Amanjiwo

Amanjiwo is a stunning luxury boutique property in the rural heartland of Central Java. It is located within a natural amphitheatre, with the limestone Menoreh Hills rising directly behind, the Kedu Plain to the front and four volcanoes – Sumbing and Sundoro to the west and on the eastern horizon, Merbabu and Merapi. Amanjiwo looks out onto the 9th Century Borobudur, the largest Buddhist sanctuary in the world and the architecture and style of the hotel reflects this unique location.

Amanjiwo's main building is framed by 33 suites set in two graceful crescents. The opulent suites feature terrazzo flooring, high ceilings, domed roofs and doors onto a pretty garden terrace with thatch roof bale for outdoor relaxation and dining. Interiors include decadent raised four poster beds, coconut and rattan furniture and stunning stately bathrooms with an outdoor bath in a walled garden. Request a pool suite if you want your own private swimming pool to complete the opulence.

Amanjiwo's bar with its colonnades and restaurant with gold painted murals all add to the majestic historical scene here but despite the amazing attention to detail paid to the delicious menus and the attentive service, it is the setting which once again steal the show, with views from the terrace straight out onto the rice fields and over to Borobudur and its surrounding volcanoes.

Spa treatments take place either in your suite or in the spa suite - for the ultimate pamper try the two hour 'mandi lulur', the traditional preparation for a Javanese princess (or prince) on the eve of her wedding. In this setting it seems more than apt.

Amanjiwo not only has the luxury of being in such a staggering location, but it is also a destination in itself as the hotel offers guests a fantastic retreat with healing spa treatments, world class restaurants and spiritual peaceful surroundings after a day's sightseeing.