The Ariau Towers is a boutique hotel

Boutique hotel

Boutique hotel is a term popularized in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or unique hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities...

 northwest of Manaus, Brazil, on the Rio Negro, a major tributary of the Amazon River

Amazon River

The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...

. It consists of 7 towers, with all 288 rooms elevated from the rain forest floor by approximately 10-20m and connected by approximates 5 miles (8 km) of catwalks. 3°5′36.61"N 60°26′26.72"E

Inception

In 1982, Jacques Cousteau was in the Amazon with his team, and in Manaus stayed at the Mônaco Hotel where he met the hotel’s owner, Dr. Ritta. According to the hotel's foundation, it was all Jacques Cousteau's idea. The construction was to follow the natives model of building and it had to be built by them since they dominate the technique of building on stilts. The construction began around July 1985 and one year later, the first tower of the Ariaú Amazon Towers was ready.

Structure

The hotel has 288 units split amongst apartment

Apartment

An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...

s, suite

Suite

In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...

s (located in the towers) and tree house

Tree house

Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level...

s. The tallest of the units, the Tarzan House, is built on top of a living Mahogony tree, at the height of 22 m from the ground. The towers are interlinked by a wooden catwalk system of approximately 5 miles (8 km), all within the canopy of the rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

. Other facilities within these tree tops include 2 swimming pools, two observation towers 134 ft (40.8 m) high and a panoramic auditorium for 450 people. There are also restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s serving regional foods, bars and convenience stores.

Activities

The hotel has various tours available within the forest, such as canoe walk, jungle walk, piranha fishing, visit to native's houses, and observation of nightlife animals. Visitors can also observe the Meeting of the Waters, where the Rio Negro and the Solimoes River meet, but because of density and different temperatures don’t get mixed. The separate shades of water run side by side for a length of more than four miles (6 km) without mixing. Macaws and various breeds of native and non-native monkeys are common around the towers, and provide much entertainment to the tourists.

Approach

A typical amazon riverboat connects the hotel with Manaus twice a day in both directions and a bus shuttle further connects the wharf with the Manaus airport and hotels. A helicopter service can be booked optionally.

External links

• Ariau Amazon Towers' website
• Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel website