The fragrant steam from my banana leaf fish wafted off the plate in front of me as I basked in the sultry humidity of the warm evening. I looked up at the stars, and I could hear the waves lapping the shore just out of sight. Had I really woken up earlier that day on a cold, cloudy autumn morning in Boston?
I had arrived at Amanyara that afternoon, ready for a few days in the Caribbean sun at this luxury resort on the Providenciales island of Turks and Caicos. The welcome team, greeting me at the front entrance with a juicy pink grapefruit concoction, whisked me around the corner and through the resort’s central lobby area, where the line between inside and outside begins to blur. The teak buildings practically float on the water of the reflecting pond, among trees and other greenery, and the onyx swimming pool seems to flow straight into the clear water of the Atlantic just beyond. Thirty seconds in and my breath was already gone.
While the ride from the airport to the hotel is only twenty-five minutes, Amanyara feels as secluded as if it were the only resort on the island. And when you’re inside your room, you might as well be the only ones at the resort. Accommodations, all recently refurbished, consist of 38 standalone pavilions that typically sleep two, and 18 villas with three to five bedrooms each, perfect for families.
Each pavilion features a soothingly minimal layout—a bed in the middle of the room, a spacious bathroom area with a soaking tub and rain shower, and glass walls on three sides. Open up a wall or two for a breezy indoor-outdoor accommodation, or shut them all to keep in the AC. The king platform canopy bed makes it hard to get up each morning, but the views of the pond or ocean right outside your pavilion ease the pain.
Our ocean-view pavilion was a short golf cart or bike ride away from the resort’s main areas. We could trip down the path to the water and jump straight into the turquoise waves crashing against the rocky shore when we felt adventurous, or just lie out on lounge chairs, taking in our private view of the Atlantic framed in lush vegetation. The shade of the water by the coast at high noon was the most vivid teal I’ve ever seen.
Dining options at Amanyara include The Restaurant, The Bar, and The Beach Club. The Restaurant serves breakfast and dinner daily and has ample alfresco seating. We loved breakfast under the shade of a tree on the terrace, but for dinner I’d recommend sitting on the deck right over the glittering pond.
The Bar, the circular centerpiece of Amanyara’s main area, does drinks and light bites throughout the day, served beneath its soaring conical roof or, if you please, beside the pool.
The Beach Club, the resort’s more casual option perched above the white-sand beach, serves lunch daily. On Saturdays, however, the venue puts on a special Indian multi-course prix-fixe dinner with live music, featuring a chef from the Aman team in India. The meal was a smorgasbord of fragrant, savory flavors—freshly baked naan, samosas, and spicy curry were balanced by zingy yogurt and cilantro hints.
Amanyara provides unmatched escapism and relaxation to guests—and the spa, specializing in renewing wellness treatments, is the beating heart of the hotel’s restorative experience. An oasis within an oasis, the spa comprises a main lobby, an outdoor pool, a yoga sala, a sprawling deck overlooking a reflecting pond, and four treatment rooms. After a treatment, you’ll open your eyes to the sun shining over the pond just outside, as if the spa couldn’t get any more delectable. The bliss never really ends.
Amanyara’s spa treatments combine Asian-inspired practices with some Caribbean touches, like cold-pressed coconut oil from Turks and Caicos. While guests can sample any of the spa’s tempting treatments a la carte, like a lymph draining massage, a facial incorporating crystals, or a skin-softening body wrap, Amanyara’s signature wellness immersions deliver an experience like no other.
The immersions provide guests personalized, results-oriented programs, built in collaboration with the property’s therapists and nutritionists. Guests choose their goal for the immersion, whether it’s grounding themselves mentally, kickstarting their metabolism, or detoxifying. Then, the property’s wellness team will lead them through movement sessions, specialized spa treatments, and a curated menu for the length of the immersion.
And if you prefer to do your own thing on vacation, there’s no shortage of ways to keep busy on property. The fitness facilities include a gym, four clay Har-tru tennis courts, a soccer pitch, a Pilates studio, and gear for other sports like Ping-Pong, basketball, and lacrosse.
Prefer to stay by the water? Amanyara’s stretch of private beach has paddleboards, kayaks, and optional snorkeling trips to nearby reefs where colorful fish dart in and out of coral formations inches from your reach. The resort also offers a new, nature-focused kids program called Science Explorers and Environmental Keepers (SEEK).
When it’s time to wind down, evening activities aren’t sparse, either. While you can dine under the stars at The Restaurant and catch the nightly movie at the playhouse, my favorite part of the evenings came a bit sooner—at sunset. We lounged in one of the sunset salas as twilight set in, sipping champagne after a day in the sun and watching the towering clouds turn pinker and pinker over the ocean. If I relived that experience every day, I’d never tire of it. Amanyara, notably, roughly translates to “peaceful place.”
The lack of light pollution in Turks and Caicos made for the brightest night sky I’ve seen in a long time. We sat quietly on the beach late at night, catching glimpses of shooting stars, making wishes that we’d never have to leave.
For more information visit aman.com/resorts/amanyara.