We’ve learned millionaires and billionaires aren’t really looking for that world of chandeliers and pillars.
Those who aren’t looking for it wouldn’t know it’s here, which is part of Amangiri’s worldwide appeal to a very exclusive clientele – from A-list celebrities to software geniuses. “We try to connect guests to the spirit of the place, this sanctuary for people in an extraordinary location,” said General Manager Julien Surget.
Visitors may feel like they are sitting in a sculpture or living in a modern art gallery that flows, like the gentle fountains found throughout the property, from inside the clean lines of the concrete walls to the outdoor simplicity of stone terraces. Design elements frame expansive views with changing pastel palettes through secret windows and unpretentious hallways. Even, the human-made artwork is a reflection of the timeless landscape. Large paintings, brushed with grains of sand forgotten by an ancient shallow sea, adorn the walls of the dining room.
The centerpiece is a 160-million-year-old giant boulder, said to be the inspiration for the entire resort, showcased and wrapped by a year-round 86-degree pool. The private property, acquired in the early 2000s, is the result of a land swap with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which took three years, an act of Congress and the signature of President George W. Bush.
“We’ve learned millionaires and billionaires aren’t really looking for that world of chandeliers and pillars. Those are things of the past,” said Amangiri Executive Chef Anthony Marazita. “Simplicity is what they are after. Uncomplicated luxury.”
The array of sparkling stretch BMWs and the hidden helipad hint that guests also expect impeccable first-class service and privacy. Marazita often works with their personal assistants and agents long before they arrive in anticipation of their culinary desires. He considers Amangiri’s menus to be “guidelines” and calls the meals “chef-driven,” meaning he can create and recreate after visiting with his guests at their tables in person.
Marazita relocated to Page with his family four years ago, after being recruited by someone who had worked with him at a leading hotel in San Francisco. “It’s important at this level to be well-rounded,” he said, “to understand different cultures and cuisines such as sushi, Indian, Asian and Italian food – and be a master of everything. Our specialty would be a play on Native American flavors with global accents.”
In any one presentation, he may offer chile-rubbed and crusted wild elk loin with pickled cactus buds alongside sustainably harvested Maine lobster in a Navajo blue corn juniper ash polenta.
Marazita designed the Amangiri Spirit of the Journey four-course menu, which features ingredients procured through Southwestern American Indian communities including Navajo, Hopi, Pima, Maricopa, Akimel O’Odham and Paiute tribes.
“It starts off with a course called ‘k’os,’ which in Navajo translates to ‘flight.’ So, the salad is a little play on a nest. It’s a spin on a classic French nest salad, a lardon, but done with more native ingredients. We use saguaro cactus seeds, mesquite smoked duck breasts, we’ll do a Gila River citrus vinaigrette, we’ll have a nice poached hen’s egg on top and then finish it with some sweet potato twigs, so it represents a nest.”
The entre is called “dzeh kayenta,” or “hunters pit” in Navajo. Each course comes with a story. “Food is an adventure, an experience,” he said. “It should burn a memory. Every meal should be something important.”
As should be every visit to Amangiri, says Surget, from the 25,000-square-foot spa with private cold plunge pool and sensory deprivation flotation chamber to the high desert trail system that stretches across 12 remote miles to reveal sweeping vistas, centuries-old petroglyphs and a cave that sheltered nomadic prehistoric civilizations.
Rock climbing exercises offer a nod to the via feratta of World War I, a pathway created by wire bolted into cliff faces that helped Italian soldiers cross the Dolomites. “Within the property, we offer e-bike, horseback riding and hiking tours,” says Surget.
Beyond that, activities may include exploring cliff dwellings of the Navajo National Monument and kayaking, fishing, paddle-boarding or boating on Lake Powell.
Surget and his family moved from Washington, D.C., where he was the food and beverage director at the historic Hay-Adams hotel that overlooked the White House. “We’re constantly looking for dinosaur tracks. You can see fault lines as a result of tectonic plates shifting. Everywhere you look is a constant reminder of time, scale and the inhabitants that came before you. It’s very refreshing to be in awe and admiration of the environment. After some time here, you’re priorities start to shift. We have noticed guests have a sadness about them when it is time for them to leave.”
In this grand theater of nature, Amangiri features 34 modernistic suits. Camp Sarika, an addition to the site that opened in 2020, offers 10 tented pavilions.
Although Amangiri has existed for 11 years, management suspects there may never have been a more pressing need for drivable destinations where people can reconnect to the outdoors, and family and friends can make up for time together, lost during the pandemic.
“The days here are spent with a healthy balance of excitement and spa treatment,” said Surget. “We offer a little hiatus in life to rebalance and recenter through wellness, a beautiful environment, adventures, great dining and a realignment with your own soul.” FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
