Punta Mita Plus... - Imanta Resorts

Aman New Delhi
Possibly the best in town, definitely not the best of Aman
Aman New Delhi opened in 2009 as the first
city property to open under the Amanresorts
brand. The urban resort is situated in the
thick of Lodhi Colony, a neighborhood well known
for massive walled compounds of important families
and people of state. Of course, Amanjunkies know
that “aman” means peace in Sanskrit—and anyone
who has been to Delhi knows that peace is a rare
concept there. We checked in just about a year after
opening, expecting an ideal escape from the vast
metropolis, the best and nothing but the best across
the board.
Our flight from Frankfurt landed in Delhi in the wee
hours of the morning. At that time, we were very
grateful to be met at the airport by the two gentlemen
holding the Aman sign. They took our things and
lead us to the hotel car, a gorgeously refined and
sparkling Hindustan Ambassador. Though we had
asked ourselves while in line for immigration why
on earth we opted for such a ridiculous arrival time,
we quickly remembered the answer when we were
coasting rather than inching down the city streets.
In just under half an hour, we made the turn down
Lodhi Road and then into the gates of Aman New
Delhi. One of the first things we noticed was the
heightened security in reaction to the unfortunate
events which took place at several Mumbai hotels
in 2008. A guard at the gate checked the trunk of
even the hotel car, and all of our belongings were
thoroughly scanned and searched before we could
enter the building. Though the technology may not
have been a part of the original design plans, we’ve
never seen such stunning security equipment. Leave
it to Aman…
Accommodations are split between the nine-story
main building with Aman Rooms and Aman Suites,
and the adjacent five-story Lodhi Building with
Lodhi Suites and Lodhi Pool Suites. For an individual
on business or a couple, an Aman Room is more
than adequate with a superb living room-bedroom
combination and a balcony with a private plunge
pool. Looking around during our in-room check-in,
we assumed from the very large size that we must
have been upgraded, though we later verified that
we were staying in the most basic category on
property. And, of course, we love that the minibar
and WiFi are both included in the rate. Aman Suites
are essentially the same but with a separate livingdining
room and a second bedroom. Suites in the
Lodhi Building vary from one to three bedrooms
with more space and butler pantries, and Lodhi Pool
Suites have a much larger pool at 32 meters.
The next morning, as we made our way down to
breakfast, we noticed some peculiar scratches on
the windows that lined the hallway to the elevator.
It almost looked as if a tiger or Freddy Krueger had
been let loose and tried to get out. During our stay,
they were also doing construction on that side,
building something very wide and long that looked
like a freeway-to-be. We’ve since found out it is
actually a massive parking lot for the stadium nearby.
With the sunlight, we noticed the same scratches on
some of the windows in our room and in many of the
other accommodations which we saw during our
tour of the property, including one of the top suites.
The gentleman who took us on the tour, who told
us that this was his first job out of school, said that
the scratches were due to a mistake that occurred
during construction. The whole thing is confusing
and strange. We felt you should know about it, but
we ultimately shook it off. After all, the reason the
marks are so noticeable is that the majority of the
property is so crisp and pristine. The façade, for
instance, is so clean and geometrically perfect that
it looks borderline surreal.
Breakfast is served at The Aman, and is an uplifting
delight with freshly squeezed orange juice and toast
so good we may never forget about it. Seating
Aman New Delhi October 2010 ARareWorld. 17