陶樂園的家

The earth and red-rock formations are dry. There is little vegetation, but the landscape is serene, peaceful. This is southern Utah in the American Southwest, the location of the newest Aman Resorts' location, Amangiri. Just a few miles north of Lake Powell and 50 miles from the Grand Canyon, one of the more inspiring resorts in the U.S. has been erected with a surprisingly small footprint for a 34-room resort that will soon welcome 28 private villas.

At first glance, the main building, known as the pavilion, hardly contrasts enough with the surrounding rocks to draw the eye. The masonry structures, finished in arid tones, seem to merely grow out of the ground, or, more accurately, the resort appears to have been whittled from the surrounding landscape by wind and rain. The melding of architecture to environment is seldom completed with such seamlessness.

The goal of Aman Resorts has always been to integrate and reflect their natural surroundings in t heir designs, and with Amangiri they have accomplished their directive. Take for instance the magnificent pool, which is central to the pavilion's identity. The pool itself wraps around a stone escarpment. Rather than overlooking the natural landscape, Amangiri has incorporated the environment into their design. The design and the natural surroundings are in constant play with one another, so that it is often difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.
This aesthetic extends throughout the resort. The pavilion itself gradually flows down into the surrounding landscape. Within the resort, there is ample space for all manner of social gatherings and relaxation. An entire wall of the living room is glass from floor to ceiling, giving way to a panoramic view of the canyons and plateaus among which the grounds sit. The library is a more cloistered segment of the resort, full of cozy niches and shelves stocked with books and magazines. Even here, the designers have opened the walls in several places in order to both allow in natural light and to give the avid reader a picturesque scene to gaze at while their minds wander from their reading.

One of the most relaxing locations within the resort itself is what the staff calls the Desert Lounge. This open-air space is protected from the sun by canvases draped overhead. The masonry walls are the color of the surrounding cliffs. Standing here, one could get the impress ion that they are on the portico of the ancient Egyptian palace of Luxor rather than a resort in the great American desert. This sentiment of having been transplanted to another world is what makes the resort more timeless than many of its American counterparts. It goes without saying that Amangiri is equipped with both a world-class spa and a fitness center. Guests can also employ the services of a personal trainer if they choose. Outdoor physical training sessions are another option.

Soon to complement the 34-room resort are 28 villas built on individual parcels around the 600-acre property. A show villa will be open in early 2011, and the first 17 properties are soon to be released for pre-sale. The completion of the villas will wrap up the development of the Amangiri resort, but it won't mark the end of Amangiri in the press. This resort will only enhance with age. It's a destination for the exclusive, and it has the pedigree to prove it. The cost of a night's stay at Amangiri starts at around $15,000. The prices for a stay at the villas are available upon request.