Lhasa Ruiji Holiday Hotel

The St. Regis Lhasa Resort

"With 20-foot lobby ceilings, huge exposed beams, locally woven carpets, and paintings of Tibetan nomads, the luxurious St. Regis Lhasa resort combines au courant comforts and Tibetan motifs inspired by the nearby Sera Monastery. The 150 guest rooms and 12 villas, in subdued browns with black-and-white photos of Buddhist pilgrims, have mammoth bathrooms with heated slate floors, heated toilet seats, and a separate tub. Despite the St. Regis’s Chinese and Tibetan restaurants, the focal point for meals is Social, where the menu is a bit high-brow for such a little-visited destination—an amuse-bouche of rich pumpkin soup with crabmeat, creamy imported Japanese scallops, and a sensational organic lamb rolled in cumin—but we’re not complaining. The grounds showcase clean lines, with a spa pavilion, a meditation garden, and 40-foot crimson exterior walls. The enthusiastic and unjaded young Tibetans working here—about half of the staff—not only welcome the chance to share their culture with outsiders, but also prize the opportunity for first-class professional training."