Amangiri, Window, View, Arizona, Plateau, Aman

To me, Amangiri , meaning “peaceful mountain”, is the most beautiful hotel in the world. No words, photos, or videos can really do this place justice.

How to get there

The resort is located in Canyon Point, on the borders of states Arizona and Utah. It lies in the heart of Grand Circle, a home to some of the America’s most stunning landscapes and geological sites. To reach Amangiri is not easy, since the closest major cities are both hours drive away. We decided to drive four hours and half from Las Vegas to get there and the road trip itself is an experience of its own. The landscape along the way was absolutely breathtaking. In the end, we actually liked the fact that it is not easy to get to Amangiri , since it made us feel like we have earned to be in this place.

The Property

Back in 2009, developer Christoph Henkel and a team of internationally acclaimed architects worked on bringing Amangiri to life. Their goal was to build something special on this preserved holy land that happened through a vote of the American Congress. Together, they integrated ancient Navajo culture, history into the desert scenery and rock formations. The resort spreads over 600 acres and is split between two properties, Amangiri with 34 suites and Camp Sarika with 10 pavilions.

As soon as we pulled our car over at the car park in front of the main building, we were warmly greeted by the newly appointed general manager, Audrey, and guest relations manager, Christine. Welcome to Amangiri! Together we walked up a lights of wide and gentle stairs. Then we saw it, desert-coloured stone and concrete walls with splashes of scarlet tenting (red is the traditional colour of celebration for the Navajo) with a panoramic view of the rock formations, the desert, and surrounding plateaus. My heart skipped a beat. Walking inside, there is a spacious living room with fireplaces, cosy seating and incredible views, the gallery showcasing the Navajo’s best art and handicrafts, the library, the dining room, the kitchen and a cute little gift shop. Through the glass doors of the dining room, we saw the most dramatic pool setting that we have ever seen. Set in a sunken courtyard, the pool is wrapped around a giant outcrop of rock. I have never seen a pool that is so beautiful and well integrated into the nature.

Accommodation

After a quick tour through the property, we were accompanied to our two-bedroom pavilion of Camp Sarika. Between Amangiri and Camp Sarika, the latter is better for a family of four like ours for its privacy and space to spread out. The pavilion has roomy lounge area that consists of a dining table, kitchen storage, sitting area and storage cabinet. There are two identical bedroom wings in our pavilion, and each has its own deep bathtub, indoor and outdoor showers and his and her sinks. Outside the sliding floor-to-ceiling glass door, an expansive outdoor terrace overlooking the breathtaking plateaus has a heated plunge pool, fire pit area, and a telescope for stargazing. Each pavilion also has its own golf cart, so the guests have complete freedom to roam between Amangiri and Camp Sarika.

Restaurants

For our first night, we opted to dine at Camp Sarika’s own restaurant, which changes its menu every single day, 365 days a year. It has an open kitchen with a wood fired oven. It offers a sharing style menu for the every table and the guests can decide on which courses to take and how many portions they want. The dishes we had were just sensational, the grilled chicken was particularly exquisite. You could taste the freshness of the seasonal ingredients. Post dinner, we retreated back into our pavilion and started our private fire pit on the terrace. It was such a cozy and intimate moment to grill marshmallows and s’mores with the kids under the millions of stars. For our second night, we went to try out Amangiri’s main restaurant, whose menu is inspired by traditional Navajo dishes and Utah's Southwestern culinary heritage. Not only the sunset dinner view in the restaurent was breathtaking, but also the dishes were out of this world. Favourite dishes were Chill Garlic Noodles, Duck Confit Biryani, and Ancho Chile Blackened Cedar River Beef.

Experiences

The experiences that Amangiri offers is truly one-of-a-kind. Guests can enjoy yoga, massage, and daily walks. Outside the resort, thanks to its approximity to many national parks, the guests can do many day trips to explore Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Colorado River and Bryce and Zion National Parks. There are also hot-air balloon rides, Via Ferrata Climbing and more.

Activities

During our stay, we joined one of the daily hikes on the Amangiri’s trails. Our adventure guide, Mike, is extremely knowledgeable on the ecology, geology and human history of the area. A short 40 mins easy walk really helped us to understand the surroundings of Amangiri and realise just how special this place really is. A private guided tour to slot canyons is definitely a must-do when staying at Amangiri. Most visitors in this region are here to see Antelope Canyons, which is actually our least favourite slot canyons to visit, since it was over-crowded. However, as guests of Amangiri, we were privileged to see some amazing private canyons that were only available to us. Last, but not the least, Via Ferrata with a private guide is other highlight of our family activities. “Via Ferrata” is Italian for iron road and is a climbing route of fixed cables and ladder rungs. Following our guide, David, we ascended the plateaus and reached the 18-inch by 232-foot suspension bridge is located on the Hoodoo Routes. The views were simply spectacular. We also ventured out to another iconic American landmark - Horseshoe Bend at Glen Canyon, a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River.

Wellness

When staying with any of the Aman properties, one must not miss the experience of Aman Spa. Amangiri’s spa is particularly stunning. With white stone floors and concrete walls that reflect the colours of the American Southwest, guests can see uninterrupted panoramic views of plateau from the spa treatment room, the outdoor pool, the outdoor lounge, and the relaxing area. Amangiri Spa adopted the healing traditions of the Navajo through the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water. Before getting a personalised massage, the the therapist beings the treatment by burning secret herb (white sage) and fanning the smokes all over our bodies with secret intentions. This was part of the Native American ritual called smudging, which meant to cleanse the soul and remove the negative thoughts from the body. The treatment was deep and hoslistic. I really felt a wonderful connection between mind, body and the nature.

Conclusion

Yes, staying at Amangiri comes with a huge price-tag, however, it worths every penny. This is a place where one can find a rare harmonious balance between nature, spirituality, exploration, ultra-minimalism and luxury. The one way to really understand just how special Amangiri is to experience it by yourself.

*I was invited as guest by Amangiri, but all opinions are my own.