With an architecture perfectly integrated to the desert landscape, the Amangiri hotel-spa is one of the best options to visit the Grand Circle a region of towering mesas and deep canyons bordering the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona; an iconic landscape of the legendary western United States within easy reach of some of the continent’s most magnificent protected areas, including the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Monument Valley.
Amangiri Resort
In one of the most stunning landscapes in the world, and surrounded by the Grand Canyon, this luxury resort, set on 600 acres of pristine land, was built in 2009 around a large central pool. It overlooks the Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument Valley, one of the world’s geological jewels in southeastern Utah, which has unfortunately been reduced by nearly 47 percent of its original size by order of the 44th President of the United States, Donald Trump. In the same land originally inhabited by the Navajo Indians centuries ago, the Amangiri, which in the native language means Mountain of Peace, offers wellness and beauty treatments, flotation therapy, steam baths as well as yoga and Pilates sessions to bring harmony to body, mind, and spirit. Its special winter program includes personalized training in food and health, exercise, horseback riding, and hiking.
Guests also have the option of exploring the unspoiled surrounding areas, including kayaking on Lake Powell to admire the unique rock formations, enjoy storytelling and traditional ritual dances by Navajo peoples, or take an early morning hot air balloon to watch the dawn, among other luxurious experiences prepared specially for you by the hotel concierge staff.
Interior and exterior of Amangiri Resort.
The hotel accommodations include suites and private villas. The most exclusive feature a swimming pool and terrace, large library, wine, and cigars cellar, as well as the Desert Lounge, an area that modulates the temperature and lighting to enjoy the sunsets and the star-studded nights that are one of the main attractions in this peaceful corner of the United States.
From the resort—accessible by plane, landing at Page Airport in Arizona—the guests can take boat tours on the Colorado River and also helicopter rides over the canyons that dot the area. There are also adventure activities like caving and climbing, as well as set routes to visit the national parks of Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon. One of the most impressive attractions is to explore the fauna and flora of the area, with an archaeological heritage that includes footprints and dinosaur fossils dating back to more than 160 million years. In fact, Southern Utah is one of the places where paleontologists and scholars come to find fossils and study extinct species because of the abundance of specimens in a good state of conservation.
Amangiri Resort is part of the luxury group Aman Resorts, founded in 1988 by the Indonesian businessman Adrian Zecha, also co-founder of the Regent International Hotels chain. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and tennis player Novak Djokovic are frequent guests of this unique place, which emphasizes the harmony between the environment, history, and culture. ■
