Sairu Hill Resort

Low cloud drifts through the grounds from March to September, thick enough that guests on the balconies can reach out and feel the mist. Sairu Hill Resort holds a 12-acre ridge in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, roughly 18 km from Bandarban town along a winding road to Chimbuk. Most buildings stand on steel stilts, a method chosen to leave the hill's natural contours undisturbed. Local wood, bamboo and stone were used throughout, and floors were finished in plain cement rather than tile. The resort faces the Shangu River to the northwest and the hill range along the Myanmar border to the east. On a clear day the Bay of Bengal is visible on the horizon, about 40 km off. Rooms range from the Premium and Executive categories to the Shangu View suites, each with a private balcony over the terraced garden. The Shimul Tola Cabin is the standout: five A-frame cottages set around an old Shimul tree eighty feet tall, sharing a wide timber podium used for gatherings and cultural performances. It sleeps six. Water is drawn from a spring some 1,200 feet below the site and pumped up in stages. A swimming pool, restaurant and cultural deck round out the grounds, with weekly performances by local artists. It is a working piece of hill country, not a resort dropped onto it.