The Luxury Travel Bible has privately been known to spout midst an urban hissy fit: "Well, if it all goes to pot we can always go and hang with the yak herders". Never serious about entirely forgoing luxury, the bucolic yak scene that accompanies Banyan Tree Ringha is really what we're talking about. Officially designated as Shangri-la by the Chinese government, the 32 lodges and suites that make up the resort offer the kind of mountain-fed tranquillity that would tame any mind. Rebuilt local Tibetan farmhouses that are found here in Yunnan province, they are studded with pine beams and dark wooden floors that provide the backdrop that soft-furnishings and antiques in rich reds and golds shine out from. Modern conveniences are camouflaged - an in-room bathtub is designed like a traditional wooden barrel. Staff appear out of nowhere in traditional dress. Smokey fireplaces add to the warmth of the mood. And if all that isn't enough, yes, there is also a spa. The Himalayan Bliss package includes a black sesame scrub, warm stone massage and rice wine bath which is everything that its name suggests...mmmm.