccable, and I would definitely recommend him for all tourists who visit Bhutan. 2. Itinerary: The whole trip was planned well, but we felt we were in the vehicle most of the times. Would it have been better if we had started from Punakha, then Thimphu and then Paro in the end? Perhaps the travel journey duration could have been less. Nevertheless, we had a good time with the scenic views and though it was drizzling all the time, the weather did not dampen our trip. 3. Accommodation: were very good and we had no issues regarding our stay. The staff members were very polite and very helpful. They took good care to our needs and were always available. However, there is one suggestion. As we had a driver dedicated to us, we expect the Hotels/ resorts to provide or make temporary arrangements for the drivers. This request is primarily for two reasons: a. The Hotel/ resort was quite remote and far from the city and hence it is a long distance for the driver to travel back and forth and make alternate arrangements for himself in the city. At the Soenam Tsokhang resort it was quite difficult to accommodate, and we had to make the arrangements for the driver as the Management said it was not possible unless we paid separately. Let me emphasize that the driver did not insist this, and he had offered himself to make arrangement separately by himself. But we had insisted this. This was of course not an issue in the previous places where we stayed. b. Further, as we are with families and children, and the fact the resort was quite remote (not an issue with the location), if there were to be any emergency, medical or anything, having the driver in the same place where we were staying would help. By God’s grace, no such events occurred, but this is another reason we would like to have him. I hope you understand what we meant here. 4. Sightseeing: The sightseeing places were all great and we enjoyed every bit of it. The trek to Tiger’s nest took the whole day and we couldn’t explore much places in Paro. Perhaps another day would have sufficed. In some places like Simtokha Dzong, we were not able to have the guides as they were not available when we arrived. Under these circumstances, would it be possible for the drivers to double up as guide too? I am not sure if that would help not searching in guide. We also enjoyed the local restaurants Dorji took us to relish Bhutanese food (all types of Datshi, etc.) 5. Cash: We found that most of the resorts/ hotels preferred cash as they did not have card swiping devices. Hence it is recommended for all tourists to carry loads of cash and even if they had to draw Indian cash from the ATM, the preferred ATM would be the PNB bank who levied no service charges. It was also observed that people took all types of Indian denominations (500/2000 being no exception) Lastly, Thank you Mr. Yogi for all your services, initiatives and pro-activeness from the time we were planning this trip. I would definitely recommend Fox Travels for all my trips. Hope to interact with you again.

Yanki resort was pathetic. Hotel has the most money minded manager. He is openly looting innocent tourists. Incident 1: We were back from tiger nest after a long day, I had caught cold and fever. We ordered a slice of bread. They served stale bread and charged us 100 INR. Incident 2: My friend’s room didn’t have the geyser working. After a long argument manager agreed to give my friend a different room to take bath. Remember Paro is very cold during October. Incident 3: They serve breakfast from 7-9am. We went down for a cup of coffee at 6:45am and he charged us 75/- for a cup of coffee. I know this wasn’t my mistake but he should have atleast told us that it costs. I didn’t expect they will charge me for such a whisker gap. All in all I suggest people to STRONGLY REFRAIN from going to this hotel.

We want to thank Kamal from KNG Bhutan for all the arrangements, we really enjoyed our time in Bhutan. Our driver and guide were gems they made us feel home and are very friendly. Just a suggestion, please keep stay in Paro instead of Punakha so that guests can start their trek to Tiger nest as early as possible in the morning. We had a very good time and lot of memories to come to. Thank you so much and ever if we decide to visit again we will love to book tour again with KNG. Thanks again! We had best time in Thimphu and Paro. Specially the hot stone bath after 5hrs of trek was the most relaxing part

Hotel at Thimphu wa of average category.The food at Phuentsholing last day was rotten. Trip at Paro was good