The COMO Shambhala spa brand is to be further extended with a new property in Bhutan.

Opening in late 2009, the COMO Hotels and Resorts’ new Uma Punakha boutique property will be located on a hilltop site in Bhutan, on the mountainous upper reaches of the Mo Chhu (Mother River).

Around a five-hour drive from COMO’s existing Bhutan property Uma Paro, the new resort will offer 11 bedrooms, all with mountain and valley views.

There will also be an intimate COMO Shambhala spa retreat with two treatment rooms– one single and one double– and a hot stone bathtub.

Other facilities will include a restaurant with floor to ceiling windows, which will combine age-old Bhutanese offerings and modern interpretations of neighbouring cuisines. Details: uma.como.bz