Amangiri vs The Boulders
Two desert luxury resorts. Two completely different trips. One honest comparison from someone who has been to both.
In this guide
01 — The quick answer
Both are extraordinary. They are not competing for the same person.
Canyon Country — Utah
Amangiri
Big Water, Utah — near Page, AZ
Rate: From $4,565/night
Suites: 34 total
Nearest airport: Las Vegas (4.5 hrs) or Phoenix (3.5 hrs)
The thing: The pool. The canyon landscape. Nothing else like it.
Sonoran Desert — Arizona
The Boulders
Carefree, Arizona — north of Scottsdale
Rate: From ~$400/night (summer) to $1,000+/night (peak)
Casitas: 160+
Nearest airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor (45 min)
The thing: Two world-class golf courses. Golden Door Spa. The town of Carefree.
Amangiri and The Boulders are both desert luxury resorts built around ancient rock formations in the American Southwest. That’s where the similarity ends. Amangiri is one of 34 suites in a remote Utah canyon, with a nightly rate that starts at $4,565. The Boulders is a full-service resort with 160+ casitas, two championship golf courses, a 33,000-square-foot spa, five dining options, and the charming town of Carefree right outside the gate — with summer rates that make it genuinely accessible. They are not competing for the same guest.
02 — Setting & landscape
Both extraordinary. Amangiri is more remote. The Boulders has a town.
Amangiri
600 private acres of canyon country near the Utah-Arizona border. The Colorado Plateau — Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon all within a few hours. The most dramatic natural setting of any American luxury resort. The remoteness is complete.
The Boulders
1,200 acres of Sonoran Desert in Carefree, Arizona. The namesake 12-million-year-old granite formations surround every casita, every path, every pool. Carefree is right outside the gate — Easy Street, the sundial, galleries, cafés, horses on the road. You can leave and have a full afternoon in a real town.
“Amangiri puts you inside the landscape. The Boulders puts you next to it. Both are extraordinary. Only one has a town with horses on the road.”
Search hotels near both resorts — Carefree AZ and Page AZ.
03 — The pools
Both legendary. For completely different reasons.
Amangiri — The Pool
The most photographed hotel pool in America. A body of water that wraps around a natural sandstone mesa — so still, so precisely placed that the boundary between built and natural disappears. Every photograph is accurate. That is the thing about Amangiri’s pool.
The Boulders — Two Pools
The spa pool is quiet and restorative. The resort pool is social, with the dining terrace nearby and the boulders behind it. I swam at the spa pool at 115 degrees — the heat outside made the water feel like the most reasonable place in the world to be. Both pools deliver. Neither is Amangiri’s pool.
04 — Price & value
Amangiri is nearly ten times more expensive. Here’s what you actually get.
| Category | Amangiri | The Boulders |
|---|---|---|
| Base nightly rate | From $4,565 | From ~$400 (summer) / $800+ (peak) |
| 3-night stay for two | $20,000+ | $2,500–$5,000 |
| Meals included | Yes — all meals | No — charged separately |
| Golf included | No golf on property | No — green fees separate |
| Summer rate drop | Minimal | Significant — best value window |
| Total rooms/suites | 34 suites | 160+ casitas |
| Service reviews | Inconsistent | Strong and consistent |
| Food reviews | Mixed — below expectations | Good — five dining options |
The summer strategy for The Boulders
The Boulders drops rates significantly in July and August. I went in the dead of summer — twice. The pools, the spa, and the air-conditioned casitas make the heat completely manageable. The resort empties out and becomes something closer to a private sanctuary. Summer is the secret window for The Boulders.
Search rates at both resorts for your dates.
05 — What’s nearby
The Boulders wins this category. It’s not close.
Near Amangiri
Page, Arizona — 11 miles away. Gas stations and basic dining. But the landscape is extraordinary: Antelope Canyon (15 min), Lake Powell (20 min), Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Bryce Canyon all within a few hours. The landscape is the attraction. The town is not.
Near The Boulders
Carefree, Arizona — right outside the resort gate. Easy Street with outdoor cafés, fine art galleries, holistic studios. The Carefree Sundial — largest working sundial in North America. Horses on the road, regularly. Scottsdale and Phoenix within 45 minutes.
Book Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell tours near Amangiri.
06 — Golf
The Boulders wins. Amangiri has no golf at all.
Amangiri has no golf courses. The property is a spa and landscape experience — golf is not part of the offering.
The Boulders has two 18-hole championship courses designed by Jay Morrish — Golf Digest’s Best Golf Resort in the Southwest. The South Course winds through massive granite formations and natural arroyos. The Golf Academy includes Donald Crawley, ranked by Golf Magazine as one of the Top 100 Teachers in America. If golf is part of your Southwest luxury trip, there is only one answer.
07 — Spa & wellness
Both excellent. Different scales and philosophies.
Amangiri Spa
Intimate, landscape-integrated, deeply intentional. Treatments are tied to the canyon landscape and light. Small scale, fully curated. The best spa experience for someone who wants everything — including the massage — to be about the desert.
Golden Door Spa at The Boulders
33,000 square feet. 24 treatment rooms. Full wellness programming — yoga, fitness, movement. Hot tubs and lounge chairs throughout. I used the hot tubs and got a massage. We sat in the spa lounge doing nothing and it was exactly right. The scale and range is genuinely impressive.
08 — Side by side
The full comparison at a glance.
| Category | Amangiri | The Boulders | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setting | Utah canyon country | Sonoran Desert, AZ | Both extraordinary |
| The pool | Most photographed in America | Two excellent pools | Amangiri |
| Golf | None | Two championship courses | The Boulders |
| Spa | Intimate, landscape-integrated | 33,000 sq ft Golden Door | Depends on preference |
| Nightly rate | From $4,565 | From ~$400 (summer) | The Boulders |
| Meals included | Yes | No | Amangiri |
| Nearby town | Page AZ — basic | Carefree AZ — charming | The Boulders |
| Nearby excursions | Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell | Scottsdale, Phoenix | Amangiri |
| Service consistency | Mixed reviews | Strong reviews | The Boulders |
| The bucket list factor | Highest in American hospitality | High | Amangiri |
09 — Who should go where
The decision made simple.
Choose Amangiri if…
You came specifically for the canyon landscape and the pool. A $20,000 three-night stay is a significant splurge but not a financial stretch. You’re celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime milestone. You understand that the service may disappoint and the food may be mediocre — and none of that will matter because the setting is extraordinary.
Choose The Boulders if…
You want world-class golf. You want the spa experience without the bucket-list price. You want a charming town outside the gate. You’re going in summer and want to maximize value. You want consistent service and good food alongside the desert setting.
“Amangiri is a once-in-a-lifetime property. The Boulders is a place you go back to. Both are right. Only you know which one you need right now.”
Ready to book? Search both destinations for your dates.
Two deserts. Two completely different reasons to go.
I have been to The Boulders twice — alone in the summer heat, then with a friend, both times leaving not wanting to go. The boulders, the spa pool, the Golden Door, the town of Carefree with its horses and its sundial and its library on a hill. That’s a place I understand from the inside.
Amangiri I am still a few weeks away from experiencing firsthand. What I know already: both of these places earn their reputations. The desert Southwest has two of the great American resort experiences — one at any price point you’re willing to pay, one at a price point that requires a decision. Both are worth making.
Going to Amangiri? Read our complete guide — is $4,565 a night worth it, and what the alternatives are if you want the same landscape for less.
Read the complete Amangiri guide →Going to The Boulders? Read our complete guide — the golf, the Golden Door Spa, the town of Carefree, and why summer is the secret window.
Read the complete Boulders guide →