With five resorts across Indonesia, Aman offers a rare opportunity to engage with the archipelago’s diverse and ancient cultures, dramatic landscapes and spiritual atmosphere. For a unique journey of discovery, Aman has crafted a calendar of new experiences inspired by each resort’s story and setting.
This includes culinary collaborations at Amandari as it prepares to celebrate 35 years in Ubud; the opening of Arva at Amankila on Bali’s east coast; deciphering chronograms from Amanjiwo in temple-studded Central Java; golfing adventures at Aman Villas at Nusa Dua; and swimming with whale sharks from Amanwana on Moyo’s tropical shores.
Woven between are one-off events and insider access to the festivals integral to Indonesian daily life – all possible through Aman’s long cherished connections within each community.
Amandari, Bali
Presided over by a sacred stone tiger, Amandari came into being in 1989, the second ever Aman resort. Everything about it seemed to fall seamlessly into place, from its name ‘Peaceful Spirits’ – given by an Indonesian clairvoyant – to its setting.
Perched above Ayung River Gorge in Bali’s lush highlands, Amandari is not just designed after a traditional Balinese village – it is part of one. Kedewatan villagers have placed offerings daily at its riverside temple for 35 years this October.
In celebration of this milestone anniversary, Amandari has undergone a subtle refurbishment – gardens freshly landscaped, alang-alang roofs newly thatched and guestrooms upgraded with new bathroom fixtures and furniture in the same original style.
The resort’s relaunched library now features a special gallery dedicated to its history. Archival photos reveal architect Peter Muller’s vision for Amandari dating back to the 1970s and the list of firsts the resort represented on the island: the first infinity pool; the first to feature Balinese crafts including kamasan tapestries, fans and sarongs; and the first with a cultural pavilion – where village children still learn traditional Balinese dance to this day.
