ASIM RAFIQUI—SIPA PRESS FOR TIME

THE STAGE IS SET: Aman's arrival in Bhutan introduces pampered travelers to the country's lush beauty

Isn't Bhutan wonderful?" Asks Adrian Zecha as he finishes a breakfast glass of fresh orange juice. Sitting in an exquisitely appointed dining room of Amankora, the newest addition to his empire of ultraexclusive, stratospherically expensive resorts, Zecha gestures to the window. Outside, on a nearby bluff, are the mighty ruins of Drukgyel Dzong, a monastery and fortress built in 1649 to celebrate one of this Himalayan nation's greatest military victories over nearby Tibet. And beyond that is the snowy, granite face of Jhomolhari, the country's most revered peak, visible intermittently between ribbons of clouds. It is a majestic sight, the kind that inspires contemplation about life, permanence and the existence of things great and holy.

Zecha readies a Juan Lopez Cuban cigar for the lighting and asks, "Do you mind if I smoke?" Reading the "Isn't-it-a-little-early?" look on his guest's face, Zecha says, "The first cigar of the day is the best one. It is my last vice left. I tell my wife, 'I don't chase beautiful women anymore, I just chase beautiful sites.'"

	There is no doubt that our mere presence has a significant social impact. —ADRIAN ZECHA,  Aman's founder

Bhutan is indeed beautiful—spectacularly so. But in most other ways, deciding to build here is a departure for Zecha. His Aman resorts are best known as tropical havens of lotus-eating luxury, pleasure domes of extreme relaxation. In Bhutan, with its remote, landlocked setting, rugged terrain and harsh climate, the living is rarely easy, the infrastructure is minimal, and basic goods and services can be difficult to find.

But that didn't deter Zecha from lobbying for 13 years for Aman to set up shop in the Land of the Thunder Dragon, and now it's the first foreign hotel company to do so. "This is one of the least globalized countries in the world," he says. "Something like 75% of the land is still covered in forest. And its traditional culture is intact; it is a truly unique destination."

In this way, Bhutan is an embodiment of a completely different, though no less potent, vision of Eden than, say, Bali, Phuket and Bora Bora, where Amans are more typically found. A mysterious and still mystical realm—where long-ago legends of monk-wizards, flying tigers and demons straddling entire mountain ranges are accepted as historical fact—Bhutan is among the world's last untouched corners. Fantastical Buddhist temples and medieval castles cleave to its misty valleys, and the people—attired in the country's unique, brightly colored native dress or the burgundy robes of monkhood—appear as if they have stepped out of another age. By building a series of high-end resorts at some of the most beautiful or culturally significant sites throughout the country, Zecha is, in effect, attempting to bring a bit of Bali Hai to Bhutan. With only one of Zecha's six planned Bhutan properties open so far, however, no one is sure how this radical experiment in travel fantasy will turn out. But one thing is certain: paradise will never be the same.

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Aug. 18, 2004	Aug. 19, 2003	Aug. 20, 2003