could this be the happiest house in the world?
Happy House has long been a place I have longed for, with no logic attached, more a feeling. I remember researching it a decade ago when I was researching remote retreats as a travel magazine editor. The property is located in the Himalayas, reachable by a small strip airport. The flight from Kathmandu is part of the adventure. There is no luggage belt, or specific check in time. You arrive and are told there may or may not be a plane today. We tantalizingly board the bus to the tarmac home of the tiny 16 seater twice, with various people coming to say the flight is cancelled due to high winds. After six hours of back and forth, it is decided we can continue. Flying to Phaplu, you almost think your eyes are playing tricks on you, but the snow capped peaks of Everest and the Himalayas rise higher than the clouds. It’s a once in a lifetime sight.
Landing at the one stirp airport, ensconced by mountains, you would be forgiven for thinking you may run right off the edge of the land. You can see the pilots jeer their sticks until applause erupts when the plane halts. On the tarmac, staff of the Happy House await to collect our luggage, even our chef is there to welcome us, with white satin scarves marked with Buddhist mantras that are draped around our necks.
There is no arrivals hall here, up some steps and you are immediately in the village of Phaplu, and walk five minutes to Happy House. A stone gate guards a pathway of flittering prayer flags along columns of tall elderly pines that make you feel like you’re entering a portal. At the end of the passage, Happy House emerges, with its ice cream coloured paintings of spirits and mantras and wheels in perfect aligned symmetry with large blocks of sandstone. The house is imposing, made of stone and wood and painted with Tibetan art, called thangkas. Happy House has murals all over the main living area with Tibetan lunar animals, for each month. It has symbols of lotus and deities that are having an effect on all guests whether or not they realise.
It’s a clearer dimension up here, in the crisp mountain air. We take lunch in the garden which fronts the house alongside red rhododendrons, white apple blossoms and pink plum blossoms, a flourish among the stark branches of winter heralding spring. Prayer flags are everywhere. Some tired and whipped into faded frays by the weather, others brightly pigmented and the mantras readable. There are six dogs - an oversized st Bernard with non-stop slobber, two labradors, and some german shepherd puppies. The air smells of woodsmoke and pine.
Lunch is a basket of fresh made bread, vegetable soup, spinach, curry, dhal with rice and a twisted poppadom, and white wine. It’s all healthy organic food grown within a kilometre of the property. The only thing that isn’t? Lentils and rice, from a little further afar.
Happy House is more of a retreat than you know before arriving. Every day there is yoga, massage, sound healing, hikes in nature. After lunch, we have yoga. Doing yoga next to a crackling pot belly fire? Talk about ASMR. Yoga is slow and peaceful, with Galek, who has a voice of honey. We start simply, and hold each pose with the breath. Doing a triangle pose means you can see out the windows onto ancient pine trees and the valleys of Phaplu. The downward dog is called mountain pose here, reminding us of the location we find ourselves in. The cradle of energy that is the Himalayas and Everest.
A lady waits outside yoga with a tray of lemon ginger teas with steam that curls just like the sparrows that swoop in and out of the eaves and windows painted with Tibetan symbolism.
We take tea to the lounge which feels like a family lodge, or second home. Everyone immediately takes off their outside shoes and pops on slippers. There is an expansive library filled with studies of buddhism, the local region and Sherpa culture. I pick up a book I have longed to read for years - The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiesen. I manage to finish it within the 7 days we have here, which shows how much you can lengthen time when you are without distraction. There are also board games and a desk wich looks over the grounds and entrance with its prayer flags and white flags.
We are only one of two other couples in Happy House, and have the roaring open fire to ourselves. All the couches and sofas have Hermes cushions and throw blankets. It is a big space, and remains chilly, so even in front of the fire you will find yourself snuggled up with a blanket.
A table with self service alcohol and coffee is part of the lounge, as Happy House is an all inclusive offering. You can go into the huge kitchen at any time and order something, it is always filled with the house staff.
Sound healing is set before the sun sets, while massages are always in the afternoon. Both are deeply soporific and I find myself falling asleep - or into a deep meditation - in both treatments. The finnish sauna is a great way to wind down and heat up muscles before and after the massage, as it is located next to the massage room. Once the sun sets, pre dinner snacks are brought out of bread, cheese, cured meats, olives as well as wine.
The art work in the halls leading to the rooms featured local artists as well as pictures of the history of the house and the people who visited to give it a homely feel. The bedrooms are dappled with light. We have a corner room with windows to the front and to the side, where the Himalayan mountains could be seen from bed every morning. There is a king size bed, generous pillows, a reading chair and coffee and tea station with biscuits. Each night hot water bottles would be prepared to warm the bed, and a thermos flask of boiled water for tea upon waking in the morning.
The ensuite bathroom was big with a modern toilet; standup shower with a strong hot water supply. Inside the bathroom were two hampers and daily laundry service included as well as toiletries specially made for Happy House, such as a handmade local green tea lip balm. For a house of 4-6 guests they had about 7 staff; one cook; one server; one cleaner; one activity person; one yoga person; one spa person; one-two grounds staff to keep outside clean and do repairs as well as the owner on site so really 2:1 staff to guest ratio.
Dining in a sun rainshower by a river where the chef had set up a cooking station for our three course meal
