After a crowded and hectic week at re:Invent we were getting ready to head to the airport and learned we had a lengthy half-day flight delay. Rather than wait around, we decided to turn the delay into a weekend adventure at the Amangiri resort in the stunning Colorado Plateau. It was wonderful—the exact opposite environment of the super busy time we had in Vegas. Both were fun but the juxtaposition of the two wildly different experiences particularly so.

The previous evening, we attended the re:Invent closing party, re:Play, where we had an opportunity to meet the main stage headliners, Beck and Kaskade, before watching them perform.

When we learned of our flight delay the following morning and decided to head to Amangiri, we managed to find a helicopter tour company, Maverick Helicopters, with a last-minute opening to save us the 4:20 drive. We had an exceptional 40-minute flight there with fabulous low-altitude views of the desert scenery.

Amangiri is wonderfully chill and secluded, built in a modern, understated style that fits in perfectly with the desert environment.

The resort is almost one with the desert, and has spectacular views from the rooms and public areas.

Numerous activities are available to guests of the 900-acre (364 ha) property, including horseback riding, rock-climbing, UTV tours, hiking and even a via ferrata course complete with a suspension bridge. We opted for a hike through fantastic rock formations to an outdoor artist’s studio with a paintbrush “garden”. Near the studio is what appears to be an old mining site, but is actually the remains of the movie set for the 1996 action film Broken Arrow.

This was our first stay at an Aman property and we enjoyed every minute. We’ll almost certainly return after the next re:Invent to wind down once again, and to tackle that via ferrata course.