Amanjiwo Resort

At Amanjiwo, the magic of nature's gifts is everywhere. Breezes ruffle coconut, clove and citrus groves. The Menoreh Mountains embrace the compound to the east, beckoning the energetic for a trek. In the distance, the massive peaks of four volcanoes thrust into the sky.

Rates
(depending on season and accommodation):
from USD 756 to 3,146 per night/suite.

Location
Amanjiwo Resort is located in the rural heartland of Central Java, within a natural amphitheatre of the limestone Menoreh Hills rising directly behind, the Kedu Plain to the front, and four volcanoes – Sumbing and Sundoro to the west, Merbabu and Merapi to the east – on the horizon. Amanjiwo looks out to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist sanctuary in the world.

Accommodation
Amanjiwo’s main building is framed by 32 suites arrayed in two deep crescents. The walled suites feature terrazzo flooring, high ceilings, domed roofs and sliding glass doors opening onto a garden terrace with a view towards Borobudur. 15 suites come with private swimming pools.

Dining
From Amanjiwo’s entrance, five steps climb to the rotunda bar, a circular salon of columns, ceiling fans and a coconut-wood bar. The bar gives way to the arcing dining room, with its amber-washed, silver-leaf ceiling. Indonesian and Western cuisine are both available in an open-air setting. The speciality of the house is makan malam, classic Javanese offerings served in brass dishes. A Javanese gamelan orchestra performs at lunch and dinner.

Activities
Amanjiwo’s personalised cultural excursions bring Central Java to life. From Borobudur and Gedung Songo to Prambanan and the Dieng Plateau, many of the most ancient and important of Asia’s religious monuments and temples are rooted in the plains and volcanic slopes of Indonesia’s heartland.

All are accessible from Amanjiwo. The 8th-century Buddhist sanctuary of Borobudur – among the best-preserved ancient monuments in the world – can be visited privately at sunrise. Borobudur does not stand alone in the fertile Kedu valley: legend has it that 2,000 temples once graced the plains beyond Amanjiwo. Among those that still stand, a few are particularly notable, including Candi (temple) Pawon and the 8th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple of Mendut, which rises in a park-like setting. Inside Mendut sits a three-metre-high Buddha statue carved from a single stone.

Best time to travel
The dry season falls between May and the beginning of October. Temperatures remain constant at about 27° C .

Getting there
Amanjiwo is an hour’s drive from International Yogyakarta airport. The primary international gateways to Yogyakarta are Bali and Jakarta. Both offer several one-hour flights a day to Yogyakarta. From the city of Solo it is a scenic, two-hour drive to Amanjiwo. 80-minute flights service Solo from Singapore three times a week. Complimentary airport transfer is provided.