REVISITED: AMANJIWO
Practically every upscale travel magazine from Peking to Paris has written about Amanjiwo over the past decade. Editors have gushed about its unique and romantic location amidst the padi fields with direct views of Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist monument. But ten years on, does Amanjiwo still make the grade?
You can feel your shoulders physically drop as you arrive at Amanjiwo. Everything about the place is calming, from its design that carefully mirrors Borobudur to the mute tones, exotic smells and gentle tinkle from the Javanese gamelan orchestra who play under the central dome. Indeed even the word Amanjiwo means peaceful soul.
The site is located in a natural amphitheatre with the Menoreh Hills rising directly behind, the Kedu Plain in front and four volcanoes Sumbing, Sundoro, Merbabu and Merapi in the horizon. The main limestone building is framed by just 36 suites so the whole place feels quiet and very personal. My suite had a high domed ceiling, separate his and hers open bathrooms, sliding glass doors onto a private garden with an outdoor bath and cushioned lounging area overlooking padi fields. The views are so inspiring rooms are stocked with a water colour set in case you’re overcome with artistic inspiration. There is a high-fi but with just one local CD and no TV, which definitely adds to the away-from-it-all feeling, although some may like the option of a post dinner movie in bed especially given how little there is to do. This hotel really is remote, so definitely not the place to have an argument with a loved one and don’t expect any local restaurants. Luckily the hotel kitchen serves up consistently good Indonesian and Western cuisine in a stylish silver-ceilinged open air dining room. Try the Makan Malam a 7-course tasting menu and if you have a special request, the charming Portuguese food and beverage manager Felipe Lencastre bends over backwards to oblige. Service is often an issue in very high end hotels that rely on local staff who inhabit a very different world. It must seem odd for a waiter who’s family earns a $1 a day in the rice fields, to serve $650 a night guests expensive western food and flutes of champagne. But although service is definately slow, it is always discreet, seemingly genuine and with a smile.
One of the main reasons people go to Amanjiwo is the 4am trip to Borobudur. The hotel has negotiated special early access to the site that allows guests to climb to the very top of the monument and watch the sunrise. It’s a privilege to see this great monument without the hordes of tourists who trample it by day, often stopping just for a photo opportunity and not taking the time to truly understand or appreciate what they are looking at. Standing almost alone adjacent to Borobudur’s great 8th century stupa at daybreak is mystical, moving and touches your very core. From here, through the morning mist you can see the several kampungs (small villages) that are within walking distance from the hotel and you can even opt to ride through them by elephant.
There are certainly things to do if you want to fill your time – jungle treks, cooking classes, cycling, lectures in the hotel library, charcoal sketching with a local artist, day trips to local markets and Yogyakarta – but for me Amanjiwo is about escape, stillness and tranquillity. You can spend days without seeing more than just a few guests. Whilst there is no spa which is a negative, good masseurs come to the room and there is a beautiful infinity swimming pool, overlooked by banyan trees and set into the rice paddies.
A decade on, does it still measure up against new contenders and stalwarts like the Four Seasons? Absolutely, but bear in mind that the management style is decidely more relaxed. By day two, Sean the laid-back aussie General Manager was calling me “mate” and joining us at the dinner table for drinks. His friendly British wife was shouting hello over the garden wall whilst walking her dogs. Now, for better or worse, that wouldn’t happen at the Four Seasons.
Mandala Airways Magazine
