Amanwana "set pegs" in 1993, stealing prime position, on the Indonesian island of Moyo, off the coast of Sumbawa to the east of Bali. The air of camp life is skilfully incorporated into luxuriant tents, designed with style and subtlety.
The tents are sided by walls of windows framed in teak with polished hardwood flooring and dreamy soft hues such as creams, beige, wheat and honey.
This is a wilderness hideaway, secluded in a cove overlooking Amanwana Bay and the Flores Sea. Diving and snorkelling, from the jetty and the camp's fleet of vessels, is readily accessible, proffering a spectacular array of magical, iridescent and fascinating sea life: giant clams displaying shimmering soft mantels, soft red coral, barrel sponges flaying green and yellow tips, enormous blue sea stars floating over the magenta tips of hard coral all surrounded by a myriad of tropical fish. The island is inhabited by a unique mix of jungle animals, from deer to wild boar to macaque monkeys, and a variety of spectacular bird life, including eagles and osprey. Walks into the wonders of Moyo's jungle world begin at base.
Tented Luxury
Amanwana's twenty, jungle and oceanfront, tents are based beneath a tropical canopy beside the fluorescent blue Flores Sea. The tents are luxurious with a maritime-colonial feel enhanced by an eclectic mix of Indonesian nuances; a teak writing desk, cream linen divans, an hexagonal wooden table with fresh fruit and attractive local artwork. The sides of the tents are solid, with rows of teak framed windows, allowing the ravishing views to penetrate the room; a king size bed, draped in white netting, stands on an extensive, polished, hardwood floor and the bathrooms are large and stylishly orchestrated; twinned smooth stone vanities sit beneath mirrors framed in nut-brown wood set off by subtle lighting, with slatted wooden shutters alongside.
To enhance the appropriate feeling of "adventure and luxury tent," where the world outside is paramount, rattan deck chairs and a folding table are positioned beneath the capacious, sweeping, canvas roof, on a coral-stone deck; a perfect spot to raise a toast to this tropical utopia.
Sunrise to sunrise - a spectacular event
Primal desires are fulfilled in luxuriant comfort, leaving nature's complexion to frame its privileged setting. Milky, pastel hued dawns give rise to azure, cirrus-streaked skies, dipping into blazonry sunsets towards Crocodile Head, all crowned at night by a brilliantly clear constellation. Home to many wild species, both aquatic and land, ensures that Amanwana is a slice of Indonesian island paradise.
Dining - open-air
The open-air restaurant and bar are set under a 15-metre bamboo roof, looking across the enchanting sea, with solid coconut pillars supporting the authentically tropical structure, on an Indonesian hardwood floor. An eclectic mix of Asian and Western food is served daily with fresh and exotic sea-fare playing a starring role. Supper under the seemingly touchable Milky-Way, beside a campfire, on the cooling sand of the beach, or on the jetty, is deeply romantic.
Climate and location
Only eight degrees north of the Equator, Moyo benefits from a year round tropical climate with the driest months starting from May through to October.
Amanwana's privileged site sits East of Bali, 15 kilometres off the coast of Sumbawa, on the island of Moyo, at the western end of the Nusa Tenggara islands, which begin with Lombok and end in the east with Timor. Moyo is just 350 square kilometres, and the vegetation varies with verdant intensity from Savannah to jungle. The tropical island is caressed by the crystal clear, aqua tinted, Flores Sea.
Amanwana's aorta, a long jetty leading out to tropically "blushed" pink skies, above a myriad of aquatic life, is where the adventure of this island life takes off.
Sophie Marchant