Amanyara: My Favorite Hotel

In the decade that I’ve been traveling the world as an editor, I’ve seen a ton of hotels. I skipped around a bunch before I had the official title and in those days I also tested out hotels, motels and Holiday Inns—a lot. Every hotel has a positive (there was a place I saw in Cancún a few weeks ago that had eh rooms but an awesome beach and beautiful common spaces) and every hotel has, what my mom calls, a “yeah, but.” You know, that waiter who ruined the whole vibe of a fancy spot in Marrakech or the resort fees that are tacked on to every stay at a Hawaiian resort.

But Amanyara, an exclusive enclave of intimate pavilions and a collection of private villas on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos had all of the awesome and none of the yeah buts. (Ok there was onethe threat of having to sit next to Christy Turlington on the beach! Thankfully, we only saw her husband all covered up.) 

How Twitter Rescued This Couple's Wedding

Only six weeks before their big day, UK couple Lauren Lane and Daniel Welch experienced the unthinkable—they received an email announcing that their venue was shutting down, and as a result, they lost their deposit of $7,000.

There was no way for them to recoup the funds in time for the wedding, so in desperation, the bride turned to an unlikely source, Twitter, and posted the following plea: "Help needed with aspects of our wedding after venue goes bust with 6wks 2go & with our £4.5K! Pls RT." Even the bridesmaids pitched in by tweeting to local companies and spreading the word, asking if anyone could help them.

They received an outpouring of support (even from celebrities) that led to free donations that included their cake, photography, wedding rings, videography, stationery, favors and more. "Contrary to what some media reports have said, we received no cash donations; only goodwill and skills from local, honest companies," Lane told WebProNews.

Thanks to all of the unexpected assistance they received, Lauren and Daniel got married on their original date, February 25th. The bride told The Guardian that: "We got so much help from a lot of kind people and it made our day really special. So much has come from such an awful time we can't thank all our helpers enough. It really did make it a dream wedding for us both."

Check out photos from their gorgeous wedding below!

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