Turks & Caicos
Amanyara
Three miles of protected shoreline and almost no one on it. Ask for the ocean pavilions at the north end — further from the club, closer to the reef, and the only ones that catch the light on both sides of the day.
By referral only
By referral only
A private travel advisory for a small number of clients. Ten years of ultra-luxury hotel bookings.
See the benefits→Preferred Partnerships
Direct preferred-partner standing with these groups and some forty others — including Oetker Collection, Dorchester Collection, Auberge, Cheval Blanc and Raffles.
Aster House
Anyone can book a suite. Very few can tell you which suite — the one on the quiet side of the garden, the villa where the sunset actually lands, the corner of the property the brochure never shows you. That distinction is the whole of the work.
The Approach
Aster House is not an agency in the ordinary sense. There is no call centre, no catalogue, no volume to chase. There is a dedicated team, a closed list of clients, and a decade of relationships with the people who actually run these properties.
Every itinerary begins with a conversation and ends with a hotel I would send my own family to. Where I have not stayed personally, I say so plainly.
Standing relationships with the groups below, built over a decade — which is what puts the benefits on the next page within reach, at the same nightly rate you would pay yourself.
Category is a blunt instrument. The request goes in by villa number, aspect and floor, not by room type alone.
General managers and guest relations know the file before you land. Occasions are flagged, preferences carried forward stay to stay.
One number, across time zones, answered by someone who already knows your file — from the first enquiry to the morning you check out.
The Difference
| Benefit | Direct, or an online agency | Aster House |
|---|---|---|
| Nightly rate | Same | Same or preferred |
| Room upgrade | Minimum 1 category, unless the hotel is fully booked | |
| Daily breakfast for two | Only on some rates | |
| Hotel or resort credit | $100–$500+ | |
| Early check-in | 3pm | From noon |
| Late check-out | 11am | Up to 4pm |
| Welcome amenity | ||
| VIP recognition on arrival | ||
| Airport transfers | Select hotels | |
| If something goes wrong | A call centre | Your advisor |
| Your points and status | Yours | Yours |
| Added value | $0 | Up to $3,000 |
Figures are for a one-week stay and vary by property. Ask for the full list →
What I Offer
You already know where you're going. Send the dates and I'll place the booking through the preferred programme — same rate, everything above attached to it.
You know the destination, not the address. I'll come back with the two or three I would actually put you in, and why — not a list of everything with a room free.
Roughly when, roughly how long, and what you liked last time. The shortlist comes to you, with the reasoning attached.
This Month
Turks & Caicos
Three miles of protected shoreline and almost no one on it. Ask for the ocean pavilions at the north end — further from the club, closer to the reef, and the only ones that catch the light on both sides of the day.
Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives
Shell-roofed villas set out over the reef, forty minutes by seaplane from Malé. Ask for the western overwater villas — same category, same rate, but the sunset lands on your deck rather than behind you.
Jalisco, Mexico
Three thousand acres of protected coast, and a hotel set into the hillside rather than on top of it. The casitas facing the cove are the ones to hold out for — due west, so the sunset arrives at the room without you having to go anywhere.
Hawai‘i
Still the benchmark on the Kona coast, and the one everything else there gets measured against. Worth asking for the rooms at the quiet end of the property — further from the main pool, and the only ones where the lanai faces the water squarely.
Paris
The Samaritaine building, on the river, with the roof terrace most guests never think to ask about. The Seine-facing rooms cost more and are worth it; the courtyard side is quieter but you lose the reason you came.
The full month is shared privately. Ask what else is open →
“I have never recommended a room I would not stay in myself.”
— A. Zhu, Founder
The Advisor
I began booking ultra-luxury travel for myself, badly and expensively, and spent the following decade learning to do it properly. What started as a private habit became a practice: friends asked, then their friends asked, and the list has grown only by introduction ever since.
The advantage I offer is simple and hard to fake — I have been to most of the hotels I recommend. I know which villas back onto the service road, which spas are worth the tariff, which islands are a two-hour transfer longer than advertised. That knowledge is not available in a booking engine, and it does not cost you a cent more than booking direct.
Aster House takes on a limited number of new clients each year, by referral from an existing one.
Enquiries
Tell me who sent you and roughly what you have in mind. I reply to every introduction personally, usually within a day.