1. Aman Kyoto
A city of living history, the ancient imperial capital of Kyoto has long lured culture vultures for its wealth of temples and shrines, palaces and gardens. Aman Kyoto, the uber-luxe hotelier’s third property in Japan, opens here in November 2019, in a garden setting close to Kinkakuji temple.
The resort’s 26 rooms in latticed pavilions with minimalist geometry, tatami mats, and large windows to admire the greenery are influenced by traditional Japanese ryokans, dotted around 80 acres of forest and manicured gardens with moss-covered stone pathways. Each accommodation comes with an ofuro bathtub crafted from hinoki cypress wood, native to this part of Japan.
At the Dining Pavilion, Japanese haute cuisine mines the choicest hand-picked local produce, while the spa offers treatments using indigenous herbs and spices, including Kyoto green tea, tanba kuromame (black soy beans), local sake and cold-pressed camellia oil.