AMANGIRI

Looks like quite a few of us flyertalkers were at Amangiri this past weekend! I also just returned, having spent 4 days there. I wonder if any of us were on the same hike? (I was part of a group who joined that guide in your photo for a hike to, and then around, the Broken Arrow Cave the day before the petroglyphs were vandalized by two other Amangiri guests who carved their own graffiti (a spaceship and a human head) onto the ancient carvings).

My 2 cents:

A+. Having grown up in Utah, I had wondered whether having spent so much time around such scenery would have somehow inured me to Amangiri's locale. But I was nothing less than astounded by the location--and that it was able to be purchased and used in this way. The resort is impeccably positioned to take full advantage of the incredible rock formations and vistas in all directions--from the position of the resort itself up against one of the rock formations to the dramatic outcroppings in all directions, this has got to be one of the most amazingly situated resorts in the world.

A. The artistry of the way the buildings flow into each other, the way the main building frames such perfect views of the terrain, the color of the concrete, the stone of the floors, the wonderful bathroom windows, and the opening of the 4th wall of each suite to the desert--I think it's such a triumph that I was able to overlook the occasional infelicities of form over function (the inability to adjust the sunshades at the pool as the position of the sun changes throughout the day; the stone platform/step on which the bed sits always getting in the way of one's toes; the horrific bathroom doors that clang and boom no matter how softly you attempt to roll them shut int the middle of the night). I'm not crazy about the way the main building blends library/dining room/lounging areas without any really meaningful spatial separations . . . so I spent next to no time in that building. But I loved the rooms themselves, the spa, the pool area, and the public outdoor spaces. So I would not recommend going to the resort in the winter! And even in May, the mornings and evenings required sweaters/jackets. June is probably the ideal month--and perhaps September. July and August get thunderstorms from time to time.

A. I wish I'd known that they had 2 convertible BMWs that they provide to guests free of charge for daytrips, and I would have booked one for the 2.5 hour scenic drive to Monument Valley--I can't think of any better way to experience that iconic American landscape than in a convertible BMW! But there is really just so much to do and see in the area that I will need to go back, as 4 days were not enough when we wanted to spend a chunk of each day lounging by the beautiful pool and visiting the spa. From boat trips on Lake Powell to secluded inlets or must-see sights like Rainbow Bridge, to an incredible visit to a slot canyon for which Amangiri has an exclusive arrangement so that you are the only guests to experience the canyon, which rivals the famous Antelope Canyon except you don't have to share it's twisting, narrow chambers with 300 tourists...), to day-trips to Grand Canyon, Zion, and other national parks, there really is a wealth to do in the area, whether you like hiking, boating, hot air ballooning, rafting . . . or simply relaxing in the most quiet, still, ancient landscape imaginable.

A-. Easiest the closest I've come to a true Aman service ethic outside of Asia. A few of the local staff they've hired are gauche and awkward in their efforts, but overall, I was very impressed by how the resort is humming right along in its ability to provide intuitive, effective service. The nightly turndown gifts avoid southwestern cliche (no "dreamcatchers" here), yet are beautifully of the place; housekeeping faultless and frequent; management solicitous and friendly.

B+. Beautifully designed, effective treatments--but I wish I'd avoided the 2.5 hour "Dawn Journey" and just opted for a "regular" treatment, as the "Dawn Journey" devolved into psychobabble in which the therapist kept telling me that I couldn't take care of others until I took care of myself, and was convinced that I had had asthma as a child, so kept positioning various colored rocks on my body to balance me (I've never had asthma and assured her that I'd never had any respiratory issues of any sort). But when she set the "journey" elements aside and just gave me a massage, it was a deep, excellent one. (I loved the spa journey I had at the Aman Spa at the Connaught, so perhaps I just had bad luck with this therapist.)

B+. Larger than the average hotel gym, with a reasonable amount of good equipment and dumbbells.

C. As others have mentioned, it's a real problem, the only thing holding this resort back from being among the very top in the world. At best, the food was mediocre--at worst, inedible (a tomato/basil/mozzarella pizza in which the mozzarella was tough and unyielding and flavorless). They cook it all in these wood-burning fires, which seems to limit the craft and quality of food preparation. I think they need a new head chef who can re-work the menu entirely. And there are so few options that after two days we had exhausted anything that sounded appetizing . . . but were still stuck with the limited options since there's really nowhere else to go. I'd strongly encourage you to order from the breakfast menu rather than the "breakfast table," an uninspiring buffet. There's one small dessert menu that is the same for lunch, dinner, and pool service. Then there's a very small lunch menu which is the same every day, and a small dinner menu which, with the exception of a daily appetizer and entree special, was also the same every day. If Amankora in Bhutan can find a way to change its menu from day-to-day--and vary that menu across five different lodges--then surely Amangiri in the U.S. of A. can and must fina a way to improve its menu dramatically!

Even with the major food issues, this is at the very top of my list of US resorts, the best I've experienced for service, location, design, comfort, and overall experience.

A few other thoughts that crossed my mind after I just posted, and that may be helpful:

1. The resort was full to capacity, all 33 rooms occupied, this past weekend, but it never felt crowded, and while the service was a tad slow, it was never problematically so.

2. The desert wing and the mesa wing have very different feels, both very special. The mesa wing winds its way uphill from the main building, so is full of sunlight and exposure to the rock outcropping and the sky above. It runs past the spa and gym. The desert wing has more of an enclosed, canyon feel to it, with much more interesting use of water features that mimic, in contemporary design, the patterns of water and light on the stone of the slot canyons. I think the views are sensational from either wing, and the benefits of being close to the spa/gym/pool in the mesa wing may be counterbalanced by the more artistic design of the desert wing. I love them both, and would be incredibly happy in either place, but ultimately, am glad I picked the mesa wing because our view of the mesa was so gorgeous--just like the one on the website. (I was in room 29, a standard Mesa View room.)