Shinta Mani Mustang

This Local Family Is Helping Travelers Explore the Great Himalaya Trails

"When I arrived at Shinta Mani Mustang I walked through a stone gate into a U-shaped, two-story retreat that at first resembles a Tibetan monastery but, thanks to Bill Bensley’s design, feels like a colorful, elegant palace—large public spaces mix regional antiques, lampshades trimmed in yak hair, pops of orange and yellow, and mid-20th-century Robert Powell landscape paintings; my suite had a leather-clad mini-bar, a woven tiger-print rug and a heavy felt blanket from a Nepal workshop that supplies Hermès, but the standout was the floor-to-ceiling window framing Nilgiri Himal, and the property’s all-inclusive, 29-suite offering includes spa treatments and guided excursions (I hiked to an alpine lake for a rosé-chilled lunch and joined drives to Marpha and religious sites such as Muktinath), while the spa benefits from local practitioners like Tsewang Gyurme Gurung." - Gisela Williams Gisela Williams Gisela Williams writes about culture, design, travel, and sustainability for T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Travel + Leisure, and How to Spend It. She has lived in Europe for nearly two decades, now residing in Berlin with her family. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines