While the group is famous for its idiosyncratic brand of intelligent, intimate luxe from Beijing to Bhutan, Tokyo to Turks and Caicos, Aman’s latest launch takes its dominance of the market to the deep blue seas of the Indonesian archipelago. A thing of beauty indeed, the Amandira is a traditional wooden phinisi, hand-crafted in ironwood and teak by the Konjo tribe on Kalimantan Island. Measuring 52 metres from bow to stern, with two 36m masts and eight glorious, billowing, sails, it cuts a magnificent picture as it sails past volcanic islands and through the marine rich seas.

The master cabin’s glass walls allow light to bathe the sleek, minimalist interiors and a bathroom with a huge rain shower and double basins. Two de luxe cabins and two bunk-bed ones provide accommodation for another eight. A sprawling deck doubles as a dining room and as a bed of cushions where guests can watch the Southern Cross emerge in a starlit sky. Days are punctuated by picnics on white islands set in turquoise waters, snorkelling with manta rays, diving to see schools of multicoloured fish or trekking on islands such as Rinca or Komodo to see the namesake dragons. This is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Date visited: September 2015

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