Aman has cultivated something close to a cult following — and roughly 35 properties globally to serve it. When you can't get into the Aman you want, what's actually equivalent? Here's the honest list, organised by destination.
Aman Resorts has cultivated something close to a cult following — the "Aman Junkies" who plan trips around which property they haven't yet stayed at. The combination of small footprint, deep cultural integration, and the kind of service that ruins you for other hotels has produced one of the few truly differentiated luxury hotel brands in the world. The problem is supply. There are only 35 or so Aman properties globally, and the most desirable ones (Aman Tokyo, Aman Kyoto, Amankora in Bhutan, Amanzoe in Greece) book out months ahead.
If you can't get into the Aman you want, what are the actually equivalent alternatives? Not "luxury hotels in the same city" — those are easy to find. The honest question is which other properties deliver the specific Aman combination of small scale, design excellence, cultural integration, and service standard. Here's the answer for the destinations where Aman has built the strongest brand association.
Hoshinoya is the Aman of Japan in everything but international name recognition. Hoshinoya Tokyo — a vertical ryokan in the heart of the financial district — is genuinely the closest Tokyo experience to Aman Tokyo, with onsen baths on the top floor and a service standard that matches. Hoshinoya Kyoto, in the Arashiyama mountains accessible only by boat, is arguably more atmospheric than Aman Kyoto. Hoshinoya Karuizawa is the alpine alternative.
The other genuine alternative to Aman Kyoto. Smaller footprint, hilltop location with city views, and a service standard that holds up against the comparison. Significantly easier to book.
An underappreciated Arashiyama property with riverside rooms and a kaiseki restaurant that locals use as a benchmark. The brand affiliation makes it easier to book on points, which is the underrated angle for travellers who keep their loyalty in one programme.
The wellness-luxury alternative in Ubud. Smaller than the Aman properties but with a stronger spa and wellness programme. Worth the comparison if your trip is built around the spiritual or wellness angle rather than the architecture.
The clifftop alternative in Uluwatu. Different design language — Italian-modernist rather than Balinese-traditional — but the same level of service and the privacy that defines an Aman stay.
Tented camp in the Ubud rainforest, designed by Bill Bensley. Wildly different aesthetic from the Aman properties but on the same tier for service and the same price point. The Bensley design language is divisive — you'll love it or find it overdone — but the experience is one of a kind.
A converted 19th-century fortress on the southern tip of Mallorca. Tiny — fewer than 25 rooms — and deeply private, with the kind of attention to architectural detail that Aman travellers respond to. The closest Mediterranean equivalent in design ambition, and one of several standouts in our guide to the best destinations for a luxury villa in Europe.
The clifftop Amalfi Coast alternative, in a restored 11th-century palazzo with the most photographed infinity pool in Italy. Larger than an Aman but the location and the historical fabric do most of the work.
The pre-Aman Venice luxury benchmark and still the comparison most often made. On the Giudecca with private boat transfer, gardens, and the only meaningful pool in Venice. Different temperament from Aman Venice but the same league.
This is the hardest substitution to make because Amankora's multi-lodge circuit through Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey, and Bumthang is genuinely without equivalent. The closest alternative is the Six Senses Bhutan circuit — five lodges in similar locations, with similar architectural ambition and service level. They are genuinely comparable. Six Senses Bhutan is sometimes easier to book than Amankora and runs at a meaningfully lower price point for similar quality.
Aman Hong Kong doesn't exist, but if it did, it would look like the Upper House. André Fu's design, calm scale, and the kind of arrival experience that the brand-name luxury hotels in the city can't match.
The closest thing Manhattan has to an Aman experience. SoHo location, 75 rooms, no signage, and the discretion that Aman Tokyo uses as its branding.
Sometimes the Aman appeal isn't actually about the brand — it's about the privacy, the staff, and the meal experience. For trips where the destination has Aman-tier villas available, a private villa with a chef can deliver more of what people actually want from an Aman stay than a substitute hotel. Plum Guide carries vetted villas in most of the destinations where Aman has properties, and our honest Plum Guide review covers where it's strong and where a specialist managed-villa company is the better channel. For the very largest staffed villas in Tuscany, Provence, Mallorca, and the Caribbean, those specialists are the right call.
Aman properties (and their alternatives) cluster in destinations where the airport-to-hotel transfer is part of the experience. For Hoshinoya Kyoto, the boat from the Arashiyama landing is included; for most others, pre-booked private transfer is the right call. Welcome Pickups handles the major destinations including Tokyo, Kyoto, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast. GetTransfer covers destinations Welcome Pickups doesn't.
The other two things worth sorting before you go: SafetyWing for trip and medical cover, and Airalo for an eSIM that works on arrival in any of these countries without a SIM-swap.
For multi-property trips through Asia or Europe — Hoshinoya Tokyo to Hoshinoya Kyoto, or Cap Rocat to Caruso to Cipriani — point-to-point private aviation is where you claw back whole travel days, and it's the one logistics layer worth a quote rather than a booking form. A JetLuxe charter quote for the multi-leg routing takes a phone call, and on the right city pairing it's closer to first-class commercial than people expect.
One honest caveat on substitution. The Aman alternatives here are genuinely in the same league, but they are not the same hotel. If the specific Aman experience is the point of the trip — the brand, the property, the room you saw — book ahead and wait for it rather than substituting. These are the answers for when the dates won't move and the Aman won't open up, not arguments that one is strictly "better" than the other.
What's the closest alternative to Aman Kyoto?
Hoshinoya Kyoto — a riverside ryokan in Arashiyama accessible only by boat — is arguably more atmospheric than Aman Kyoto and easier to book. Park Hyatt Kyoto is the second-best alternative with a hilltop location and city views. Both deliver the small-scale, service-led experience that defines an Aman stay.
Is Six Senses Bhutan as good as Amankora?
Genuinely comparable. Both run multi-lodge circuits through the same Bhutanese valleys with similar architectural ambition and service standards. Six Senses is sometimes easier to book than Amankora and runs at a meaningfully lower price point for what most travellers experience as equivalent quality.
If I can't get into Aman Tokyo, where should I stay?
Hoshinoya Tokyo is the closest equivalent — a vertical ryokan in the financial district with onsen baths on the top floor and a Japanese service standard that matches Aman's. The Aman in Tokyo experience and the Hoshinoya Tokyo experience are genuinely in the same conversation; most travellers who do both rate them as different rather than better or worse.
Are villas a real substitute for a luxury hotel like an Aman?
For trips where the appeal is privacy, dedicated staff, and personal meal service rather than the specific brand experience, yes — sometimes more so. A vetted villa with a chef in Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast can deliver more of what most travellers actually want from an Aman stay. The trade-off is that you're managing the experience yourself rather than being managed.
Why are Aman properties so hard to book?
Small footprint by design — most Aman properties have 25-50 rooms, not the 200+ of typical luxury hotels — combined with extreme repeat booking from the brand's loyal customer base. The Aman Junkies plan trips a year or more ahead. For first-time bookers, peak windows at the most desirable properties (Tokyo, Kyoto, Bhutan, Venice) often need to be reserved 6-12 months in advance.
Planning a multi-property circuit and want the legs between cities to take hours, not days? JetLuxe quotes multi-leg private charter for exactly these Asian and European routings.
Get a JetLuxe quote →Property details, room counts, and booking-lead-time guidance reflect the position at the time of writing and change with season and demand; always confirm current availability directly with each property. This article contains affiliate links to Plum Guide, Welcome Pickups, GetTransfer, SafetyWing, Airalo and JetLuxe — bookings made through our partner links may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. Aman, Hoshinoya, and the other named hotels are referenced editorially and are not affiliate partners.
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