Thanks to Aman-i-Khas for a great visit!

We stayed for 3 nights on honeymoon, as part of a longer Aman India trip, and were there for New Year 2011. For context, we have previously stayed at Aman in Bhutan and Cambodia.

There are some detailed reviews already, and I'd echo much of their positive sentiment. We thought the service was great, starting with our "Batman", who met us in New Delhi for the train ride down (fun experience). Really enjoyed having the same main service contact throughout, and although I guess that must vary by individual, ours (Kanwar) was excellent. Other staff, including the general managers, made a real effort throughout.

Our tent was fab. We've stayed in some before in Kenya/Tanzania on safari, and thought these were the best - size, scale (high roof!), and facilities (good hot shower, aircon etc).

As others have mentioned, the trips to Ranthambore are run by the park officials. We went on 3 trips (1 morning, 2 afternoon). Although we enjoyed them, and saw plenty of wildlife, we did not see any tigers. This was disappointing, though obviously not the fault of Aman. Perhaps worth pointing out that the chances of seeing tigers are not always that high (one guide suggested 30% this time of year), and apparently the best time to see them is during the worst time of year temperature wise - during 45 degree summer they are drawn to limited waterholes, hence chance of sightings is much higher. Also, the roads/driving was pretty rough in parts, ok at our 30-something age, but may be quite uncomfortable for those who don't enjoy being thrown about in a jeep.

We enjoyed the food, though the menu did feel relatively limited.

3 nights was probably long enough for us, given we were really just relaxing/doing safari.

Overall we had a great stay, and would recommend it!

We stayed for three nights which seemed like an optimum time giving a reasonable break from the horrible driving in India. We did a morning game drive and an afternoon one and were fortunate enough to have a fantastic sighting of a tiger on our first trip out. I’m not sure fellow guests were pleased for us....... some had been out five times without luck. We travelled in October and due to the lushness of the vegetation sightings were very, very low. I think if seeing a tiger is your priority you need to go at a time when the trees are bare.
Also be aware there are very limited vehicles allowed into the park each day so do book in advance and get a small jeep – the canters (20 pers) looked like an entirely different experience – definitely not for me.
The hotel is just a gem. We loved the incredibly spacious tents which added a romantic atmosphere to the whole safari experience. These are masterpieces of design.
It is a tiny place (10 tents) so you quickly recognise fellow guests which is pleasant. If you are in the Aman jeep you may share a game drive with another couple which was fun and broke down conventional barriers. The whole engenders a nice feeling of camaraderie among guests.
During our visit there was a family staying with two fairly young kids. They were delightful and well mannered but we would have preferred life without them. One afternoon we fancied a sunbathe by the pool but kids playing is not our idea of a relaxing time. On the same note the spa is next to the pool and children’s laughter – no matter how polite and contained – is not conducive to a relaxing massage. The massage was excellent.
The food was OK. More than adequate home cooked type food but really nothing special. Don’t go for the food. Due to lack of research on my part we found ourselves staying her on Diwali. The hotel put on some fireworks (not too many – surrounded by tents!) and a buffet BBQ. I wish they hadn’t. It wasn’t particularly well done and to be honest I can’t be bothered wandering around with a plate in my hand or queuing for a prawn.
Reading this back it sounds negative but honestly we had a great time. It really is a unique experience.

After having had a very disappointing stay at Aman’s other tented camp, the bedraggled and poorly maintained Amanwana, I was apprehensive about Aman-i-Khas. Thankfully, Aman-i-khas was a better experience than Amanwan, but it had the opposite problem. Whereas Amanwana’s accommodations were unacceptably tired and worn, Aman-i-Khas’s tents are in superb condition, very stylishly designed by Gathy. By day, they are filled with a warm, soft light that makes them a pleasure to inhabit. There is apparently a heating system, too, but somehow not sufficient to warm them in the morning, so they were quite chilly once we emerged from the covers.

I really appreciate the all-inclusive laundry—such a nice perk.

But whereas Amanwana partially atoned for the poor accommodations through impeccable service and good food, Aman-i-Khas had uneven service and the worst food I have ever had an Aman resort.

At Aman-i-Khas, we frequently had to ask for things that in other Amans have been anticipated. No staff ever seemed to come to the small pool area, so we had to go find someone from whom to request drinks, and even then had to wait for quite a while for service. Our batman/butler was uneven—very responsive at times, less so at others.

There’s a mandatory daily food supplement that must be paid, and for each meal there were typically two options. They say that if you are not happy with the options you can request something else and they will make it if they have it, but it felt like those were just words they were trained to say, and when we did express desire for other options, the staff seemed flummoxed and uncertain how to proceed. I mean, if every lodge in Bhutan is able to conjure up a separate menu with multiple options for each meal, I would expect Aman-I-Khas, which is much less isolated than Amankora, to be able to do a much better job with its food. A chicken entrée we ordered was absolutely inedible, the chicken so tough and coarse that none of us were able even to chew it.

The resort looks quite different from the photos online—the woodlands have grown up within the resort since it was opened, and when I mentioned that to the GM, he said that he’d been trying to get Aman to post updated pictures on their website, since it’s much more lush than it appears.

And we did enjoy the game drives in Ranthambore Park, which was very beautiful. No tiger sightings (we did two drives), so that was a slight disappointment, but none of us were especially fixated on that, and we did enjoy being in such a beautiful natural environment.

So I’d rank this on the low end of the Aman resorts I’ve experienced—a step above Amanwana, ultimately, but not a place to which I’d ever return.

We are very avid fans of the Aman group of properties and we were very excited by the prospect of visiting three more on our Aman India Journey which also included stays at Aman New Delhi and Amanbagh.

Aman-i-Khas is set on the doorstep of Ranthambore National Park which is famous for it's relatively large population of tigers. The deciduous forest of Ranthambore increases the odds of tiger sightings during the hot season compared to some of the jungle national parks in Madhya Pradesh further south.

Our journey to Aman-i-Khas began on the August Kranti train which runs between Delhi and Mumbai. All guests are assigned a batman (not the Batman) to accompany/chaperone on the train. As India is a pretty intense place, we could imagine some guests being quite appreciative. As veteran travellers to India, we certainly appreciated having a buffer between us and the activity of the train station. We were very happy and grateful when we discovered that Satish, our batman, had managed to get us seated in First Class which our reservations weren't. Apparently, these seats are highly coveted and disappear quickly when reservations are made. Somehow, he was able to make some kind of arrangements.

Settled into our seats, we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian dinner which was provided to First Class passengers which we thoroughly enjoyed. For guests who don't feel comfortable eating the train food (which was perfectly delicious and sanitary if anyone's curious), batmen are equipped with sandwiches and such.

Aman-i-Khas consists of ten luxury tents for guests. The tents are enormous and very luxurious. They are very comfortably furnished and one marvels at the fact that these tents are constructed and dismantled every year to keep them from damage during the peak of the hot season and the drenching of the annual monsoon. And the tents are air conditioned which is pretty amazing. There is a nice screened off area that would be great for sitting during the cooler months.

A note about the a/c. Rajasthan gets HOT! We were there in mid-March and the daytime highs were already getting up into the mid-30s Celsius. Guests visiting in April can expect temps well into the 40s. In spite of the air-conditioning, one is going to feel the heat anytime after mid-February. Hope for a breeze and cool off in the pool.

The dining was excellent and we were very well accommodated as strict vegetarians.

Safari drives in the park are regulated and controlled by the government. Thankfully, Aman-i-Khas uses jeeps that sit a maximum of six guests at one time. When one gets into the park and sees some of the buses plying the bumpy roads with close to fifty people, one's grateful to be in a smaller vehicle. We found our driver and guide very personable and knowledgeable.

A nice touch is when you return to camp after a safari drive, you're met with a wet towel to wipe off some of the dust and a refreshing drink. It can get dusty in Ranthambore and without knowing it, you'll be covered in a thin later of dust. Thankfully, laundry service is complimentary and we made use of this service.

We had a wonderful stay at Aman-i-Khas and highly recommend it.