Amangiri Trip Report

I was at Amangiri last weekend. A four and a half hour self drive from Las Vegas was enjoyable and easy on the eyes. One of the few times I have arrived at an Amanresort with out being greeted at an airport. The entrance was unmarked but we found the gate at the end of Larkspur Road, buzzed in and drove another ten minutes till we reached the resort. The arrival courtyard has comfortable couches, a water fall cascading down from a reflecting pool, and a dozen Aspen trees planted in the turn around. We handed over the keys, were offered cold towels, lemonade, and a warm welcome. Amangiri was wonderful with very few problems.

To enter you climb the stairs and are your eyes are drawn to a classical framed view of the dessert southwest. All the views at Amangiri seemed to be framed by the walls of the resort (your suite even has drapes that make the view feel very cinematic). The main room has six fireplaces, scented woods burning every evening, comfortable seating on leather couches, horse hair rugs, walls of glass, amazing views. The Library is elevated in the middle of this building with nice sitting areas, good books and magazines, board games, and a laptop. The kitchen sits at the far end with lots of options for dinning both inside and out on the terrace over looking the swimming pool. As you pass the kitchen area and its wood burning ovens you can walk into the wine cellar that offers tastings. There is also a side terrace that is great at any time. Its position looks out over the mesas with big comfortable white couches to hang out on.

The Suites: Both the dessert view rooms and mesa view rooms are the same design and the view, from both are wonderful. The mesa view rooms are located at the back of the resort and have up close views of the rocks and look amazing when you look out from your suite. The suite has a wall of glass doors that fold back and disappear expanding the room to the outdoor terrace. This is a great place to hang out but we could look see other guest on their terraces and I am sure they could see us. At night with the gas fire on you can push a button that lowers a screen so you can sleep with the doors open and still see the fire and view in the morning. We spent a lot of time lounging on this terrace and had the fire going every night. You can light it your self or have someone come and light it. I suggest you tell them at dinner that you want the turn down staff to light it so its going when you come back to the room. A large LCD TV, music system, and mini bar are hidden behind large doors. The bathroom is well designed with twin rainfall shower heads, two hand held wands, and a bath tub in a separate room. A large window is centered with a view when you shower or take a bath. Four huge white bath towels, two nice candles, great soaps, shower gel and bath salts make getting clean very nice. The toilet room on the opposite end was huge, with a sliding barn door to close when in use. The tile work was top notch! Closet space was more then ample so that everything could be put away and out of sight. The pool suites I did not love as the pool is in the back (similar to Amanwella) with a view of the room and the mesa in the distance. The upstairs sundeck or star gazing deck is very nice, no one can see you up there. I did not see the other suites.

The main pool is vast and curved around a large rock formation. 8 double sun beds are built to look like they are floating on the water. A large tray is placed in the middle for drinks and food. There are other lounge chairs around the pool on an elevated platform. There is a large " hot tub that spills over into the heated pool at one end. Next to that is a outdoor lounge are with a fireplace that is blazing at night, you can also have dinner out there. Towels where thick and plentiful but no one to lay them out for you. You must ask for water. They bring you a menu for food and drinks, which can be ordered but staff was in short supply and the set up for a meal needs more practice. To be fair the staff were very nice they just need more experience with what guests are used to when staying at an Amanresort.

The Spa is remarkable and we spent a lot of time in the water pavilion. We had this to ourselves one day. There is no charge to use this. It has its own heated step well (pool), lots of cushions, pillows and towels, it was very indulgent. The spa staff even served drinks to us there. This pavilion has dry sauna, steam room, showers that are the size of the suites entire bathroom, cold plunge pool, and a fireplace. I think this spa is larger then Amanpuri's and it had wonderful inward facing views. There are many fireplaces in the spa, great water features, and interesting natural lighting similar to the slot canyons that are in the area.

A few adventures we did were a drive to Lake Powell (ten minutes away). We enjoyed them but got stuck in the sand at the lake, be careful! Glen Canyon Dam, and a Hummer tour to see a slot canyon was phenomenal. The weather was great in October, strong sun and the lake still warm enough for a swim. We hiked around the property twice and had some great views of the resort from atop the rocks just beyond the swimming pool. The landscape really does look Martian or Lunar, depending on the light.

I think this is a great resort only to get better as time goes by. The staff was lead by a few really strong and capable employees and the rest will get better as they gain more exp.

Extra things.

1. For lunch steak sandwich is the best option followed by the mussels, and then the swordfish plates.
2. Prickly pear margaritas are delicious and not listed on the menu make sure you ask for them they are great.
3. If you are planning on having more than one glass of wine it is a better deal to order a whole bottle. Utah has really strict alcohol laws and pours are measured precisely.
4. I highly recommend a bike ride while there. This is a very good way to capture the landscape and fill your day up with activities. ( downhill is the best!)
5. Climb the rocks behind the hotel, this is a really good way to see the resort from a different angle.
6. Sleep with the doors open.
7. Walk into the desert at night and star gaze. On a clear night this is an incredible experience. Management should seriously consider adding telescopes and binoculars to each suite.
8. The gym is full of great equipment for all levels of fitness and weightlifting.
9. Great bath robes.
10. Great staff leadership.
11. Wine tasting in the wine cellar.
12. There is no ipod docking station which they should have!
13. Entrance to the suite has a nice water feature and a dining table with two chairs.