First off, this part of the country is easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The Amangani is a fantastic place from which to appreciate the stunning surroundings. We loved our time here and would definitely go back.
The hotel is impeccably designed, with sumptuous facilities and rooms that are warm and inviting but also encapsulate great, clean design. The restaurant is good with a delicious breakfast (unlike most places, you can happily eat there for days on end without tiring of the choices) and a sufficient dinner (nothing to write home about). The ski facilities are wonderful, and you'll be so glad that you have your own little private lounge at the base of the mountain - it's a dream. On that note, the drivers are ski lounge staff wonderful. Really stellar. Especially Noah, he made our trip a thousand times more enjoyable by being friendly, helpful, and just an all around good guy.
Now for a little constructive criticism: (remember, we loved our stay and would return in a heartbeat, but there are a few things they could address that would make this an unsurpassed hotel and experience):
1. The rooms (and the hotel itself) is very drafty. They've done a terrible job of choosing windows and doors, which is a big surprise given how well thought out the rest of the hotel is. It must be highly energy inefficient and is a bit of a disappointment from such a high-end property.
2. Some of the welcome/recepetion staff and guest managers are overly friendly. They seem to pop out of nowhere with these immense smiles on their faces and ask unrealistically cheery questions. They're well intentioned but it's a bit much. If they were more down to earth and tempered like the fantastic drivers, it would be an all around better experience.
3. We had room service one night since we were sick and we ordered 2 small bowls of rice and a very simple chicken and veggies plate from the kids menu. Bill: $65. Turns out the chicken was $45. Sure, that's our fault for not looking closely enough first, but $45 dollar chicken and veggies from the kids menu? It's a little extortionate.
One more thing: do keep in mind that if you don't have a car, you will be reliant on the hotel transport for any excursion anywhere (except for the complementary shuttle to the mountain). So for dinners in town or anything like that, it quickly adds up ($70 per trip, round-trip).
So all in all it's a GREAT hotel with wonderful amenities and beautiful rooms, which make for an excellent experience. You should definitely go and visit, you will not regret it.
- Amangani Hotel Jackson
- Amangani Resort Jackson
