Review: Amangiri, a phenomenal resort (Utah, USA)

Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.

Today: Review of Amangiri (Utah, USA)

Hotel website: Amangiri
Location: Google maps
Tip: get complimentary VIP perks when booking via Virtuoso

Overlooking starkly beautiful desert scenery and the Southwest’s iconic flat-topped mesa rock formations, Amangiri (meaning ‘peaceful mountain’) is located in the USA’s Grand Circle region. Five national parks, numerous national monuments and the Navajo Nation Reservation – the largest Native American reservation in the United States – surround the resort, which is managed by Aman, the world’s most exclusive hotel brand. The central pavilion, built around a dramatic swimming pool, houses the living room, gallery, library, and dining room/cellar. Amangiri’s 34 suites and 1 private four-bedroom home offer minimalist interiors that echo the area’s spectacular scenery; some provide private plunge pools and rooftop terraces. The property is also home to a spectacular Aman Spa, which comes with a water pavilion, Pilates studio, candlelit rooms, and outdoor treatment terraces. Right next to Amangiri is a high-end ‘glamping’ site – called Camp Sarika by Amangiri – which is linked to the main resort (read my review here).

Amangiri features in my top 10 lists of the best resort & hotels in the USA, the world’s best wilderness resorts, the world’s most beautiful hotel pools, the world’s most Instagrammable hotels & resorts, the world’s most luxurious desert retreats, and my favorite Aman resorts in the world.

Have you ever stayed at Amangiri? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.

In this review of Amangiri (more info and photos below my YouTube video):

Pros & things I like
Cons & things to know
My verdict
Tips for future guests & save money
Best time to visit
How to get there
Photos

PROS & THINGS I LIKE

Amangiri, which is Sanskrit for peaceful mountain, enjoys a secluded location in the southwestern part of the United States of America. The resort lies at the heart of a region known as the Four Corners where the states of Utah, Arizonan New Mexico, and Colorado meet. The Four Corners region has a geographoc diversity that is unrivalled, resulting in fabulous natural scenery as captivating as it is majestic. Thousands of square miles of untouched scenery surround Amangiri, which offers easy access to major national parks in the Colorado Plateau like the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park (which are all a two hour scenic drive from the property). The resort is a 25 minute drive from the nearest town of Page, Arizona and a 15 minute drive to the shores of Lake Powell.

Situated on 243 hectares (600 acres) of wilderness, Amangiri is tucked into a protected valley with sweeping vistas of the area’s dramatic landscape. After a turn off the highway to a nearly unmarked gate (no grand entrance here), the modernist resort is approached via a winding road through starkly beautiful desert scenery, with jaw-dropping mesas, ridges, canyons and gorges forming one the most dramatic natural surroundings in the world. Upon arrival at the hotel, guest are greeted by a line-up of the resort’s staff and escorted via a majestic staircase from the arrival courtyard to a magnificent breezeway. Doubling as an outdoor lounge, the breezeway’s far end features an open wall, offering phenomenal views towards the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and framing the otherworldly desert landscape as a work of art.

Blending into untouched red-rock country, Amangiri features an incredible architecture and fabulous interior design that will leave most guests speechless. Inspired by ancient settlements, the resort is built as a rectangular pavilion set against a low sandstone rock formation. Designed with angular minimalism and razor-sharp edges, the property is comprised of polished concrete blocks – carved by movement and light – which almost completely disappear into the rugged desert landscape when viewed from a distance. The modernist interiors are spartan, minimalistic and very well appointed. A neutral color palette of greys and beiges blends effortlessly into the shifting landscape of sand, sage, and rock, while massive floor-to-ceiling windows and open breezeways bring the outside in. The essential elements of the landscape are juxtaposed and emphasized throughout the resort: water, rock, and sky.

Amangiri was developed and built through a unique collaboration between three well-established architects: Marwan Al-Sayed, Wendell Burnette and Rick Joy. The three architects were brought onto the project by Bernt Kuhlmann, one of the current owners of Amangiri, and then the managing partner in the development of the lands that now include Amangiri. The three architects were inspired to work together on this awe-inspiring site with legendary hotelier, Adrian Zecha (founder of Aman Resorts). Together, the architects and Zecha created a bold yet responsive settlement that both honors and celebrates the magic and mystery of southern Utah’s majestic cliffs and rock formations, as well as the region’s ancient Navajo heritage.

At the center of Amangiri is the Pavilion, which houses the reception area, an art gallery, a boutique, a felt-clad private dining room, the main restaurant (more on that below) and an elegant lounge area spread over three spacious alcoves, each divided into two cosy seating areas. Situated on an elevated plinth at the center of the Pavilion is a library, comprised of comfy sofas punctuated by shelves of books and magazines. The Pavilion’s enormous floor-to-ceiling windows offer dramatic views of rock formations and the pool to one side and panoramic views of the surrounding plateaus to the other. Right next to the Pavilion is an open air living room (called the Desert Lounge) which is ideal for enjoying the sunset or the star-filled night sky.

Amangiri’s central guest area is built around a south-facing swimming pool, which is set within a sunken courtyard embracing a natural rock escarpment. Wrapped around a rock formation that juts into a sparkling basin of turquoise water, the spectacular pool – which ranks among the most stunning hotel pools in the world – almost resembles a natural spring among the remote canyonlands, which is exactly the feel that the architects tried to achieve. The pool is surrounded on three sides by a lounging terrace featuring king-sized daybeds – some of which appear to float on the water – and pairs of comfortable sun-loungers. Adjacent to the pool is an outdoor hot tub, which sits right next to the resort’s open-air campfire pavilion (the latter is warmed by a fire during the colder winter days).

Amangiri’s 34 suites are situated in two wings, which sweep from each side of the resort’s main pavilion. Sixteen suites are located within the Desert Wing and another 18 suites, together with the Aman Spa, are located within the Mesa Wing. All suites offer private terraces and courtyard entrances. During my holiday, I stayed in a Mesa suite, which featured a kingsize bed with a spacious sitting area. The latter opened into a terrace which was equipped with two loungers and a firepit, offering uninterrupted panoramas of the surrounding area. An adjacent dressing room extended the full length of the suite, to one end of which was a spacious bathroom and to the other, a separate toilet. The bathroom featured twin rain showers, double vanity and a comfortable soaking tub set against a window.

The Aman Spa at Amangiri is a destination unto itself, providing a serene setting for relaxation and rejuvenation. The spa opens into a dimly lit reception area which leads to a series of pavilions. A key feature of the spa is the Water Pavilion, which comprises an intimate indoor lounge and an outdoor heated step pool. Guests can also soak in privacy in a number of Jacuzzis. A sculpted steam room and a spacious sauna area provide more opportunities to relax, while the Flotation Pavilion offers two outdoor treatment terraces located at one end of a large reflection pool. There are also five indoor treatment rooms (one double and four single) and the spa menus have been created to reflect the elements of the Navajo culture and healing traditions, with particular attention to the four elements of life – earth, wind, fire and water.

Amangiri features just one restaurant, called the Dining Room (although guests can also have dinner at Camp Sakira; more on that below). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Dining Room has an open-plan kitchen with a wood-fired oven. Served indoors or on the pool terrace, menus showcase local ingredients, taking inspiration from Native American cuisine and tempered with modern global influences. The four-course ‘Spirit of the Journey’ tasting menu with matched wines pays gastronomic tribute to the five tribes of the region. Within the Dining Room is also a walk-in wine cellar with floor-to-ceiling walnut cabinets housing an impressive selection of wines as well as a cigar humidor.

Guests of Amangiri also have access to the facilities at Camp Sarika, which is only a 15-minute hike or five-minute drive from Amangiri (complimentary shuttle service is provided). Deriving its name from the Sanskrit word for “open space” and “sky,” Camp Sarika enables a back-to-nature wilderness experience in consummate comfort, revealing Utah’s otherworldly landscapes and intriguing aspects of Native American culture at every turn. Overlooking striking flat-topped mesas, the camp comprises ten tented pavilions each with its own spacious outdoor deck and private plunge pool. These are intuitively placed to provide the utmost seclusion and unimpeded views, while still allowing easy access to the camp’s main pavilion with its two spa suites, restaurant, sun deck, swimming pool and jacuzzi.

Surrounded by numerous national monuments, the Navajo Nation Reservation, and five national parks including Zion, Grand Canyon and Bryce, Amangiri is well placed for exploring the natural and cultural attractions of the region. Serving as an idyllic escape and a springboard for exploration of the area, the resort offers desert and mountain hiking with its own private trail system covering over ten miles of routes directly from its doorstep. Amangiri offers canyoneering, its own Via Ferrata route and horseback riding, as well as many other activities. Adventure activities include hiking to Horseshoe Bend, Paria Overlook or Resurrection Canyon, touring Monument Valley, exploring the well-preserved cliff dwellings of the Navajo National Monument and kayaking, fishing, paddle-boarding or boating on Lake Powell.

Amangiri is a self-contained world of minimalist luxury, representing everything that its mother brand Aman tries to achieve: tranquility, exclusivity, and a sense of place. Aman is one of the world’s most exclusive hotel brands and the company manages a fabulous collection of intimate properties across the globe. The brand is known for the understated elegance of its resorts, exquisite attention to detail, minimalist design, heartfelt service, and otherworldly locations. Among Aman’s habitués is a group of passionate repeat customers who call themselves ‘Aman junkies’ (count me in) and whose travel plans are determined by Aman locations. It’s a misconception that Aman junkies are always incredibly wealthy people: I prefer to spend my money on two nights at an Aman resort than two weeks at any other resort, as you pay for a unique and life-long memory. In all honesty and without exaggeration, an Aman resort makes some Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton resorts look like a mediocre Holiday Inn hotel.

CONS & THINGS TO KNOW

The only part in which Amangiri did not meet my expectations was its culinary offering. While I loved the breakfast and lunches at the resort, I was not impressed by the dinners served at the Dining Room. Most of the dinner dishes were prepared in a wood-fired oven and often a bit too much blackened and burnt to my liking. Also, the menu is rather limited and it did not change during my stay (so three dinners in a row is more than enough). A place this magnificent deserves a fine-dining experience that rises to the occasion and exceeds all expectations. Because I wasn’t blown away by the dinners at Amangiri, I decided to have most of my meals at nearby Camp Sarika, where the cuisine was absolutely fabulous (kudos to the chefs there). For your information, all meals at Amangiri are included in the room rate and guests can have their meals at either the main resort or at Camp Sarika.

With entry room rates above $4000 USD per night, Amangiri is an incredibly expensive hotel. While the rates are inclusive of all meals, most activities are not included in a stay at Amangiri. A few examples: a guided hike on the resort’s own Via Ferrata route will cost you $900 USD (per travel party) while a guided two-hour excursion to Antelope Canyon and a few other slot canyons is $1200 USD (per travel party). IMHO, these almost comically overpriced charges feel a bit exploitive but I assume the resort is getting away with this because of its stellar reputation and its wealthy clientele. Whether you want to pay the price or not will finally depend on you, but IMHO, it’s worth paying for a stay at Amangiri since the resort is an absolute architectural marvel, expertly nestled around a fabulous pool in an incredible desert location.

Although the design of the resort’s communal areas will blow you off your feet (e.g. breezeways, spa, pool, etc …), the design of the suites lacks a bit of a wow factor (although it would be a shame to spend a lot of time indoors inside your room here). Amangiri designates all of its hotel rooms as ‘suites’, with the desert suites being the entry room category. However, the suites in the lower room categories are not really suites since most of them have an open-plan layout and do not feature separate living areas.

From an design perspective, Amangiri is a spectacular hotel, unmatched in the world. IMHO, the property and its bold architecture blend harmoniously into the desert environment. However, the minimalist design might not please all guests and some might find the concrete decor austere. Amangiri won’t connect with everyone and that’s more than okay.

MY VERDICT

Location: 10/10
Design: 10/10
Pool: 10/10
Rooms: 8/10
Food: 7/10
Breakfast: 9/10
Spa: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Wow factor: 10/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall experience: exceptional (9.2/10)

TIPS FOR FUTURE GUESTS & SAVE MONEY

Save money: get the following complimentary VIP perks at Amangiri when booking via Virtuoso:
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Daily breakfast for up to two guests per bedroom
- $100 USD food & beverage credit
- Early Check-In / Late Check-Out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi

Save money: read here my tips for getting the best deal at an Aman Hotel.

Read my tips for preparing your trip in time.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

Located in the high desert, Amangiri experiences the four seasons, each with their own charm. Spring and fall enjoy balmy temperatures during the day with cooler mornings and evenings; they are the ideal seasons for outdoor adventures. The dry heat in the summer is the perfect companion for a day lounging at the pool or exploring the picturesque Lake Powell. Winter is usually colder with clear blue skies and therefore the best time of the year to retreat to the Spa or go and discover the surrounding National Parks as these are much quieter and snakes are hibernating.

HOW TO GET THERE

Page Municipal Airport is located 25 minutes from Amangiri. From St. George or Flagstaff, it takes approximately 2.5 to reach the resort. From Phoenix or Las Vegas, it takes approximately 4.5 hours through beautiful scenery with various routes passing through national parks.