• Enjoy the unique blend of Thai and contemporary architecture, set on a twenty acre coconut grove on a private crescent of white sand beach.
• Visit the exclusive beach club, where you can sip a special cocktail at sunset.
• Five international golf clubs are located near to Amanpuri – great courses with stunning views.
The Whole Story
Celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, this extraordinary complex on Phuket's Pansea Beach is still the most mesmerizing hotel in Thailand. It's not just because of its idyllic location on a private crescent of white sand framed by a verdant amphitheatre of palm tree-clad hills; or its super-chic, all-black horizon pool; or the food, which is quite simply superb. Amanpuri has something that's difficult to put into words. It has to do with the fact that it's very unusual and yet very Thai, a thoroughly contemporary place with a vernacular aesthetic that doesn't resort to or rely on cliché.
Often design, at least the quality of design, is judged by time. It's not so much about something aging well; it's about not aging at all, which is the category Amanpuri falls in. If anything, it looks better than when it first opened in 1988 because the landscaping has had a chance to mature. Apart from the increased height of the palm trees, the only evidence that years have passed is perhaps the fact that the bathrooms are not as spectacular as those of more recently completed Amans. Over the past decade and a half, bathrooms have been getting larger and sleeker, and while Amanpuri's bathrooms are by no means small, they are no longer as groundbreaking as they were when the hotel first opened. But surely that's part of Amanpuri's contribution. All the things we now take for granted in luxury accommodation were pioneered by this first Aman. Amanpuri was created – or rather invented – by a man who doesn’t much like hotels. When Adrian Zecha acquired this twenty-acre coconut grove, it was to be the setting for his own ideal holiday home. Amanpuri means ‘place of peace’ in Sanskrit. Peace for Zecha meant getting rid of all the things he hated about hotels. There would be no chocolates on the pillow, no sanitary bands on the loos, no reception desk or lobby, no checking in or out - the idea of a private bungalow; a well-stocked library; and the notion of space, plenty of space, to allow the guest to experience a real escape. All of these are Aman inventions, and Amanpuri was the first.
Amanpuri preserves the dream of Phuket as an escape destination, largely because it's isolated within its own bay with its own beach. For better or for worse, Phuket, formerly known as Junk Ceylon (a Western corruption of the Malay 'Tanjung Salong' or Cape Salong), has changed beyond recognition. In light of Amanpuri's distinct brand of `barefoot in the sand' luxury, you could be forgiven for thinking that Phuket was only a recently discovered beach destination. Yet for centuries the island has been of strategic importance to the rulers of Siam. From early times, Arab traders came to Phuket for its abundance of raw materials. Thus, a remote part of Siam came to the simultaneous attention of the Thai royal family, Arab traders, Indian merchants and seafaring European entrepreneurs. Within Asia, the island has been swapped back and forth several times between the mighty Khmer empire of Cambodia based in Angkor and the Mon empire based at Sukhothai, later known as the kingdom of Siam. The only thing that hasn't changed is the descriptions of the island's beauty. From French sea captains to British journalists and even Swedish scientists, there are numerous records that testify to the island's natural endowment, and almost without exception, each and every writer refers to its exquisite beaches framed by the dense green of rainforest immediately beyond. As it turns out, the beauty of Junk Ceylon has ultimately become more exportable than its raw materials. Blessed with a climate conducive to beach life year-round, Phuket, as the island eventually came to be known, has developed into one of the most famous resort destinations in the world.
The appeal of Amanpuri is best summed up by a guest. 'I haven't been to any other Amans,' he volunteered. 'Why should I? I can't imagine it would be better than here – how could it be? Every time I leave the property, even for a few hours, I always end up regretting it.'
The Rooms
All Amanpuri's 40 pavilions feature an outdoor sala, a king-size bed, separate bath and shower, refrigerator with minibar, electronic safe, stereo system and air-conditioning. Villas are tastefully designed with authenticity in mind and are wonderfully comfortable.
Ocean Pavilions offer uninterrupted sea views or the azure Andaman Sea below.