Well...

Amanjiwo is perhaps one of the most raved hotels here on FT, particularly for its unique location and the Aman factor. Opened in 1997, the hotel has built up a formidable reputation, especially among the Aman Junkies. The hotel is located in Magelang, an hour and 10 minutes away from Yogyakarta and 10 minutes to the famed Borobudur Temple. 

The hotel itself is the masterwork of Edward B. Tuttle, who also worked on the designs of Amankila, Amanpuri, Amanjena, and several other Amans. As explained in the introduction, Amanjiwo is the only hotel of its class in proximity to Borobudur (and perhaps on the whole island of Java, even), followed only by the much less high-end, but all-villa Plataran Borobudur nearby.

Borobudur-inspired architecture at Amanjiwo

Transfers were included in our rate, as is standard at the Indonesian Amans and many others. We were picked up at the Yogyakarta Hyatt by our friendly driver, for an hour's drive to Magelang. The car itself looked neither new nor old but its interiors did seem a bit more worn compared to the ones they use in Bali (same type). 

Once at the hotel, we were invited to take a seat at the lobby bar to have our welcome drink. We were also greeted by who we later learned was a supervisor in a very casual manner that kind of surprised us. 

Shortly after, we were escorted to our Garden Suite following a brief tour of the hotel's facilities, where we had to sign several papers and waivers indicating we were healthy.

If there is one very high point about our stay, it would definitely be the rooms. Our suite was absolutely beautiful and very much well kept after 25 years. It felt as if the room has hardly aged at all, which isn't surprising, given the frequent maintenance conducted at all Amans. I absolutely loved the sense of place that was incorporated by the room's design, from the sliding screen wall and domed ceilings that are evidently inspired by Borobudur, to the beautiful artwork displayed on the walls. 

Garden Suite bedroom

Garden Suite bedroom

Garden Suite fruitplate

The suite also features a sizeable patio area that has a nice, covered daybed, as well as two lounge chairs. The Borobudur Temple is visible at an angle.

Garden Suite patio

The hotel had also recently replaced all its toilets with the excellent Toto Washlets, which made me miss Japan very much. Likewise, everything appeared to be in tip-top condition. 

The rainy weather during our stay meant that I wasn't able to use the outdoor bathtub very much. I'm not very fond of outdoor baths, although I liked that the ones here fill up very quickly. Likewise, water pressure from the shower is excellent.

Garden Suite washbasins

Garden Suite shower

Garden Suite Toto Washlet

Garden Suite bathtub

The mini bar was similarly a very beautiful set-up and offered organic teas as well as a jar of cookies and cassava crisps. I personally thought that the cookies were rather overwhelmingly sweet and preferred the offering at Amandari, although it was nice to have nevertheless.

What I found lacking with the room would likely be the absence of any sort of stationary (like a note pad) or the painting kit, as well as other typical little items that one ought to find in a hotel room like dental kits or combs. We were told that this has been the standard during the pandemic and all these things had to be requested. Whilst Amankila and Amandari does an excellent job with this, I thought that the lack of these things was bothersome and inconvenient.

Garden Suite bedroom

We mainly dined at the hotel's restaurant for breakfast. Food quality during breakfast was excellent and service was very much attentive. We sampled a few dishes during our stay, most of which I found to be of good quality and taste. In particular, I very much favoured the Eggs Benedict offered. I didn't like the other options quite as much, although they tasted pretty good and high quality for what they were.

Pastries

Eggs Benedict

Avocado Carpaccio with coconut cream

The Magelangan (a mix of fried rice and fried noodles)

Chia seed pudding

Fruit plate

Omelette

          Bubur Ayam chicken congee                                                                                                                    

We had dinner at the hotel one night, with a one-time dinner included in our rate. The dinner was from a predetermined set called the Makan Malam Dinner and consisted of a variety of local Javanese dishes. 

Makan Malam Dinner

Makan Malam Dinner

Makan Malam Dinner

Amanjiwo Restaurant

We also sampled the afternoon tea offering, which whilst isn't substantial, was nice nevertheless. There was something like a chocolate pound cake, and a rather interesting tasting coconut milk bread that was neither sweet nor savoury. They were served with this very interesting (but nice) tea that I think is made of herbs and spices.

Afternoon tea

The hotel's proximity to Borobudur does make the place very special, particularly given the fact that the temple is visible from most public areas at the hotel. That said, like at many Amans, Amanjiwo is relatively isolated (it is a 10 minute drive to the temple), and isn't quite within walking distance anywhere. 

The hotel has a very beautiful swimming pool as well as a small gymnasium that was converted from a suite (like at Amankila). 

Swimming Pool

Gymnasium