Luxury hotels and experiences in India
Aman’s Rajasthan
Amanbagh
A secluded sanctuary in the Aravalli Hills, Amanbagh’s towering palms and eucalyptus trees are set to welcome guests into a hidden oasis. Meaning ‘peaceful garden’ in Sanskrit, the resort’s surroundings are among the most remote and luscious in the region. Pavilions with private pools add to the feeling of solitude where space and stillness create a tranquil haven.
New to Aman is the Ayurveda Apothecary
New this year, Amanbagh welcomes a first-of-its-kind Ayurshala Centre. A place to gain a unique insight into Ayurveda Apothecary, one of the oldest scientific medical systems in the world, the new stand-alone centre hosts guests staying four nights or more for an Ayurshala Traditional Medicine Immune Support Retreat, which takes guests on an educative and transformative journey through Ayurveda. Available year round, the retreat begins with a consultation by the resort’s in-house Ayurveda physician where guests are informed about their body type as per the Ayurvedic Doshas before taking part in a tour of the resort’s Ayurvedic garden, where they are shown over 200 medicinal plants that are used in traditional recipes. This is followed by a visit the Ayurshala Centre, where the team prepares tailored formulations using ingredients harvested from the garden. Combined with a programme of private daily movement sessions, group yoga classes and meditations, alongside three healthy meals a day, the Ayurshala Retreat offers a unique insight into personalised Ayurvedic medicine, which can be taken home and integrated as part of a daily wellness routine.
A three night Shanti Experience
Also new in 2022, the three-night Shanti Experience which allows guests to enjoy even more space and seclusion with a complimentary room upgrade, as well as a half-day excursion to Bhangarh Fort or a traditional Champi head massage. Carefully curated for those seeking escapism, this retreat is the ultimate way to explore Rajasthan – the perfect place for relaxation and cultural discovery. As guided sunrise walks rekindle the soul, and with daily breakfast and yoga sessions included, this retreat provides the tools to enrich body and spirit.
In October this year, Amanbagh will offer a seven-night Advanced Yoga Retreat (14-21 October) for intermediate and advanced yoga practitioners inspired and in honour of Kārtika, one of the holiest months in the Hindu calendar and celebrated as the month of awakening the soul with meditation. During this period, it is believed that slow, smooth and steadily paced yoga postures can lower the Vata Predominance in the body. In line with these local celebrations, guests can explore and enhance mind and body with this retreat, where the divine presence of temples and nature’s welcoming embrace offers a journey to ultimate serenity.
All the aspects of yoga – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – will be explored in this comprehensive study of an ancient philosophy. During the retreat, guests will experience daily group yoga sessions focused on twelve different Pranayama practices and four types of meditation. In addition, days will include daily cultural excursions, such as a cycle ride to a nearby gwara (a small village), a trek to Somsagar Lake, a trip to the Sariska tiger reserve, a visit to the Neelkanth and Narayani Mata Temples, and an opportunity to visit Bhangarh Fort. All meals are included and will follow a bespoke nutrition plan based on a Sattvic diet, with a focus on incorporating the fresh produce from the resort’s organic garden.
Yoga and mindfulness in India with Aman
The resort also continues to offer individual Wellness Immersions, including the Yoga & Mindfulness Immersion, for those looking for a comprehensive introduction to the practice, and the Detox & Cleansing Immersion where the goal is to achieve improved immunity, cellular regeneration, and a reinvigorated sense of wellbeing. Bookable for a minimum of 4 nights, guests can continue their wellness journey for up to 21 nights to feel the full benefits of these tailored programmes.
The countryside surrounding Amanbagh is unlike any other, revealing the ruins of an ancient empire embedded in a starkly beautiful landscape, where the wilds of Sariska Tiger Reserve acts as a sanctuary for endangered tigers, which guests can witness with the aid of an experienced guide. Amanbagh’s lush grounds and stunning surroundings offer over nine private dining spots with panoramic views. The resort’s off-property Chhatri – a stone platform with an iconic dome – provides splendid isolation overlooking the Ajabjargh Valley. The perfect spot for a daytime picnic while reclining on cushions, it is also ideal for a romantic candlelit dinner of traditional Rajasthan Thali with a private chef and musician beneath a canopy of stars.
Aman-i-Khás
Set on the threshold of Ranthambore National Park, Aman-i-Khás is a secluded camp offering exclusivity and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The camp’s 10 Mughal-style tents, offer anything but a traditional camping experience, with deep soaking bathtubs, cashmere furnishings and intimate private spaces, where refined comfort and nature are found in equilibrium. Here, in vast surrounds, animal encounters can be found in abundance, with twice daily safaris into the pristine wilderness.
Aman’s Incredible Wild Escape
Reopening on 1 October after seasonal closure, the resort will welcome guests with the Incredible Wild Escape – a three, four or five night stay within the private oasis of the camp, available until 31 March 2023. A five-night visit allows plenty of time to delve into the rich history of the region’s ancient temples and unearth the secrets of the nearby Unesco-protected Ranthambhore Fort, one of the oldest in India, as well as the surrounding wilderness with three shared safaris, and a half-day Chambal River Sanctuary excursion with a private picnic. All meals are also part of the offering, including a bush dinner in a secluded location within the camp, with live cooking on chulha, tawa and tandoor, as well as one 60-minute Aman Raj spa experience within the Spa Tent.
Centred around a bubbling fountain, the Spa Tent at Aman-i-Khás houses two double treatment rooms in which holistic therapies distilled from millennia of experience in the healing arts can be enjoyed. Multi-sensory journeys of traditional Ayurvedic wisdom are offered alongside massages, the gentle healing touch of Reiki and various scrubs, wraps and baths. Daily yoga and meditation sessions with the camp’s resident yoga specialist welcome every guest, while private sessions are offered at isolated spots within the Rajasthani wilderness, including at Ranthambore fort.
Aman-i-Khás also provides an abundance of experiences for all ages, such as the exploration of the once majestic Khandar Fort, just 90-minutes’ drive from the camp. Perched on a hill 300 metres above the plains, where a millennium of history is on display in the ruins of its palaces, these fascinating sites are longing to be discovered. Guests are invited to trek the narrow, steep winding goat track to the edge of the cliff from where the ancient fort dwellings, including several temples and step-wells can be explored.
An ever changing menu
While the lamp-lit, atmospheric Dining Tent, offering ever-changing menus is a tantalising option, bespoke dining experiences are also in abundance at the camp. Guests have the option of a private bush dinner served in a secluded spot, or, during guava harvest season, an alfresco breakfast enjoyed under a sun-gilded guava orchid at a local farm on return from a morning safari. At the heart of the camp, the open-air fire pit is surrounded by comfortable seating with views of the surrounding forest, an ideal setting for informal meals or for basking in the serenity of the wilderness and the star-filled night sky. Nightly log fires make it a gathering point – a post-dinner outdoor salon where guests recount and reflect on the day’s explorations or look up to the sky, the clearest in the region, to gaze at the stars in peace.
For more personalised information tips and advice, or to book this incredible holiday contact your local TravelManagers’ personal travel manager here.
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