Phuket - Amanpuri Resort

The World is lucky to have somebody like Adrian Zecha - a rich person who has the vision, means and determination to create extraordinary projects. I'm a bit biased of course - as an architect we are always dreaming about landing a client like him. Instead of just kicking back and enjoying life, he chose to take on the challenge of creating some of the most interesting resorts in some of the most unusual places in the World. Every Aman resort is a unique and visionary creation.

Amanpuri was the resort which started a whole new trend of travel and lifestyle. Not many people thought a small ultra-exclusive boutique resort - one charging more then USD 1,000 per night, would be able to survive. Aman resorts proved that it could be done, and now there are even "Aman Groupies" who would only visit a destination if there is an Aman resort there. We are talking about mostly millionaires here.

For mere mortals like me, a visit is as close as I would ever get to an Aman experience. In Bali we managed to visit Amandari and Amanusa, both very beautiful resorts in stunning locations. They were also much more accommodating and we managed to visit the villas to see what it's like to stay in ultra-luxury. Here in Phuket, I only managed to get to the reception and the main pool deck. Amanpuri is located at Pansea Beach, sharing an entrance driveway with The Chedi.

Immaculate landscaping.

The beautifully crafted stone walls - a signature at all the Aman resorts.

The villas nestled on the hill sides.

The architectural design for Amanpuri was based on traditional Thai architecture which has been stripped down to it's most basic. At the time when it was built, it was a revelation. 20 years down the road, trends have moved on and most of the exclusive resorts now are minimalist in design. Compared to that, Amanpuri looks a bit old fashion, but it's charm is still undeniable.