Five-star Chubachu, Thimphu, Thimphu
Pemako Thimphu
Bhutan's first five-star hotel, built in 2008 in the shape of a dzong in the heart of the capital, now run by the Bhutanese group that owns it under the name Pemako.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 66 rooms and suites
- Opened
- 2008, as Taj Tashi
- Now
- Pemako, run by its Bhutanese owners since 2023
- From the airport
- About 50 km from Paro
The hotel
From Taj Tashi to Pemako.
The hotel opened in 2008 as Taj Tashi, a joint venture between Bhutan's Tashi Group and Taj, and it was the first five-star hotel in the kingdom. The building follows the lines of a dzong, the fortress monasteries of Bhutan, and the interiors use hand-carved wood and deep colours. Inside, the rooms carry hand-painted murals and traditional motifs, and every one looks out over the valley.
Taj managed the hotel under a fifteen-year contract that ended in 2023. Neither side renewed it, and the Tashi Group took the hotel under its own brand, Pemako, first used for a tented camp in Punakha. The group presents Pemako as the first luxury hotel company in Bhutan that is both owned and managed by Bhutanese. Tashichho Dzong is about five minutes away by car.
- Lotus Realm Spa Treatments based on Sowa Rigpa, the traditional medicine of Bhutan, with a heated indoor pool, sauna, steam room and hot stone bath alongside.
- Bhutanese cooking Chig Ja Gye serves the food of the country, and Rimps tea lounge pours butter tea and sweet Indian chai.
- Rituals in town The hotel arranges temple visits and the lighting of 108 butter lamps, along with excursions to villages around the valley.
Rooms & suites
Murals, carved wood and the valley.
Sixty-six rooms and suites over five floors, all facing the valley and the mountains, with heated floors in the bathrooms.
- Rooms Deluxe Room About 39 square metres. Some open onto a private sit-out.
- Larger room Luxury Room About 48 square metres, with hand-painted walls and Bhutanese art.
- Suites Deluxe and Luxury Suites From about 65 to about 93 square metres, each with a separate living room.
Dining
Three rooms for food and drink.
Venues as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- Chig Ja Gye Bhutanese The fine dining room, cooking of the country
- The Thongsel All-day dining Mountain views from the tables
- Ara Cocktails Named after the local rice spirit
- Rimps Tea lounge Butter tea and sweet chai
Good to know
Before you go.
- The name Older maps and guides still list the hotel as Taj Tashi. It is the same building on Samten Lam.
- Pets Not accepted.
- Arrival Every visitor to Bhutan lands at Paro. The hotel can send a car for the drive up to Thimphu.
Getting there
Flying to Thimphu.
Paro International Airport is about 50 kilometres away, roughly an hour and twenty minutes by road up the valley. Scheduled and private flights both land at Paro, in daylight only; the hotel can arrange the transfer.
- Kathmandu 50 min
- Kolkata 1 h 00
- Delhi 1 h 55
- Bangkok 2 h 50
- Dubai 4 h 50
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Is Pemako Thimphu the old Taj Tashi?
- Yes. Taj managed the hotel from 2008 until its contract ended in 2023, and the owners, the Tashi Group, then renamed it Pemako Thimphu.
- How far is Pemako Thimphu from Paro airport?
- About 50 kilometres, roughly an hour and twenty minutes by car. Thimphu has no airport of its own.
- Does Pemako Thimphu have a pool?
- Yes. A heated indoor pool beside the Lotus Realm Spa, with a sauna, steam room and gym.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Thimphu?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Thimphu, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Thimphu
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Amankora Thimphu One of the five Amankora lodges, which share two MICHELIN Keys across western and central Bhutan.
- Six Senses Thimphu The capital’s lodge of Six Senses Bhutan, with hilltop views over the city and its own spa.
- Zhiwaling Ascent A small house of twenty rooms at Upper Motithang, new to the MICHELIN selection in 2026, with a terrace on the roof.
- Le Méridien Thimphu A modern hotel of 78 rooms within walking distance of the town’s markets and museums, its pool heated and under cover.
Staying at Pemako Thimphu?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Thimphu, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.