It was F Scott Fitzgerald who said about the very rich – 'They are different from you and me', the way they take their holidays can also be quite special;

The level of service and discretion offered by Amanresorts made them the favourite boltholes of the rich and famous for more than a quarter of a century.

Things may be about to change though, as Adrian Zecha, the founding genius behind the company, has just been ousted by the new owners. His replacement as CEO? - Vladislav Doronin, the Russian Oligarch who dated Naomi Campbell before moving on to Luo Zilin, a former Miss Universe China.

Amanpuri -where it all began in 1988
 
Founder of Capital Group, the Moscow-based property company, Doronin, 51, promises to "preserve its appeal as an experience beyond simply ‘getting away' - a personalized environment, each with a distinctive local feel combined with unobtrusive, but exceptional, attention to detail."

However, most Amanjunkies, as devotees are known, will be shuddering at the thought of Zecha no longer being in command. Doronin was at pains to emphasize to me that "Aman's success also lies in the careful, selective nature of its growth and that is a path we intend to stick to."

He also insists that Zecha retired, but no one else believes this for a moment. Zecha, a highly alert 81, virtually invented the concept of the luxury hideaway resort, which has now been copied by every hotelier from Richard Branson's Necker Island, to new five star developments from all the major hotel brands.

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