Twenty years ago Aman created its flagship resort Amanpuri on a cream beach in a mature coconut grove on the island of Phuket. So began a journey of exploration, determination and sheer passion, dedicated to extending the 'family' to lands where the mind has often 'wondered', in order to create experiences in contemporary comfort, where the sum of the parts determine a nourished, enriched, and rejuvenated whole. The evolution of Aman's genesis continues to flourish with 18 individual and uniquely sculpted resorts, nestled in remarkably beautiful places, from sunrise to sunset.
If you measure success in room numbers, Amanresorts hasn’t achieved all that much. We have never focused on being the biggest. We prefer to think small. Intimate. Involving. It’s not that we are better than big hotels because we are small. We are different, that’s all. Amanresorts responds to a contemporary lifestyle. That’s what we offer – a lifestyle experience, without limitations.
There are people with a shared lifestyle the world over. Whether in Europe, Asia, the Americas, they have one thing in common, something that brings them to Amanresorts.
That ‘lifestyle’ is about shared values, a lust for faraway cultures, for the world around that excites, shapes and nourishes. It is an appetite for pampering and a deep appreciation of the creative and elegant – the way an Aman responds to the environment, the way light falls on the table or water fills a pool.
Each of our resorts is quite different in location, look, mood and guest experience. Yet each leaves an impression, an indelible mark. At Amanresorts we have discovered there is an alternate path. That it is possible to build environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing resorts. That small is good for business as well as guests. That less is more.
We do not believe we are perfect. The perfect resort has never been built, nor will it. To paraphrase Gandhi, “Many ideas never get started because of the fear that they cannot be achieved.”
Says founder Adrian Zecha, “I would like to express my admiration for and heartfelt thanks to our staff – our chambermaids, drivers, cooks, cleaners, gardeners and guides. Most have been with us since the beginning. In the end, performing their invaluable small roles, pleasing you, they are the true Amanresorts.”
Amanresorts owns and manages 18 small luxury resorts worldwide. Each Aman resort is singularly unique but all offer an experience for guests that is intimate and discreet, while providing the highest level of service. Certain elements characterise all Aman resorts – a beautiful natural location, outstanding facilities, exceptional service and a small number of rooms to ensure exclusivity and privacy. The décor of each Aman resort makes use of locally sourced materials, reflecting elements of the natural surroundings and the traditions of local cultures. Since 1988, when flagship Amanpuri (‘place of peace’) opened in Phuket, Thailand, Amanresorts has established resorts in Bhutan (Amankora, 2004), Cambodia (Amansara, 2002), France (Le Mélézin, 1992), French Polynesia (Hotel Bora Bora, 1989), Indonesia (Amandari, 1989; Amanusa and Amankila, 1992; Amanwana, 1993 and Amanjiwo, 1997), India (Aman-i-Khás, 2003 and Amanbagh, 2005), Morocco (Amanjena, 2000), Philippines (Amanpulo, 1993), Sri Lanka (Amangalla, 2005 and Amanwella, 2005), Turks & Caicos Islands (Amanyara, 2006) and USA (Amangani, 1998).
Always on the lookout for exceptional circumstances in which culture and history combine strongly in a unique natural environment, Amanresorts will continue to expand its worldwide presence.
Amanresorts offers a range of villas for exclusive rental and purchase. These Aman Villas offer a pampered home-away-from-home experience, set in carefully sited and developed Amanresorts locations that place an array of facilities and services within reach.
Aman Villas are for sale at Amanyara in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Amanpulo on Pamalican Island in the Philippines, Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA and Amanjena in Marrakech, Morocco. Aman Villas the world over are rarely offered for resale and the discerning international clientele that enjoy these few precious homes constitute a community like no other. Villas may be included in a rental programme under the auspices of the respective resort when not in use.
Aman Villas are also available for rent at Amanyara, Amanpulo, Amangani, Amandari and Amanpuri.
Lying on the western shore of Northwest Point and bordering the pristine reefs of Northwest Point Marine National Park, Amanyara offers three or four-bedroom villas for rent and sale.
Amanpulo is located on its own private island of Pamalican, in the Philippine province of Palawan. The 90 hectare island is surrounded by white-sand beaches and seven square kilometres of coral reef.
Located high on East Gros Ventre Butte, the homes at Amangani offer some of the most spectacular views in Jackson Hole. Each home is a reflection of its owners’ individual tastes and preferences set within the architectural framework of Amangani: shake roofs that follow the pitch of the hillside slopes and the use of wood siding, rock bases and a variety of natural materials to create a mountain home in harmony with its surroundings.
Amanjena is located just outside the ancient African city of Marrakech. Subject to final development approvals, 22 villas available for sale are planned immediately adjacent to the resort. For avid golfers, seven of these villas border the fairways of the Amelkis Golf Club with the beautiful Royal Golf of Marrakech less than a five-minute car ride away.
Amanpuri’s 30 villas are set apart from the main resort and occupy a private headland that affords breathtaking views. Most of them with ocean-front settings, these villas provide an intimate alternative to the main pavilions at the resort. Private yet easily accessible to the resort’s facilities and services, these self-contained villas are also an ideal venue for weddings, meetings and family gathering.
Amandari’s three-bedroom villa is less than a minute’s drive from the resort and is currently available for sale. The 1,500sq m Balinese villa compound includes five pavilions: three detached, terrace-style bedrooms with double balconies; a separate living room walled entirely in windows and sliding-glass doors; and a fully fitted kitchen complete with staff quarters.
From the tropical beaches of Amanpulo on the private isle of Pamalican in the Philippines, to the turquoise waters and powder-fine white-sand beach of Amanyara in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Aman beach experience begins with the Beach Club.
Designed for relaxation, Beach Clubs provide convenient retreats for casual dining and refreshments. Complimentary water sports equipment can include snorkelling gear, sea kayaks, boogie boards, windsurfers, Hobie cats and Laser sailboats.
At Amanwana on the nature reserve of Moyo Island east of Bali, snorkel with colourful reef fish in the pristine waters of the Flores Sea or enjoy a picnic drop-off on a private island beach.
Surrounded by one of the world’s most spectacular lagoons, Hotel Bora Bora offers three white-sand beaches.
Amanresorts’ beach resorts also include Amanwella, set beside an 800m golden-sand beach in a palm-lined, crescent-shaped cove on Sri Lanka’s south coast; Amanpuri, overlooking Pansea Beach and the Andaman Sea on the west coast of Thailand’s Phuket Island; Amankila, a cliffside beach resort with sweeping views of the Lombok Strait in East Bali. Set within a grove of coconut palms with the resort’s largest, 41m swimming pool, the Beach Club holds scheduled barbecues and Balinese dance performances on the volcanic sand beach, which features eight secluded lounging bales.
Amanusa commands a garden hillside in southern Bali with panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Set on Nusa Dua’s best white-sand beach, the Beach Club provides an informal restaurant with nine bales set on the beach. A fringing coral reef makes for safe swimming and seasonal water sports. The Beach Club is the setting for candle-lit barbecues, and sunrise breakfasts can be enjoyed in the privacy of the bales.
A number of Amanresorts have cruise boats but the flagship Amanpuri in Phuket puts an entire fleet – the largest of any resort in South-east Asia – at its guests’ disposal with a tailor-made selection of cruise experiences. The professionally crewed vessels range from 20 to 110ft, carry full insurance and keep a variety of recreational equipment on board. All craft are available year-round. Vessels depart from three bases on Phuket to the many beautiful beaches and islands in the area. Between December and March some of the vessels are anchored in front of Amanpuri's beach. Water-skiing and wakeboarding can be arranged at a supplementary cost. Each vessel can be booked for half or full-day excursions around the islands off Phuket or for overnight stays on trips further afield. From picnic excursions to romantic dinners for two or four-day-long PADI-certified scuba diving courses, Amanpuri’s versatile fleet offers one of the most unique ways to experience the coastal beauty of Southwest Thailand.
Amanwana on the nature reserve of Moyo Island maintains a fleet of 10 boats for cruising, fishing and diving. Explore nearby coral coves and beaches, ideal for shell collecting, beachcombing, sunbathing and snorkelling. Cruise to the islands of Medang and Satonda, or head south into Saleh Bay, an inland sea rich in discovery islands. Other possibilities includes sunset or starlight dinner cruises on Amanwana Bay.
At Amanpulo the brilliant blue waters of the Sulu Sea provide for superb cruising. The resort keeps a variety of boats for island hopping, fishing and lazy-day sailing. On the Dolphin II, a Gulf Craft equipped with a Yamaha 200hsp twin engine, up to 10 guests can enjoy half and full-day charters. The fleet also has a fast planing fiberglass ski boat and a spacious double-decker pontoon boat, ideal for sunset cruises and snorkelling trips.
At Amankila overlooking the Lombok Strait in East Bali, two outriggers designed after the jukung, a traditional Balinese fishing craft, are available for coastal cruising, snorkelling trips and picnic lunches. Aman XII, a 50ft vessel with a large sundeck and shaded area, is used for the daily morning and afternoon cruises. Aman XVI is a 36ft vessel with sundeck and some shaded area used mainly for private sunrise or lunch cruises across to Nusa Penida.
At Amanusa on Bali’s southern coast, a variety of sailing craft, including a luxury sailing catamaran, can be chartered to visit Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan, the more secluded of the two. This full-day excursion includes a luncheon barbecue. The afternoon can be spent exploring the island or relaxing on the beach.
At Hotel Bora Bora in French Polynesia, guests can enjoy full-day or half-day trips to neighbouring islands in the Leeward group aboard a 50ft, sport-fishing catamaran. Sea-going charters of up to three days are also available, as are regular sunset cruises of the lagoon. Also available, are three restored pirogues a voile (Tahitian sailing canoes). Classic outriggers like these, made from hollowed-out tree trunks, are perfect for sailing Bora Bora’s blue lagoon.
From walk-in wall dives off Amanwana’s beach on the nature reserve of Moyo Island east of Bali, to the pristine reefs of Northwest Point Marine National Park only 500m offshore of Amanyara, most of Amanresorts’ beach locations provide access to some of the world’s best dive sites. Each resort’s professional dive centre attends to the needs of divers of all levels.
At Amanwana many of the Indonesian archipelago’s best dive sites are no more than a 10-minute boat ride away. Similarly, Hotel Bora Bora provides easy access to a number of dive sites within the lagoon and beyond the island’s barrier reef. Even non-divers are able to experience the wonders of the undersea world with the Aqua Safari, by walking into the lagoon amidst a profusion of multi-hued tropical fish to a depth of 10m wearing a special oxygen-fed helmet.
Aquaventure, Amanpulo’s dive company, is a five-star PADI Gold Palm Resort offering a wide selection of scuba diving courses from introductory to advanced. For novice divers, Amanpulo is a welcome retreat, with glassy seas in front of the Beach Club and a gentle drop-off to deeper waters. For certified divers, there are a number of fine sites on both sides of Pamalican, all within easy reach by dive boat. All equipment is offered at the Dive Shop, including underwater lights.
Amanpuri on the island of Phuket’s west coast provides access to some of the Andaman Sea’s best dive sites, including the availability of overnight dive charters.
Certified divers should bring their certification cards with them to all Amanresorts. Non-certified divers are advised to bring a medical certificate. Divers must be at least 10 years of age.
Championship golf is never too far away at Amanresorts.
At Amanjena in Marrakech, Morocco, the Amelkis Golf course lies adjacent to the resort, with splendid views of the High Atlas Mountains from its challenging fairways. A second course, Royal Golf de Marrakech, is just a few minutes drive away.
Similarly, at Amanusa on Bali’s southern coast, the Bali Golf and Country Club lies just below the resort. Named one of Asia’s five best courses, complimentary clubs and preferential tee times make it hard for guests to resist a round. On Bali, two other championship courses are also available, the Nirwana Bali Golf Club and the Bali Handara Country Club.
In Central Java, and hour’s drive from Amanjiwo, the Peter Thomson-designed 18-hole Mount Merapi Golf Course is a scenic haven for golfers and sightseers alike. Located on the slope of Indonesia’s most active volcano, it’s also a cool escape at an altitude of about 1,000m.
At Amanpuri on the tropical island of Phuket, golfers enjoy their pick of five international-standard championship golf courses, all lying within a 30 to 40-minute drive of the resort. Tee times can be arranged and complimentary use of clubs is provided.
At Amanyara, in the sunny Turks and Caicos Islands, the Providenciales Golf club is a 40-minute drive from the resort and is rated amongst the top 10 course sin the Caribbean. Designed by Karl Litten, the 18-hole course is a combination of lush greens and fairways, rugged limestone outcroppings and freshwater lakes. A four-tee position system offers a formidable test for golfers of all skill levels.
At Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the valley offers two golf courses: Teton Pines Resort & Golf Club, an Arnold Palmer-designed course, and Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis, shaped by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Not far from Amankora Thimphu, one of five Amankora lodge locations across the pristine valleys and high mountain passes of the Kingdom of Bhutan, the country’s capital city of Thimphu provides golfing action: a nine-hole course with a majestic backdrop of the capital’s administrative Tashichoe Dzong is set at 2,800m above sea level. Tee times can be arranged by Amankora.
Aman resorts are inherently romantic, from worldwide locations acclaimed for their natural beauty to facilities and services intended to soothe mind, body and spirit, indulging the senses.
In French Polynesia, set on one of the world’s most spectacular lagoons, little could be more romantic than an escape to Hotel Bora Bora. Surrounded by three white-sand beaches, guests have the choice of Polynesian style bungalows and farés, in a variety of settings, from garden view and oceanfront to overwater locations. With sailing, snorkelling, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, charter cruises to the surroundings islands of the Leeward group and an abundance of water sports, as well as traditional and Tahitian spa treatments, the romance of the South Pacific endures at Hotel Bora Bora.
For even more seclusion, Amanpulo is set on its own private island of Pamalican in the Philippines. Guests travel from Manila by chartered plane to the island, landing on Amanpulo’s airstrip. Surrounded by white-sand beaches, clear blue waters, and a coral reef 300m from shore, the secluded island hosts a variety of beach and water activities. Stargaze through Amanpulo’s 850 x 90mm astronomical refractor telescope or relax in the tranquillity of the Beach Club, enjoying the blue panorama of sea and sky.
For romance in the Caribbean, Amanyara embraces a pristine landscape unspolit by time on the secluded western shore of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Imbued with the romantic solitude of the West Indies of old, Amanyara is open to the elements, the sun and its reflections off the ponds, the sea breeze, the sights and sounds of the ocean. Offering some the world’s best diving immediately offshore in the crystal-clear, turquoise waters of the Northwest Point Marine National Park, the Dive Pavilion at Amanyara provides a professional team of dive masters and instructors for beginners and divers of all skills levels. Complimentary water sports can be enjoyed from the Beach Club including Hobie cats, Laser sailboats and ocean kayaks. Snorkelling can be enjoyed right off the beach.
At Amanresorts, romantic escapes can take many forms. On the outskirts of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Marrakech in Morocco, sun-paled Amanjena ripples with Moresque arches from the grand entranceway to the fireplaces. With views to the High Atlas Mountains, the entrance colonnade leads past courtyards and fountains strewn with rose petals, Marrakech’s flower. Dine beneath the retractable skylight in the elegant onyx-columned Restaurant to accompaniment of Moroccan musicians. Alternatively, enjoy private dinners set in a candle-lit olive grove within Amanjena’s caidal tent, beguiled by the romance of the Moroccan night. From touring the fabled souks and winding lanes of Marrakech’s old medina, following the smells of cumin, mint tea and barley bread baking in communal ovens, to hiking through Berber villages in the High Atlas Mountains or visiting the white-washed, coastal village of Essaouira on the Atlantic, excursions and activities at Amanjena are bound to bring out the romantic in anyone.
Amanresorts offers access to some of the world’s most pristine natural environments, from Amanwana on the nature reserve of Moyo Island, east of Bali, to the five lodges of Amankora across the sheltered Himalayan landscapes of Bhutan. These wilderness areas are havens for wildlife, and home to some of the world’s most endangered species. Excursions and treks where wildlife can be encountered in their natural habitats are a part of the activities available at many Aman resorts, such as day-trips from Amanwella to Sri Lanka’s Uda Walawe or Bundala National Parks. At other Aman resorts with closer proximity to the abundant wildlife of protected reserve areas, guests can also enjoy scheduled wildlife safaris.
Set on the apron of Rajasthan’s Ranthambhore National Park, the wilderness camp of Aman-i -Khás offers twice daily nature and wildlife safaris, providing guests an opportunity to sight leopards, tigers, crocodiles, sloth bears and other animals in their natural habit. A customised open-top safari vehicle takes guests into the core of Ranthambhore National Park, which measures around 400sqkm. While guests are not guaranteed a tiger sighting, these are among the best anywhere in India. The best time to view game is in the early morning and late afternoon. Trips are led by Ranthambhore National Park-appointed guides who take guests on a range of routes through the park.
At Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, wildlife safaris are conducted year round. In the spring, guests travel on a full-day excursion in Amangani’s four-wheel drive luxury SUVs with binoculars, window-mounted scopes and an experienced Amangani field guide. In spring, the moose are in the willows, the new aspen leaves are lettuce green and trumpeter swans, the largest waterfowl in America, are nesting amid the reeds and rushes of the National Elk Refuge. In the fall, there’s no better way to view all the wildlife that Grand Teton National Park has to offer. Autumn is the season of the rut, and moose, elk, pronghorn, mule deer and other wildlife are particularly active during the months of September and October. Study and photograph them in their natural habitat. One of the highlights of the September-October mating season is the unforgettable sound of bugling: the call of the bull elk. Autumn is also the season of migration, with the Wyoming skies full of flocking birds and waterfowl. In winter, as soon as snow begins to blanket the higher ground, elk come down in their thousands. Bison, bighorn sheep, mule deer and occasional moose and pronghorn also seek the sanctuary of the National Elk Refuge. Explore beautifully rugged terrain on cross-country skis or snowshoes, viewing wildlife in a firsthand field study of nature.
If it’s action-packed days on the slopes and a convivial après-ski atmosphere, Amanresorts provides access to the best of both. At Amangani in Wyoming, USA, you are a complimentary 20-minute shuttle ride away from the Amangani Ski Lounge and some of North America’s most acclaimed ski-runs at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, 1,000 hectares of high-thrill skiing and snowboarding terrain featuring North America’s greatest lift-serviced vertical drop at 1,260m (4,139ft). Conveniently located at the base of the Bridger gondola in Teton Village, Amangani’s Ski Lounge provides a private meeting and resting place with racks for storing skis and warming boots. Ski lessons and equipment can be organised from the lounge. Complimentary snacks, hot beverages, washrooms and concierge service are all designed to keep Amangani’s guests on the slopes longer. After a great day on the slopes, unwind with a mulled wine or ginger tea before the large wood-burning fireplaces of Amangani’s Lounge, the two-storey window wall offering beautiful views of the Snake River Range.
Le Mélézin, in the fashionable Alpine village of Courchevel 1850, lies in the heart of the world’s largest ski area, the Trois Vallées in the French Alps. Sitting directly on the Bellecôte ski slope, 200m from the village centre and its ski lifts, ski school, banks and shops, guests can enjoy superb ski-in and ski-out facilities. Combining elegance and comfort, many of Le Mélézin’s rooms and suites feature views of the ski slopes and surrounding peaks. An outdoor terrace serves refreshments, lunch, snacks and tea and enjoys midday sun. From the Library and Bar to the oak-panelled Salon and Dining Room, the views are exceptional. After a day on the slopes, relax in the spacious hammam (steam room) or the white capri stone pool with a jacuzzi on either side.
Since the opening of its first resort in 1988, Amanpuri on Thailand’s tropical island of Phuket, Amanresorts has integrated spa treatment facilities and full service Spas into the development of its resorts. Right beside Amanpuri, Aman’s first full service Spa, The Aman Spa, opened in 2001. Linking discovery of some of the world’s most interesting cultural and natural environments to the health and well-being of its guests has always been a cornerstone of Amanresorts’ approach.
After all, aman, in the ancient Sanskrit language, means peace and Amanresorts strives through its services and facilities to fulfill that promise, offering in small resorts a guest experience that is both intimate and discreet. The health and wellness component of the Aman experience has always been integral to it and has a presence at all Aman resorts and destinations. Spa facilities for therapeutic massages, body wraps, scrubs and baths, and beauty treatments provide a range of opportunities for guests to simply chill out after expeditions or sporting activities, or to enhance their well-being by revitalising mind, body and spirit in a variety of treatments, including yoga, pilates and meditation. Amanresorts has its own exclusive line of spa products in use in all of its spa facilities. Made entirely of natural ingredients, these products incorporate essential oils derived from organically-grown wild plants and herbs. For more information on Amanresorts’ spa treatments and services, please visit the individual resort pages. resorts with spa facilities
The Baths at Amangalla, set at the heart of a 400 year old Galle Fort in Sri Lanka recapture a bygone era of "taking the waters" restoring the body and soothing the mind. Ayurvedic massage, an ancient system of health care, originated by the sages of India, is also practiced at Amangalla.
Surrounded by a lotus pool, the Spa at Amandari seems to float peacefully above the water. It has two open-air bales, a beauty room, sauna and marble steam room.
Amangani has a Health Centre which emphasises the individual guest experience in its two exercise studios, four treatment rooms and separate steam rooms for men and women.
The spa treatments at Le Mélézin are available in two massage rooms, one massage/ facial treatment room and one Thai/ Shiatsu room.
The Jungle Cove Spa at Amanwana is just off the beach and under shady tamarind trees. Simple coral-stone walls divide the outdoor centre into three treatment areas, one double and two single rooms, each including a recessed, soaking tub and a shower.
The Spa at Amanbagh provides a complete wellness experience with yoga, qigong, meditation and reiki for all levels of experience.
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