We finally made it to Amangiri and (spoiler alert) it did not disappoint one bit!
Service: We spent 4 nights at Amangiri and had ZERO service issues. From pre-booking queries & pre-stay requests to execution at the resort, our biggest complaint was probably the fact that the Scrabble game in the library was missing a few pieces. This is our 5th Aman stay and our first in the USA, and especially after reading this thread we had low expectations, but this stay surpassed even the "Aman Asia expectations". Subtleties like cleaning our car between trips and always making sure there was cold water in the cup holder were appreciated but there were so many bigger gestures that really made the trip so perfect.
F&B: Without going into too many details, my wife and I were traveling for a very momentous occasion and we adhere to a VERY strict diet so we were far from easy customers. Lots of different specialty items needed to be ordered in advance by the chef and a sterile cooking area for our diet(s) needed to be set aside in the kitchen.
Chef Anthony Marazita is more than just a great chef, he is a true gentleman. He spent lots of time in advance of our stay communicating the different menu options he thought would work and really came through providing us with high quality, beautifully presented meals throughout our stay. He printed daily, personalized menus for each meal that reflected the occasion and constantly looked for ways to impress us.The Chef and his team made sure to be approachable and even met with us daily to review the past meals and discuss our options for the next day. Kudos to the F&B Dept. at Amangiri, they really outdid themselves!
Activities: This is where Amangiri really shines. While Amanjiwo had some cool options, most of the other Amans we have stayed at have been amazing but lacked unique activities and trips. Amangiri is really quite the opposite in this dept. The
Amangiri Experience Team is loaded with young, adventurous and fun-loving staff who encourage you to partake in the activities YOU will enjoy and not just the ones that cost a lot of $$. The complimentary group hikes (8 AM & 5 PM daily) are both lots of fun and quiet beautiful and are a good way to see some great views of the resorts and its amazing landscapes. Among the activities, one that really stood out as really special to us was the
Via Ferrata rock climbing. I am not usually the adventurous type but everyone from Chef Anthony to Rob at the Experience Team really encouraged me to give it a try so I followed my (much more adventurous) wife along and figured that I could always bail out and catch a good nap at the foot of the ascent while I waited for them to finish. Sure enough, we ended up with a wonderful guide who had all the patience in the world and made a true effort to teach me all the in and outs so I would be calm and collected and could enjoy. By the time we were done, I was asking when we could go again and truly relished this great experience. Another great experience was
Horseshoe Bend, a 25 min drive away right outside Page, AZ. After a short hike, you chance upon some of the most beautiful views in the region as well as some of the dumbest people you will ever see in your life. I'm referring to people dangling their spouses, children and even pets on short ledges above the canyon in an effort to get some cool pictures. Seems like they are in the process of adding some barriers though it can't happen soon enough. We also enjoyed the
Three Canyon Tour though I would avoid
Upper Antelope next time as the traffic there does not allow for much more than some quick glances.
Upper Antelope:
OK, this is how it really looks inside the canyon:
Via Ferrata (our favorite activity)
The exhilarating views from Horseshoe Bend (My G-D, the things people will do to get a good picture):
Homeward Bound:
