What is important about the clarity is that it allows for one of the most extensive barrier reefs in the world, which stretches sixty-five miles across and two hundred miles long: The lack of murk in the water lets the sunlight filter down to the symbiotic algae that coral need to survive. And where there is coral, still relatively healthy, there is sea life—so wide a profusion of delightfully colored parrot fish and angelfish, spiny lobsters, silvery schools rocking in the currents, eagle rays, and little blennies poking in and out of their tiny abodes that divers flock from all over the world to see them.

There are even sea turtles, one of which graced me with its company as I snorkeled alone one day. Turtles move through the water as birds move through the sky, only more slowly, and being with one was stirring.

ninety-nine acres of an eighteen-thousand-acre private reserve on the otherwise uninhabited northwest coast ... Aman agreed to preserve the natural terrain, landscape only with native species, and build in as unobtrusive and environmentally thoughtful a fashion as possible

Each room is a private pavilion set deeply into the vegetation ... you can't see anyone, which means no one can see you.

Staff must be familiar with who is who, and magically, within hours of our arrival, everyone ... seemed to know our names and the names of our children, whom they joked with and doted on with genuine kindness ... Amanyara keeps no hours - everything is available always - and the kitchen, which employs chefs from Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, Macedonia, Switzerland, and Morocco, is prepared to cook anything within the scope of human craving. Menus are deliberately small, because it is not expected that anyone will order from them.

general manager tells me that if, as recently happened, someone complains of a smell coming from a concrete wall, the engineers will blast down the wall to find the source ... "A fruit basket," the general manager says ... "has never once made anything better for anyone."

trees. Here they are mahogany, flown in from Florida. Mahogany is native to the Turks and Caicos, but they never grow very large here, and Jean-Michel Gatthy ... wanted large ones for Amanyara's enormous reflecting pool, around which the reception, restaurant, bar, and library pavilions are gathered. Their beauty is marred, however, by the rough wooden crutches nailed to them, four or six to each tree ... resort has had to adjust to being pounded by hurricanes: Irene alone took out sixty-five trees in 2011. The water table rose so high that the floor of the reflecting pool, which is simply rubber matting laid over dirt, began to undulate. The Miami mahoganies were vulnerable in such conditions.

Every day, the team of twenty gardeners in green shirtsleeves are out with their hedge-cutters, carrying out their Sisyphean work of pruning back exuberant nature. When I ask the general manager about this, he points to the gently undulating vegetation that provides a bottom frame for the view of the sea, and explains that even that seemingly careless line is perfectly calculated: shoulder-height here, hip-height there, and so on, in the instructional code of the office of Jean-Michel Gatthy. The buildings are made up of three kinds of teak, all from Indonesia. In order to keep them in pristine condition, the hotel has to close for a month of renovation every year. Last year, $225,000 was spent on the annual restoration of the four main pavilions alone

We cannot assure you that the proposed sale of our shareholding in Silverlink will be completed within the expected timeframe, or at all.

Our wholly owned subsidiary, DLF Global Hospitality Limited, has entered into a share purchase agreement in December 2012 with Mahaman Assets Limited (“Mahaman”) for the sale of our shareholding in Silverlink, which owns hotels and resorts operating under the “Aman Resorts” brand, at an enterprise value of approximately U.S.$300.0 million (or, `16,281.8 million). Pursuant to an amendment agreement dated April 10, 2013 and upon satisfaction of certain conditions specified under the share purchase agreement, including the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals, we expect this transaction to be completed by June 30, 2013. However, we cannot assure you that the proposed sale of our shareholding in Silverlink will be completed within the expected timeframe, or at all. In the event the agreement is terminated for any reason, we will not receive the proceeds from this transaction. Further, until this transaction is completed, our hotels business will continue to be affected significantly by the risks affecting the hospitality industry which, among others, include seasonality, adverse economic conditions, commodity inflation, stringent regulation and competition.

Silverlink operates 25 hotels and resorts in 15 international locations and two hotels in India under the “Aman Resorts” brand with more than 976 keys. Of the 25 international hotels and resorts, 14 are owned by Silverlink.

However, The Lodhi, which is a hotel property with 40 keys and 28 serviced apartments located in New Delhi, was not included in this sale. We continue to own and operate this hotel property.

assets ` 248,251.47 lacs
total revenues ` 39,398.37 lacs
net cash flows ` 958.16 lacs
year ended December 31, 2011

total assets ` 262,055.42 lac,
total revenues ` 47,158.30 lac
net cash outflows of ` 403.14 lac
year ended December 31, 2012

Aman is expected to close by June 30, 2013. Given that it is a MBO, it is taking some time to achieve financial closure.

Analysts present in an investor call said that Zecha has tied up the equity component but he is yet to find a partner for the debt component.

"We hope that the deal will be concluded by June...We will speak to them (Adrian Zecha) and find out if they have arranged funds. If they are in the process, we could think of giving more time. If they are not, then we will take decision at that point of time,"

Chariva, who has been on staff at Amanpuri since the opening

At The Surin, which shares otherwise private Pansea Beach with the Amanpuri –and shares an architect and designer in Ed Tuttle too – you can order bargain chilled coconuts, gin and tonics and pina coladas from the local women who have enterprisingly set up a ramshackle bar a short stroll from the hotel's striking, dark-tiled hexagonal pool.

The Surin was refurbished last year, its villas lightened up with pale greys and metallics, and some very chic Californian 1950s interior touches introduced into the bright amber library and dining areas, all set into the cliff that overlooks the pool and beach. This is one of the most enjoyable and attractive hotels I've been to in years.

The best food I had on the island was...at...dirt-cheap place...But the seafood at The Surin is a knockout: I had steamed white fish with lime and garlic just about every night on Phuket, and the very best I had was at The Surin.