No matter how many Amans you’ve been to, laying your head in one of their hotels reminds you clearly why Aman is the OG. And it’s not only the luxurious rooms either – it’s all about the vibe, and how they make you feel at Amanyara.
Atmosphere
There’s no two ways about it; when you arrive at Amanyara, it’s impressive. The architecture of the zen ponds that dominate the lobby and open air pavilions represent Aman in all its signature architectural glory. This was my second time at Amanyara and first time sharing my Aman experience, which I treat as sacred, with a new friend. This new context gave me a chance to really appreciate how damned lucky it is to stay at a place as luxurious as Amanyara. When you arrive at Aman, there’s a peace that if you let it, takes you out of the everyday. You’re not at Amanyara because you want to be in the scene, but rather take a break from it. Outside hotel guests aren’t allowed to drop by for a look-sy, so there’s a special privacy and serenity to the environment. It’s the reason why Amanyara is consistently full of A-list celebrities who pay full freight for their own personal vacations.
The other aspect of the atmosphere besides the serenity is the Aman team, who sets the tone. When you arrive, there’s several people to greet you with a proper refreshing towel and welcome drink. The resort can be completely full but it’s not a zoo, and you’re not mucking around with luggage or a clunky check-in process. All of this is conducive to an environment that allows you to let your guard down and decompress. Relaxation is the vibe of Amanyara, whatever adventure that is you choose to get there while you’re on property.
Rooms
The rooms at Amanyara set the stage to connect with the person you’re with in their simplicity. Each villa is a stand-alone pavilion with a barefoot luxury feel. We had an Ocean Cove Villa which was perched up on a cliff, with water access via a private backyard path and climb down the rocks. There were two loungers outside that we got good use out of, and for music they brought us portable speakers. In looking back on those days, it was special to be in an environment that was simple luxury. The Amanyara rooms aren’t high tech where at the touch of a button or iPad you’re controlling every aspect of your environment. TV isn’t a focus of the room and there isn’t a sound system for music. Instead, it all feels more like simple luxury to take you away from the everyday.
For the Aman Junkies Out There
To compare Amanyara to other Amans, Amanyara is more purist to the original design of Aman and aligns design-wise with a properly like Amanpulo in the Philippines. Its sister hotel Amanera’s rooms in the Dominican has a mix of tiled bathrooms and minimalist wood in the design and large sitting rooms which aligns with Amanzoe in feel. In the case of these Amans, it’s all in addition to staying at each, versus one or the other. Even after 17 Amans I still feel so lucky every time.
A Note on Villa Options
For larger groups, the two-bedroom villas are a good option for families where their view is an internal garden and pond. To get an ocean view on the larger villas, the four-bedroom and up have that coveted beach and ocean access.
Dining
During my first visit to Amanyara in 2020, I hit almost all the good spots on Turks and only had one dinner and lunch on property. When I arrived from the airport, I immediately went to Da Conch Shack, which is still one of my favorite beach restaurants on isle. I then spent three days exploring all the restaurants of note, which are still relevant and on our first Amanyara list. On my departure day, I even stopped at Omar’s on the way back to the airport for a last hour of drinks and conch. All of these are a must if you’ve never been to Turks.
A Different Turks Experience, This Go-Around
However, on this trip, my experience was completely opposite, as I never made it off the resort. Not that it would have made a difference, but Amanyara is located in a remote part of the island. This makes it a 25-30 minute ride to most restaurants, and a $500 taxi. But like Beyonce and Jay Z, who crossed with us on this trip, we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at Amanyara. It made me realize that the restaurants I explored on my last trip were good, but not better than what I had at the resort. The exception is the deep-fried conch at both Da Conch Shack and Omar’s, which thankfully they didn’t have Amanyara as otherwise I would have ordered it.
Instead, I feasted on grilled lobster, sushi, seabass tartare with sweet potatoes and corn that I’m still dreaming of and Thai food. The Executive Chef, Jovan, is an expert with Asian cuisine, and his crab curry shines. I first met Chef Jovan at Amantaka in Laos where I loved his food even. I still think of all the rice rolls, fresh fish and Laos cuisine I tried. After that I ran into him at Silversands in Grenada again during the pandemic. At both places the Asian food was just exceptional – healthy, clean and flavorful.
Also at Amanyara, they don’t serve massive plates of food that you will never finish. Instead, everything is portioned as it should be, which makes the cuisine optimal for those who want to maintain a healthy spin on vacation. So in retrospect, it was good that I wasn’t eating fried conch for 4 days straight. I left better than I came, which doesn’t happen often on trips.
Some Suggestions
There are two restaurants at Amanyara – the beach club and main pavilion. Given its distance from the main town, I would love to see them split up the cuisines into separate, distinct dining experiences. The sushi was as fresh as could be and I would love to see that as its own sushi bar restaurant. I think it would be interesting to have a restaurant like fine dining Italian, for example, in a separate new building that would require a bike or golf cart to get there. They are doing so many cuisines exceptionally well – from Levantine, Thai/Asian, Japanese, Italian and continental in two venues. This worked out great during my stay as my friend likes clean, straightforward food, while I was able to indulge in Chef Jovan’s curries. However, adding a few new dining concepts would enhance the dining experience at Amanyara.
Spa + Activities
This was my second time at Amanyara, and I can confirm that it still feels like summer camp. Yes, Amanyara hits the right note to chill on the beach and spend the afternoon at the infinity pool. Besides Silversands in Grenada, the Amanyara pool is one of the tops in the Caribbean. Your most strenuous activity could be biking from your villa to meals and the spa. The spa is its own stand-alone massive complex with a central pond surrounded by the yoga pavilion and treatment rooms. It’s one of the larger spas at Aman, whose speciality is the whole spa tranquility experience. In this case, the spa feels more like you’re in Asia versus the Caribbean, with therapists and a treatments that reflect Aman’s roots in Asia. At places to completely decompress without all the noise, Amanayra is your resort.
Get Your Sweat On
Otherwise you can take it up a notch or several notches and get your fitness on. The tennis program at Amanyara is no joke and run by former professional tennis players. Once in awhile you’ll get Sharapova for a special clinic, but mostly she’s there for her own vacation, and surprisingly, not always playing tennis. The courts are clay which makes it a special experience for tennis buffs. There’s also a pickleball court now with plans to add more.
An unsung hero of the activities is their boxing studio, which is in the same complex as the tennis court. The lead trainer is a woman who is not someone you would mess in a dark alley. However at the same time she has a kind and warm disposition and for me as an intermediate boxer, helps with skill refinement. Overall she has a way about her that can work with everyone for beginners to the pros.
All the activities can be private, from yoga, pilates, boxing, tennis, pickleball and boat excursions. Otherwise what I really liked about Amanyara is that they have a full schedule of included activities that are just part of your resort stay. They have a daily boat for a snorkel at nearby reefs, tennis and pickleball clinics, yoga and other fitness classes. On our visit, we barely had time just to lay on the beach as we filled up on all the summer camp activities.
Service
They have always had the A-Team at Amanyara. The team is made up of locals and career-long Aman employees, which creates both an authenticity and polish that you’d expect at $4k/night. However beyond that, if you’re open to it, this is the kind of place where you can genuinely connect. The touch points all the way from the people at the restaurants all the way to top management make this one of the strongest teams at Aman.
I have know I have a different perspective as I have been to 17 of Aman’s 35 properties around the world. I stay both for work and for my own personal vacations. This means I get to know the people at each Aman property well, and see how they run their operations and most importantly, treat their guests. I actually first met the GM of Amanyara and their Executive Chef when both were at the Amantaka in Laos. The trip was a personal vacation for me, and even then I ranked the service as one of the best of the entire portfolio. I felt that same DNA of culture from when my friend and I arrived at Amanyara. For service alone, this is one of the most special properties at Aman.
Overall: 9/10
As far as Caribbean resorts go for luxury, privacy and relaxation, Amanyara is hard to beat.
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FAQs
Q: Where is Amanyara located?
A: Amanyara is located on Turks & Caicos, an island in the Caribbean. Their address is:
Q: How many restaurants does Amanyara have?
A: Amanyara has a main restaurant that serves Asian, Caribbean and Continental cuisine, and a beach club restaurant. There is also a bar with casual bites that overlooks their infinity pool and the Caribbean.
Q: Is Amanyara open all-year round?
A: Amanyara is open most of the year except for brief seasonal closures.
