Aman Resorts are among my favorite in the world. They have properties in a lot of incredible destinations, with a big focus on nature. Historically I followed the brand blindly, though I feel a bit more lukewarm about them following a recent Aman stay.
Continue reading: Aman Resorts Coming To Saudi Arabia?!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Looks like stunning landscape; sparse locale... back to Aman roots. Just not interested in supporting this regime... if one had opened in Jordan as rumored I would visit.....
Funny is that I haven’t seen any mention of this on Amans website or their own social media....
Fdw
An expat lady in Riyadh here, which is not a bad place at all for miles & points game, lol !
Already heard of Aman news here ... might work well for high class Arabs/Saudis and expats who have to get their butt seated inside the kingdom somehow. If Aman allows me to swim in bikini outdoor in that heritage setting, I would go. lol
I travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Formula E Race. Everyone asked, oh my god you went to Saudi Arabia! How was it? Was it fascinating? And my talking point is: What was so interesting about the country was how uninteresting it truly was. It's a really boring country, with nothing to do. We had trouble finding a tour guide, or activities to do. There was zero tourist infrastructure, and overall, it seemed as though they were not too happy to have Westerners roaming about their country. Honestly, I'd wait until the tourism industry is further developed before I'd even considering traveling there.
Oh, don't forget to mention ongoing Saudization policy in the kingdom's hospitality industry.
Actually most interesting in the kingdom are Saudis. Usually lovely people with great sense of humour. It's quite funny, even sometimes comical to see how things go when good-hearted but unpolished young Saudi are thrown into these hospitality jobs.
If your Saudi business flight in 2016 is anything to go by in terms of service I think these properties might downright turn you off Amans
“Closed off to non-religious visitors.”
So, you are saying that certain people in my neighborhood, the evangelical Christian, the Mormon and the Hindu and the Orthodox Jew are all very welcome but my atheist neighbor does not qualify for a visa?
Absolutely. I went to Mada'in Saleh in Al-`Ula 10 years ago. It's the Petra of Saudi Arabia - one of the highlights of Saudi. Nicest hotel at that time was nothing to write home about. So, an Aman would be wonderul.
When I went to Al Ula about five years ago there was only one hotel (the other had burnt down). It was mediocre at best.
I liked Mada’in Saleh a lot. It's like an intimate version of Petra. The landscape had some kind of quiet, spiritual power.
As Charlie says above, it's not the most stimulating country, and I can't see hoards of tourists coming in the next few years. They'd need to improve their organizational abilities too.
what do you expect from a lawless country with corrupt king and a criminal crown prince?!
Sad to see you say you won’t visit Ben “unless things change”. I am sure it is not about human rights in general as you seem to be ok with visiting China , Russia and Turkey.
Living in Saudi myself I can tell things changed and opened over the past few years in a shocking speed.
I invite you to visit to see for yourself (as you always say you have to see with your own eyes before you can judge)
Whether you’re old or young, if you’re reading this blog you probably have something that resembles a bucket list. And no matter how many places you’ve been, I can’t imagine a scenario under which this place would make it into the top 50 of anyone’s list.
Your photos are of Jordan and Turkey...not of Saudi Arabia at all. There's not a single photo of a "Saudi tourist site" anywhere on this post. Pretty damn misleading.
@AS
You're wrong! Although the first pictures bear a resemblance to Petra they are actually of Madain Saleh (Saudi Arabia) and the pictures with balloons, despite resembling Cappadocia are from the Balloon Festival in Al Ula (Saudi Arabia). So no it is in no way misleading. I recommend you do your research first in the future 😉
Glad Aman is going back to its roots... ie resort in the middle of nowhere but have an interesting backdrop. I wouldn’t mind going to this resort when it’s done.... seems like an interesting scenery. I wish Aman would open shop at places like Mongolia, Lhasa, Bagan etc.. I would be totally game!
Despite the obvious problems with the Saudi regime, it is great to see Aman going back to their routes. These landscapes look absolutely marvellous. Very reminiscent of Amangiri, crossed with Cappadocia, Turkey and Jordan! I'll agree with @Kevin that Aman should open in Mongolia or Tibet. I wish we actually saw progress on the quietly announced Aman Costa Rica, too. https://www.aman.com/resorts/costa-rica
I found it interesting you didn't do a writeup about Aman Costa Rica, @Lucky
"What was so interesting about the country was how uninteresting it truly was. It’s a really boring country, with nothing to do."
Saudia Arabia is basically a land for Religious Tourism if you are a Muslim.
And i can see Aman resorts being filled with wealthy Muslim tourists from all over the world.
I'm writing this while sitting on the shore front in Jeddah. As a repeat business visitor to Saudi Arabia, I would not have imagined ever coming here for tourism.
Things are changing though, and probably more rapidly than many people would expect. The new visa process was my first positive surprise this time, followed by the pleasant new integration of women in the workplace and in society in general. Certainly there are still many changes and further improvements to come.
Aman's roots had initially been focused a destination's natural beauty and on the cultural discovery of the less-trodden path.
With this ethos in mind, openness is required, and I doubt that by visiting a small Aman you'd be supporting the regime more than what you are doing already everyday by buying the fuel that drives our daily lives (and travel)...
I'm personally excited about this news and wish the Amans a lot of success (there certainly will be challenges).
For Saudi Arabia, I hope they can focus on creating a culturally rich tourism offer that highlights the positive aspects of their heritage, and not fall down the trap of following some of their neighbours fake tourist attractions.
I would never visit that country where you have no rights as a human being!
With the rest of the world offering beautiful places, they can keep Saudi Arabia to themselves and their religious tourism.
Nice articles on Aman, by the way. Anyway, I might go. I mean, as a Muslim, one would probably be going there anyway. So, one might as well stay there for awhile to relax and rest after the taxing pilgrimage (I'm not exxagerating. Search up the hajj and how it goes) before returning to daily life. Now that could be a marketing strategy for Aman if they start operating a resort in Saudi Arabia.