© 2012-2018 HighCamp Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

My Life's A Trip

Luxury Without Snobbery*

Back to Posts

Hotel Review: A Stay at the Aman-I-Khas Rajasthan, India


The tents are palatial at Aman-I-Khas

Last month I got a chance to visit Aman-I-Khas is Rajasthan, India on assignment for Glamping.com. It was an incredibly property and by far the poshest glamping experience I’ve had to date. Perhaps the most notable thing about the Aman-I-Khas experience is that it begins prior to arrival. Guests are assigned a batman (that’s a butler) prior to arrival to help with all travel logistics.

The grounds at Aman-I-Khas

Bijay, my butler, met me and my husband at The Lodhi (our hotel in New Delhi) to accompany us to on our journey by car and train to Aman-I-Khas. Having such personal service prior to arrival made the trip hassle free. Bijay took care of all the baggage logistics and even tipped the porters. He also came prepared with a lovely seat cover for the train, and picnic style snacks and tea. It was so thoughtful and let us enjoy the scenery on the less than 3 hour train ride.

The father/son gardeners

I loved the bright saris worn by this woman who swept the grounds

Rural India is entirely different from New Delhi, and it was fun seeing the landscape change outside the window.

The glamorous and chic tent interiors

Some people are nervous about sleeping under canvas. While I am not one of those people, I can say without question that the tented suites at Aman-I-Khas are the most impressive I’ve ever seen. They are huge pavilions with real divisions of space between bedroom, closet, bathrooms and reading area. They have heated floors and impressive water pressure, and side by side sinks. There is even a deep bathtub where Bijay thoughtfully drew a bath waiting for us when we returned from our daytime activities. Even honeymooners would feel comfortable with the level of privacy.

Al fresco dining at Aman-I-Khas

Food is top notch. You can dine in the restaurant tent, or al fresco when the weather allows. The menu features produce grown in the garden on the property and has Indian and non-Indian selections changing daily. I usually chose the Indian, and found the curry to be satisfying and not too spicy.

Lamb curry

Farm-to-tent leafy green salad

You can spend your days at Aman-I-Khas relaxing in the beautiful surroundings and start with a morning yoga session. I choose to go on game drives in nearby Ranthambore National Park,  which is famous for it’s population of tigers. December is not the month with the greatest track record for tiger spotting but I saw plenty of other wildlife, from deer to egrets. If seeing a tiger is your priority, I’d suggest visiting in the hot spring months, when tigers are frequently spotted at the park’s watering holes and committing to two game drives daily until you spot one. Bobby, my safari guide, spoke great English and knew his animals and birds.

Fancy dress camel at Aman-I-Khas

You can also take a sunset camel ride departing right from the property. Even the camels are up to Aman’s high standards, well dressed, clean, and polite. We took the camel ride the day we arrived and ended the day with a sundowner overlooking the nearby valley. It was spectacular.

Bird at sunrise at Surwal Lake

When I asked the staff to arrange for me to see the sunrise someplace pretty, boy did they deliver. Bobby, my guide, drove us to nearby Surwal Lake to watch the morning come alive. We met some friendly local children and Bijay surprised us by turning up with a picnic breakfast. If this is the Aman way, I’m totally smitten.

One of the deer spotted during a game drive in Ranthambore National Park

Aman service is second to none. It’s personalized, thoughtful, and wonderfully non-intrusive. The resort’s General Manager, Dumi Sakuinje, knows how it’s done. He is from Zimbabwe and previously worked with top safari company And Beyond before coming to Rajasthan.

An egret in Ramthambore

There is a library tent on the property which also has essentials like scarves and buntings for cool morning game drives (at reasonable prices. My bunting jacket cost $10). Those looking for an African safari experience should be aware that Ranthambore is a National Park, not a game reserve. That means vehicles need to stay on the roads to view the wildlife. Still, there is plenty to see.

The library tent at Aman-I-Khas

Any dust I picked up during the game drives was cleaned up in the tent’s impressive bathroom complete with separate shower, bath, and toilet.

Our tent after turndown service

The firepit at Aman-I-Khas

Wifi was strong throughout the property and also worked near the communal fire pit, which was another nice spot for a cocktail. Local musicians perform nightly, and their music is rather enchanting and atmospheric. They even performed for us poolside when we had dinner near the pool one evening.

Local musicians perform nightly at Aman-I-Khas

You can read more about my stay and my day-by- day trip reports about Aman-I-Khas on the Glamping.com blog here.

My stay at Aman-I-Khas was part of the Aman India Journey, which combines stays at the Lodhi New Delhi, and the Aman-I-Khas and Amanbagh in Rajasthan.

Disclosure: This post wouldn’t be possible without Glamping.com and the incredible staff at my stay at Aman-I-Khas who sponsored my stay.