Haute Travel - The Amangiri

nicole madison
May 28, 2017
4 min read

I love to travel.

But I hate to fly...especially on little planes. But this post isn’t about flying. And it’s probably a good thing I didn’t know about the 9-seater Beechcraft turboprop I would have to take in order to reach our destination – the Amangiri Resort in southern Utah. Because if I had known, I may have missed out on this spectacular property.

My husband and I booked three nights with really no plan to do anything. Because let’s face it, when you’re paying that much for a room, you really want to enjoy the room.

And the stunning vistas from said room.

And of course the pool.

The Amangiri is one of two locations in the U.S. for this high-luxury brand resort. Although not easy to get to, the Amangiri makes up for this with its location in the Grand Circle - an expansive region of breathtaking beauty that includes all five of Utah's national parks.

But because this was to be a romantic weekend of relaxation, we opted for not booking any excursions that would take us off property. The first morning, we ventured out to the Aman’s very own slot canyons, our only companions being a few jack rabbits. The next day we found ourselves trekking out to the Broken Arrow Cave to view the ancient petroglyphs. I believe this is what was meant by "spacious skies". It was beautiful. It was peaceful. But where was everyone? With only 35 guest rooms and 600 private acres to explore, they must have been enjoying their piece of absolute tranquility as well.

When it comes to activities at the resort, we were told the MUST – Do activity is the Via Ferrata -- a series of cables and rungs that challenges one to climb to vomit-inducing heights. After observing two fearless women climb down, my husband asked me “why aren't we doing this?” I reminded him that he didn't want any "organized" activities. What I didn't tell him was that I was still recovering from the tiny airplane.

There were at least a dozen other activities we could have done such as boating on Lake Powell, hot air ballooning, horseback riding or excursions to any number of national parks (Zion is a 2 hour drive and Bryce 3 hours).

But this weekend, we were content to relax and of course eat in their contemporary yet earthy dining room which also serves as the hotel lobby and lounge. The Amangiri offers an all-inclusive plan which we jumped on...I enjoyed this hamachi appetizer each night before the other five dishes we ordered. We did not go hungry.

What’s also nice is the rooms are stocked with snacks, chocolate, fruit, drinks and bottled waters - all complimentary. Just no alcohol in the mini fridge as this is Utah after all.

We did work off some of the wonderful food and drink in their fully equipped fitness room which had nearly every ball, band or machine that I would need for my workout. Our routine would then lead us to the spa for a treatment (hello, 80 minute massage and oxygen facial) or a soak in one of the private hot tubs where we quickly found our favorite drinks delivered - one prickly pear cactus margarita for him and a sage mojito for her.

As the end of our stay approached, I felt relaxed enough to get back on that little plane. After all, if I was going to come back and do the Via Ferrata, I needed to put on my big girl pants and live a little. As Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

5 Things To Know:

1) The weather is unpredictable. The first day it actually snowed on us in the jacuzzi! By the end of the weekend, we were in our bathing suits. Evenings are chilly.

2) The trails are very sandy, so bring hiking boots. Sand is still coming out of my running shoes!

3) There is a courtesy loaner BMW you can reserve for 4 hours and take out on your own.

4) It is high desert, so be prepared to breathe a little harder when you're working out.

5) Check out the plethora of excursions in the resort's Adventure Guide before you go so you know your options. Once we got there, we learned Antelope Canyon was an absolutely amazing sight, but sadly, we ran out of time.

GO!

If you don't own a private jet...

-- Fly to Phoenix then 1-hour flight to Page, Arizona and 25 minute drive to resort (transfers to and from airport are complimentary)

-- Fly to Phoenix and 4.5 hour drive

-- Fly to Las Vegas and 4 hour drive

-- Fly to Flagstaff and 2.5 hour drive

All opinions expressed are those of the writer and not anyone else. The writer was not compensated in any way by this company for this review. All photos are property of the writer unless otherwise cited. These photos may not be reproduced or used elsewhere without permission.