Luxury Hotels - Aman (or what's the sanskrit for noisy nightclub?) Sveti Stefan

If Aman were doing their job properly, I would not be lying awake right now at 2am in one of their beautifully restored village cottages unable to sleep due to horrendous noise disturbance! Until today, our first Aman experience has been a largely idyllic one: the island has been restored and modernised with painstaking attention to detail and, with a couple of significant exceptions, the service has lived up to the Aman reputation for discretion and almost clairvoyant attentiveness. However, our much-needed peaceful break has rapidly become a holiday disaster of the kind that we are fortunate never to have experienced as yet: we consider ourselves careful and risk-averse in choosing hotels and destinations, researching options extremely thoroughly and preferring not to travel somewhere rather than settle for a compromise in any aspect of our stay, and we have not been disappointed, in almost all cases choosing to return to the same places and to one particular hotel every year. When we first arrived we thought that Aman Sveti Stefan would live up to our expectations and have been only too pleased to pass on our delight to the staff we have encountered and to GM Kevin Brooke. We can still find nothing in English at least online about the event that has turned our holiday into a nightmare and it had never crossed our minds to check ahead of our arrival to ask whether this supposedly enchanting and peaceful resort would turn into Ibiza during our stay!

The overwhelming noise that is keeping us awake is coming from a one-night, .open-air nightclub with live bands slightly down the coast that staff here have referred to as the Montenegrin "spring break". This is admittedly a one-off event beyond the direct control of Aman, but how they have responded to it has left much to be desired, but also, worryingly, resonates with the response to other less than satisfactory situations that have emerged while we were here. In hindsight, the first warning came upon our arrival when the Assistant GM Henry invited us with a recommendation to attend a night of "local live music", a special event not organised by the hotel, although it is unclear whether this was in fact in reference to another only slightly less noisy event taking place in close proximity to the one with the deafening electronic dance music right now. In essence, going might have been the only answer as it is impossible to avoid from our deluxe terrace cottage near the centre/top of the island.

The noise started at midday and staff suggested that it will go on until 5am. Other than a few slightly half-hearted remarks hoping that we might get some sleep from the staff at dinner at the piazza, there has been no formal effort to deal with this huge disturbance which will have gone on for nearly 18 hours and will completely deprive us of any sleep. When we made enquires this afternoon with one of the friendly waitstaff, they initially thought it might be coming from their own cliff bar, but we assured him it was not because we had just been there to brace ourselves for a quick swim in the chilly (unheated) pool (it turns out that the main pool slated to open next year will also be unheated and smaller than planned due to the discovery of a fourth church buried by the communist authorities). He then remembered that this "spring break" event was on, but did not react as if it would be a series night-long problem.

Our phone request for earplugs a couple of hours ago was met with a rather unhelpful and unsympathetic sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The customary knock on the door two minutes after a request has not been forthcoming and a follow-up call a couple of minutes ago to see if they might have some headphones was a little more apologetic and understanding, but still with no offer of any slight attempted remedy.

Personally, we feel that most of the hotel is unfit for purpose tonight, but it doesn't look as if the extent of the problem will be recognised when we speak to the GM in the morning. We appreciate that it is not within Aman's power to stop the event, but management has clearly been aware of this and any other luxury hotel, let alone a chain seeking to retain the reputation that Aman enjoys, would have done something to address the concerns of guests and these are the kinds of risks and eventualities that Aman should be well used to dealing with in a satisfactory way to meet the expectations of its particular client base. .The island and the restaurant seemed deserted tonight, so perhaps other guests had managed to find out about it and avoid tonight or took matters into their own hands earlier when the noise started. The management of other hotels at which we stay would have been in touch as soon as they knew about it, if not known at time of booking, to inform us and discuss the option of rearranging our stay for different dates, which would have been easily possible. At the very least, the matter would have been raised in a transparent way upon arrival perhaps with an offer to accommodate us in a room in a more sheltered location on the far side of the island or perhaps in the Villa Milocer if the sounds travels less around the bay than across the water.

In general, the staff here, despite their warmth and well-meaning intentions, seem unprepared to deal with anything than does not go according to plan. On out first full day here, we returned to our room to find that there was no longer any water. They seemed unaware if any issue when we called to raise it. They agreed to send someone straight away and we left the room and no attempt was made to update us. A couple of hours later, after some time on the beach, we stopped to enquire after the washrooms at Villa Milocer and were escorted there to find used, but unflushed toilets and no running water, but nothing was said until we asked again. At that point the guest assistant admitted sheepishly that the whole of Budva had been cut off, but that water should be restored by mid-evening. We had to recommend they use buckets with sea/bottled water to flush out the toilets. As far we can tell from talking to other guests, no effort was made to notify us of the situation except in response to direct enquiries.

We also feel that it is helpful to add that the island is not yet finished (15 rooms, plus various amenities still to go). This in itself is not a big problem; the noise from ongoing works is minimal and kept out of view. The noise from other local construction is much more problematic: the otherwise charming Queen's Beach, recommended on another thread, is currently spoilt by noisy construction just behind, for example, leaving only one stretch of private sand (well, I should say pretty pink pebbles). The attendant recommended we locate to the end nearest Villa Millocer, but is was still far from tranquil.

There is much to commend Aman Sveti Stefan and, until tonight we were contemplating returning to see the resort fully open. As relatively young travellers, we had also hoped that this would be the start of a lifetime of Aman experiences, but this one has left us cautious and wondering whether it might not be worth the risk. The lovely added touches (that everyone knows your name, housekeeping that comes unseen like a toothfairy to neatly arrange your toner and moisturiser, the extra mile with weighty custom-designed furniture etc.) do not do enough to offset a failure to address much more critical problems. With its recent spate of European properties, Aman should realise that competition is stiffer in this market and its target audience perhaps more discerning.

Here's to hoping we get some sleep soon!

If Aman were doing their job properly, I would not be lying awake right now at 2am in one of their beautifully restored village cottages unable to sleep due to horrendous noise disturbance! Until today, our first Aman experience has been a largely idyllic one: the island has been restored and modernised with painstaking attention to detail and, with a couple of significant exceptions, the service has lived up to the Aman reputation for discretion and almost clairvoyant attentiveness. However, our much-needed peaceful break has rapidly become a holiday disaster of the kind that we are fortunate never to have experienced as yet: we consider ourselves careful and risk-averse in choosing hotels and destinations, researching options extremely thoroughly and preferring not to travel somewhere rather than settle for a compromise in any aspect of our stay, and we have not been disappointed, in almost all cases choosing to return to the same places and to one particular hotel every year. When we first arrived we thought that Aman Sveti Stefan would live up to our expectations and have been only too pleased to pass on our delight to the staff we have encountered and to GM Kevin Brook. We can still find nothing in English at least online about the event that has turned our holiday into a nightmare and it had never crossed our minds to check ahead of our arrival to ask whether this supposedly enchanting and peaceful resort would turn into Ibiza during our stay!

The overwhelming noise that is keeping us awake is coming from a one-night, .open-air nightclub with live bands slightly down the coast that staff here have referred to as the Montenegrin "spring break". This is admittedly a one-off event beyond the direct control of Aman, but how they have responded to it has left much to be desired, but also, worryingly, resonates with the response to other less than satisfactory situations that have emerged while we were here. In hindsight, the first warning came upon our arrival when the the Assistant GM invited us with a recommendation to attend a night of "local live music", a special event not organised by the hotel, although it is unclear whether this was in fact in reference to another only slightly less noisy event taking place in close proximity to the one with the deafening electronic dance music right now. In essence, going might have been the only answer as it is impossible to avoid from our deluxe terrace cottage near the centre/top of the island.

The noise started at midday and staff suggested that it will go on until 5am. Other than a few slightly half-hearted remarks hoping that we might get some sleep from the staff at dinner at the piazza, there has been no formal effort to deal with this huge disturbance which will have gone on for nearly 18 hours and will completely deprive us of any sleep. When we made enquires this afternoon with one of the friendly waitstaff, they initially thought it might be coming from their own cliff bar, but we assured him it was not because we had just been there to brace ourselves for a quick swim in the chilly (unheated) pool (it turns out that the main pool slated to open next year will also be unheated and smaller than planned due to the discovery of a fourth church buried by the communist authorities). He then remembered that this "spring break" event was on, but did not react as if it would be a series night-long problem.

Our phone request for earplugs a couple of hours ago was met with a rather unhelpful and unsympathetic sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The customary knock on the door two minutes after a request has not been forthcoming and a follow-up call a couple of minutes ago to see if they might have some headphones was a little more apologetic and understanding, but still with no offer of any slight attempted remedy.

Personally, we feel that the hotel is unfit for purpose tonight, but it doesn't look as if the extent of the problem will be recognised when we speak to the GM in the morning. We appreciate that it is not within Aman's power to stop the event, but management has clearly been aware of this and any other luxury hotel, let alone a chain seeking to retain the reputation that Aman enjoys, would have done something to address the concerns of guests and these are the kinds of risks and eventualities that Aman should be well used to dealing with in a satisfactory way to meet the expectations of its particular client base. .The island and the restaurant seemed deserted tonight, so perhaps other guests had managed to find out about it and avoid tonight or took matters into their own hands earlier when the noise started. The management of other hotels at which we stay would have been in touch as soon as they knew about it, if not known at time of booking, to inform us and discuss the option of rearranging our stay for different dates, which would have been easily possible. At the very least, the matter would have been raised in a transparent way upon arrival perhaps with an offer to accommodate us in a room in a more sheltered location on the far side of the island or perhaps in the Villa Milocer if the sounds travels less around the bay than across the water.

In general, the staff here, despite their warmth and well-meaning intentions, seem unprepared to deal with anything than does not go according to plan. On out first full day here, we returned to our room to find that there was no longer any water. They seemed unaware if any issue when we called to raise it. They agreed to send someone straight away and we left the room and no attempt was made to update us. A couple of hours later, after some time on the beach, we stopped to enquire after the washrooms at Villa Milocer and were escorted there to find used, but unflushed toilets and no running water, but nothing was said until we asked again. At that point the guest assistant admitted sheepishly that the whole of Budva had been cut off, but that water should be restored by mid-evening. We had to recommend they use buckets with sea/bottled water to flush out the toilets. As far we can tell from talking to other guests, no effort was made to notify us of the situation except in response to direct enquiries.

We also feel that it is helpful to add that the island is not yet finished (15 rooms, plus various amenities still to go). This in itself is not a big problem; the noise from ongoing works is minimal and kept out of view. The noise from other local construction is much more problematic: the otherwise charming Queen's Beach, recommended on another thread, is currently spoilt by noisy construction just behind, for example, leaving only one stretch of private sand (well, I should say pretty pink pebbles). The attendant recommended we locate to the end nearest Villa Millocer, but is was still far from tranquil.

There is much to commend Aman Sveti Stefan and, until tonight we were contemplating returning to see the resort fully open. As relatively young travellers, we had also hoped that this would be the start of a lifetime of Aman experiences, but this one has left us cautious and wondering whether it might not be worth the risk. The lovely added touches (that everyone knows your name, housekeeping that comes unseen like a toothfairy to neatly arrange your toner and moisturiser, the extra mile with weighty custom-designed furniture etc.) do not do enough to offset a failure to address much more critical problems. With its recent spate of European properties, Aman should realise that competition is stiffer in this market and its target audience perhaps more discerning.

Here's to hoping we get some sleep soon!



And welcome to FT.

If Aman were doing their job properly, I would not be lying awake right now at 2am in one of their beautifully restored village cottages unable to sleep due to horrendous noise disturbance! Until today, our first Aman experience has been a largely idyllic one: the island has been restored and modernised with painstaking attention to detail and, with a couple of significant exceptions, the service has lived up to the Aman reputation for discretion and almost clairvoyant attentiveness. However, our much-needed peaceful break has rapidly become a holiday disaster of the kind that we are fortunate never to have experienced as yet: we consider ourselves careful and risk-averse in choosing hotels and destinations, researching options extremely thoroughly and preferring not to travel somewhere rather than settle for a compromise in any aspect of our stay, and we have not been disappointed, in almost all cases choosing to return to the same places and to one particular hotel every year. When we first arrived we thought that Aman Sveti Stefan would live up to our expectations and have been only too pleased to pass on our delight to the staff we have encountered and to GM Kevin Brook. We can still find nothing in English at least online about the event that has turned our holiday into a nightmare and it had never crossed our minds to check ahead of our arrival to ask whether this supposedly enchanting and peaceful resort would turn into Ibiza during our stay!

The overwhelming noise that is keeping us awake is coming from a one-night, .open-air nightclub with live bands slightly down the coast that staff here have referred to as the Montenegrin "spring break". This is admittedly a one-off event beyond the direct control of Aman, but how they have responded to it has left much to be desired, but also, worryingly, resonates with the response to other less than satisfactory situations that have emerged while we were here. In hindsight, the first warning came upon our arrival when the the Assistant GM invited us with a recommendation to attend a night of "local live music", a special event not organised by the hotel, although it is unclear whether this was in fact in reference to another only slightly less noisy event taking place in close proximity to the one with the deafening electronic dance music right now. In essence, going might have been the only answer as it is impossible to avoid from our deluxe terrace cottage near the centre/top of the island.

The noise started at midday and staff suggested that it will go on until 5am. Other than a few slightly half-hearted remarks hoping that we might get some sleep from the staff at dinner at the piazza, there has been no formal effort to deal with this huge disturbance which will have gone on for nearly 18 hours and will completely deprive us of any sleep. When we made enquires this afternoon with one of the friendly waitstaff, they initially thought it might be coming from their own cliff bar, but we assured him it was not because we had just been there to brace ourselves for a quick swim in the chilly (unheated) pool (it turns out that the main pool slated to open next year will also be unheated and smaller than planned due to the discovery of a fourth church buried by the communist authorities). He then remembered that this "spring break" event was on, but did not react as if it would be a series night-long problem.

Our phone request for earplugs a couple of hours ago was met with a rather unhelpful and unsympathetic sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The customary knock on the door two minutes after a request has not been forthcoming and a follow-up call a couple of minutes ago to see if they might have some headphones was a little more apologetic and understanding, but still with no offer of any slight attempted remedy.

Personally, we feel that the hotel is unfit for purpose tonight, but it doesn't look as if the extent of the problem will be recognised when we speak to the GM in the morning. We appreciate that it is not within Aman's power to stop the event, but management has clearly been aware of this and any other luxury hotel, let alone a chain seeking to retain the reputation that Aman enjoys, would have done something to address the concerns of guests and these are the kinds of risks and eventualities that Aman should be well used to dealing with in a satisfactory way to meet the expectations of its particular client base. .The island and the restaurant seemed deserted tonight, so perhaps other guests had managed to find out about it and avoid tonight or took matters into their own hands earlier when the noise started. The management of other hotels at which we stay would have been in touch as soon as they knew about it, if not known at time of booking, to inform us and discuss the option of rearranging our stay for different dates, which would have been easily possible. At the very least, the matter would have been raised in a transparent way upon arrival perhaps with an offer to accommodate us in a room in a more sheltered location on the far side of the island or perhaps in the Villa Milocer if the sounds travels less around the bay than across the water.

In general, the staff here, despite their warmth and well-meaning intentions, seem unprepared to deal with anything than does not go according to plan. On out first full day here, we returned to our room to find that there was no longer any water. They seemed unaware if any issue when we called to raise it. They agreed to send someone straight away and we left the room and no attempt was made to update us. A couple of hours later, after some time on the beach, we stopped to enquire after the washrooms at Villa Milocer and were escorted there to find used, but unflushed toilets and no running water, but nothing was said until we asked again. At that point the guest assistant admitted sheepishly that the whole of Budva had been cut off, but that water should be restored by mid-evening. We had to recommend they use buckets with sea/bottled water to flush out the toilets. As far we can tell from talking to other guests, no effort was made to notify us of the situation except in response to direct enquiries.

We also feel that it is helpful to add that the island is not yet finished (15 rooms, plus various amenities still to go). This in itself is not a big problem; the noise from ongoing works is minimal and kept out of view. The noise from other local construction is much more problematic: the otherwise charming Queen's Beach, recommended on another thread, is currently spoilt by noisy construction just behind, for example, leaving only one stretch of private sand (well, I should say pretty pink pebbles). The attendant recommended we locate to the end nearest Villa Millocer, but is was still far from tranquil.

There is much to commend Aman Sveti Stefan and, until tonight we were contemplating returning to see the resort fully open. As relatively young travellers, we had also hoped that this would be the start of a lifetime of Aman experiences, but this one has left us cautious and wondering whether it might not be worth the risk. The lovely added touches (that everyone knows your name, housekeeping that comes unseen like a toothfairy to neatly arrange your toner and moisturiser, the extra mile with weighty custom-designed furniture etc.) do not do enough to offset a failure to address much more critical problems. With its recent spate of European properties, Aman should realise that competition is stiffer in this market and its target audience perhaps more discerning.

Here's to hoping we get some sleep soon!

I'm curious, what exactly would you like the hotel to do? Shut down a party it has no control over? Completely sound proof the walls for the one night a year when it's a problem? Mention that you don't want to stay here when you book? Your post is long on complaint and short on remedy. . .

I had a lovely (arguably my best luxury-property) stay at the Villa Milocer late last year. I'm surprised to find this post because it sounds like a nightmare. Still, I can empathize and feel concerned because under your circumstances, I'd certainly share in your disappointment.

I think it would have been fair of them to warn you not to stay on that particular date. This was something they did for me when I originally booked on a particularly rainy period.

Also, should you have insisted on pushing through, it's expected of them being Aman (and not "merely" a 4S) to suggest a list of alternative activities or provide you with earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.

At any rate, I agree that more is to be expected from an Aman. Please don't be put off though because this sounds more like a fluke. My stays with them have been flawless with "problems" only being that pizza in one is "excellent" while only "almost excellent" in another... happy problems indeed! Once it's done properly, you'll never want to check-in anywhere else.

Brevity is a virtue.

Why do posters have to include the complete OP as a quote?:confused:
Sounds like a nightmare - sleep in a comfortable bed is one of my main musts when on holiday.

I can totally understand why you are upset. Budva is a real party town during the summer so I expect that this event is not particularly unusual. While it is correct that this is not within Aman's control I hope that the GM will offer you a substantial discount for last night as a token of goodwill.

Sounds ghastly! Few things make me as grumpy as the incessant boom-boom of a nearby party when I am trying to sleep.

And there are many things staff could have done - starting with a more sympathetic attitude! Why should the guests have to propose the solution? Aman more than anyone should understand that.


Welcome to FT, valextraofstyle! As first time poster the added detail was very helpful in allowing us to understand your perspective.

I'm curious, what exactly would you like the hotel to do? Shut down a party it has no control over? Completely sound proof the walls for the one night a year when it's a problem? Mention that you don't want to stay here when you book? Your post is long on complaint and short on remedy. . .

Welcome to FT valexaofstyle. I hope you will become a regular contributor on more pleasant happenings.

Of course Aman has no control over a decadent loud party, BUT they should have advised the guest BEFORE and offered relocation to a nearby place for a night - I am sure there are options and they could have made of a problem some positive experience.

Not doing so Aman failed, which does not surprise me in these parts of "Europe". Personally I think the Aman concept travels not so well outside Asia.

I would firmly ask the GM the full amount charged for that night to be waived letting politely understand him that this could be your last stay at an Aman.

I will certainly not go there, neither to their properties in Greece, but happily return to any of the 17 Asian Amans I have been. I think Aman should concentrate on locations and cultures where the idea has been born. The actual growth will not lead to any good.

Is Kevin aware of your situation yet?

Yes, they should try to find you another room...of course, maybe they have looked into this and the noise is carrying throughout the property.

Yes, they should send someone to the closest 24 hour pharmacy and get you earplugs. They should also try to locate a sound machine.

So sorry about this. We hope the rest of your trip is better.

What an unfortunate experience.... we had the opportunity to visit Sveti Stefan (but not the Aman, as the island was closed) last April... it appeared to be a beautiful beautiful place for holiday....

we had a similar experience 2 nights at an Orient Express hotel (albeit not as long, only for 10 PM-1 AM). They were quite apologetic and gave us an across the board discount on our stay and comped our spa treatments. I was quite satisfied with their service recovery.

FDW

event on may 20, 21, ended by rain?

lying awake right now at 2am

island and the restaurant seemed deserted tonight
agree with forum regulars that this would be a service lapse
post does line up to 3:57am at aman
with a couple of significant exceptions, the service has lived up to the Aman reputation for discretion and almost clairvoyant attentiveness
this seems very positive, and does not seem to line up with any other comment
we have not [ever] been disappointed

this one has left us cautious and wondering whether it might not [ever] be worth the risk

overgeneralizations
whole of Budva had been cut off, but that water should be restored by mid-evening

competition is stiffer in this market and its target audience perhaps more discerning
:confused:
unheated) pool (it turns out that the main pool slated to open next year will also be unheated good info ^

valextraofstyle interesting
vuittonsofstyle + http://www.valextra.it/Products/Default.aspx

valextraofstyle[/B] interesting
vuittonsofstyle + http://www.valextra.it/Products/Default.aspx

:D:D:D

If they knew about this in advance, then a note when booking stating that there would be a special event in town that would make the environment noisy until 5:00am would be reasonable.

Beyond that, I am not sure what else they could reasonably be expected to do. Offering to put you up for the night at another hotel (somehow guaranteed to be quiet) seems a bit much to expect.

Also, I don't see what the big deal is, really. One night of a bit of noise outside the room is hardly a vacation-ruiner in my opinion. That said, there is a good chance that if you complain, they will comp the one night.

Does anyone know if the noise/party is a constant issue at Aman Sveti Stefan in the summer?

There are seriously people who can't sleep because of mild noise from a party further on up the coast?

Well, yes.

Well, yes.

And rightly so when paying a stiff EUR 1268 net (USD 1622 :mad:) for a deluxe seaview terrace cottage like the OP staid in.

Such a place has to be perfectly quiet or double glazed soundproofed rooms ;).

An update and thank you for the sympathetic responses and for the welcomes to FT.

We talked to Kevin yesterday (we would not have disturbed him late at night over this) and it seems that the severity of the noise and length of the disturbance genuinely took them by surprise even though it happened once last summer, but he readily admitted that the sound was carrying especially badly across the water to our cottage located high up so that there were no buildings in between, and that they ought to have reacted more effectively to the situation. There were indeed things they could have done, not least communicating with guests better, but he said all the right things in terms of recognising their shortcomings. I will say that, once we raised the issue with Kevin, his response was spot on. The noise from a third party continued into the evening yesterday, so he sought us out at the lovely tea service, introduced us to the night duty manager and gave us the choice to move to another room of the same category on the sheltered east side of the island either then or later if we would prefer to see how the situation developed. To his credit, he showed us to and around the room personally and arranged for tea to be brought to our new (quiet) terrace, personally taking our requests. He made no offer of compensation, but what we were looking for was an understanding of the problem and a solution and this was forthcoming, so we were pleased with Kevin's handling of our complaint. We were told that other guests were also unhappy, but do not know what happened in their situations.

The rain has now brought an end to the beach parties. I'll gladly post more once we return to London about what was said about the possibility of more disruptive parties later in the summer, similar concerns at Amanruya and more details on the two rooms we have stayed in and the island.

Does anyone know if the noise/party is a constant issue at Aman Sveti Stefan in the summer?

I don't think so. In Budva there are loud outdoor bars and clubs most night in the summer but we couldn't hear them at Sveti Stefan. The festival must have been nearer.

Oh please, let's not get hysterical about Aman's ability to operate in this region. Compared to anyone else, they are miraculous.

Aman Sveti Stefan has to coexist with others along that coastline and they cannot control or predict what those 'others' do. I never experienced anything like this at Sveti Stefan, so it is not a constant threat during the summer months - it is a one-off - rather like your neighbours having a birthday party one night and keeping you up until 2am. It happens.

As for Amanruya, there is NO WAY this is a threat as Amanruya is totally isolated. It is nowhere near the town or, indeed, anything else.

I am also getting tired of people saying that Aman cannot offer high levels of service outside of Asia. What about Amangiri in Utah? For me, I had some of the best service anywhere, ever. I even think that it was, in some parts, better than the Amans in Bali. I also felt that Amanruya offered incredible service levels, and not just for Turkey.

Please try them out before you judge.

Thank you for the heads up. We are visiting both Aman Sveti Stefan and Amanruya in July, and noise would definately put a damper on things as we are very light sleepers! Anxious to hear about the rooms, rest of your trip, and details on when this will be a problem and how to resolve in both places! Glad GM was on it!

Was there two weeks in July last year. Never heard any noice. Cannot imagine you heard noice from Budva which is far away, must be closer and a special celebration or festival of some kind.

we would not have disturbed him late at night over this)
why didnt you move earlier?
dont know when GM went off duty, but hes not the only one capable

severity of the noise and length of the disturbance genuinely took them by surprise even though it happened once last summer

noise...continued into the evening yesterday

other guests were also unhappy

rain has now brought an end to the beach parties

possibility of more disruptive parties later in the summer, similar concerns at Amanruya
i guess we know to ask now, but any details would still be useful and appreciated

slightly down the coast

As for Amanruya, there is NO WAY this is a threat as Amanruya is totally isolated. It is nowhere near the town or, indeed, anything else.

I hope you are correct as I will be there in less than a week and will be very irate if the surrounding area turns out to be 'party central'.

I am also getting tired of people saying that Aman cannot offer high levels of service outside of Asia. What about Amangiri in Utah? For me, I had some of the best service anywhere, ever. I even think that it was, in some parts, better than the Amans in Bali.


Cannot agree with you more ^^

I am sorry to those of you who are planning to visit soon, but our final experiences at Aman Sveti Stefan only got worse. I cannot fault the housekeeping, grounds or waitstaff, but guest services is appalling and the responsibility ultimately falls upon hotel management. I am sorry to those of you with close ties to the chain who wish to defend it, but our first Aman experience will be our last. I cannot speak as to whether the service issue is a geographical one for Aman (thankfully we haven't wasted any more money on stays in their hotels), but I can say with certainty that there are far superior hotels in Europe and for that matter in the US. Our departure was a shambles and no amount of smiles and handshaking or extra bread can change that. Personally, we suspect that this is not a Europe-based issue, but a management-structure issue that ultimately fits with a (post)colonialist worldview.

We will be taking this up directly with Aman Head Office and feel it would not give Aman a fair-hearing to post the full extent of our problems unless we can also indicate their response. But I can warn those of you due to travel in the near future to insist on transparency with all practical arrangements and billing, and, in particular, not to wire money in advance to them. Also, do not rely on the hotel to recommend a suitable departure time for airport transfers; look into this yourself and stand your ground on the time you would like to leave: for Dubrovnik, you'll need to allow 3 hours (as their own website advises!).

I, for one, would appreciate more detail -- as it stands you've posted a negative - though non-detailed - review already, and it's easy enough to post further updates to this thread as needed.

At least by informing us of what, particularly, went wrong, you allow us to judge for ourselves the degree of hesitation we should consider before booking -- especially those who have loads of Aman experiences.

Even if Aman management does not have a sense of decency, I do. I think readers will pick up on the inference of my post, but appreciate that some discretion is required given the severity of the issue. It goes to the heart of being a reputable organisation, and for that reason I shall not be drawn to make further comments until someone competent and senior at Aman has had a chance to investigate the matter. At this point, I think it wise to urge caution. The review going over the noise complaint is amply detailed and I have already indicated that I will post more specifics on room numbers, location of parties and discussion about future issues. I shall reiterate that the disturbance was severe over a large part of the island and it is far from clear that parties closer to the resort will remain isolated incidents, although "constant" would seem unlikely.

I cannot fault the housekeeping, grounds or waitstaff
this might clarify a "question" in my first reply

our first Aman experience will be our last

management-structure issue that ultimately fits with a (post)colonialist worldview

more overgeneralizations

there are far superior hotels in Europe and for that matter in the US
uninformative without examples, which would also provide frame of reference

I clearly waste my time here. It's called critical thinking and it comes with punctuation! Why would I want to tell you about our wonderful bolt-holes so that someone like you could come along to ruin our stays?

I clearly waste my time here. It's called critical thinking and it comes with punctuation! Why would I want to tell you about our wonderful bolt-holes so that someone like you could come along to ruin our stays?

your choice of name reveals you to be a reader of this forum, so this kind of post really doesnt work for a number of reasons

in a prior post i asked why you didnt change rooms earlier

there are plenty of people who join the forum and post after reading, but you joined and posted (a lengthy post) in lieu of changing rooms

re main/original subject of "noise" >

as i said earlier, we know to ask now, and others (including myself) made it clear they are interested in this

personally, i take things like this very seriously in terms of totality of stay especially when rates are high, and i started a related thread on events/nonguests/etc

so thank you for that, and any future details

Extraordinary stuff! I think we should just move, don't you?

Other posters here - do not cancel your stay at Aman Sveti Stefan or reconsider going to any of the other Amans, such as Amanruya. They are exceptional.

Kevin Brooke, the new GM at Sveti Stefan, is a very competent and dedicated manager. He did an amazing job at Amanwana.

However, Montenegro does present problems for any high-end hotel operation, but these, I believe, have been very patiently handled by Aman. There has been a lot of sabotage from locals throughout the development of this resort and during its opening, but hopefully those locals are beginning to see that this resort will help the region flourish. It takes time.

Meanwhile, the magic of this place is impossible to dispute. I would return there in a heartbeat.

If we are to comment on specific instances of poor service or problems in a resort, then I think we should spell them out. Either that, or not mention them at all. Did I mention sabotage? This, I feel, is somewhat similar. And yes, I have been staying at Amans since the first one opened, so I am not an Aman virgin.

Let's move on.

no one mentioned considering changing plans, and there are quite a number of positive sveti stefan reports here. dont remember when paul2 (he was first) had visit/stay at milocer, but island reports began in 2010.

vuittonsofstyle, regardless of this specific example, while you may always be alerted to "potential conflicts" some of us need to ask, as has been made clear by reports for various properties/companies.

Valextra, no one (to my knowledge) is impugning your credibility or invalidating your experience.

At the same time, you profess to take the "high road" while really slamming a property with your last update. You posted somewhat vague details, and doesn't that then perform an even greater disservice to them/it?

As it stands, I can try to read between your lines; however, I might not be able to do so with perfect clarity, and thus run the risk of assuming issues that might not exist, or missing entirely grave issues that should be of great concern.

As an aside -- I've never in my travels been asked to wire money to a hotel. Maybe I've lucked out, but why would one ever be asked, much less do, this?

the OP didnt say hotel asked them to wire.
some use wire to pay, including behuman, including at aman.

some here wait for hotel response.

Ahhh. Interesting.

Not sure why one would do that, either, but that's probably a question for another thread.

In the absence of "critical " details of the tragic/ devastating event that OP suffered ... I am going to have to assume that Aman SS didn't comp his ( or her ) room or stay... Thus attracting the fury .

If only it was that simple to score free rooms.

In the absence of "critical " details of the tragic/ devastating event that OP suffered ... I am going to have to assume that Aman SS didn't comp his ( or her ) room or stay... Thus attracting the fury .

If only it was that simple to score free rooms.
i didnt get that from what was posted (IMO any discrepancies would be of an entirely different nature, see my post #32)

he said all the right things in terms of recognising their shortcomings. I will say that, once we raised the issue with Kevin, his response was spot on...He made no offer of compensation, but what we were looking for was an understanding of the problem and a solution and this was forthcoming, so we were pleased with Kevin's handling of our complaint
OP says not looking for compensation

Our departure was a shambles and no amount of smiles and handshaking or extra bread can change that

insist on transparency with all practical arrangements and billing, and, in particular, not to wire money in advance to them. Also, do not rely on the hotel to recommend a suitable departure time for airport transfers; look into this yourself and stand your ground on the time you would like to leave: for Dubrovnik, you'll need to allow 3 hours (as their own website advises!).
departure time clearly has nothing to do with anything financial
"practical arrangements" would be arguable, but im not getting that from context

(im double posting for a reason.)

No all night parties within audible distance when we were there last August (which was pretty much as high season as it gets out there) - just a few slightly annoying boats that circle the island with their loud speakers rabbiting on about Elizabeth Taylor staying there back in the day! They didn't bother us though, and nor did the massive yachts that again would emit some level of sound (usually awful europop disco!) as it was all daytime and believe me i am a super light sleeper and would totally have been aware of even the most distant sounds when trying to sleep.
We did come extremely close to missing our return flights though - which would have been a massive problem for us - and agree with the poster that you must allow 3 hours to return to Dubrovnik. We followed the resort's suggested departure timings for our flight (we were using the Aman transfers) and literally arrived at the airport a few minutes before our flight was due to depart (it was running late thank goodness) and after an extremely stressful 3.5 hours race against time which rather counteracted the bliss of the previous few days!!!
Did love the resort though and hope to be back!

the OP didnt say hotel asked them to wire.
some use wire to pay, including behuman, including at aman.

some here wait for hotel response.

And happily doing so also in the future. I always got more than what I expected at any (Asian) Aman.

I think to be fair towards Aman Sveti Stefan and also towards fellow FTalkers valextraofstyle should now clearly spell out what happened. We are all reasonable adults here and things can go wrong. But not naming, but only making guess them is unfair towards Aman.

I persist with my opinion that Aman should watch out carefully not growing too quickly (former Yugoslavia is a hot ground) until the ownership question is not clear and (very competent) senior regional management people leave the company.

P.S. Do you think Aman management reads FT ?

And happily doing so also in the future. I always got more than what I expected at any (Asian) Aman.

I think to be fair towards Aman Sveti Stefan and also towards fellow FTalkers valextraofstyle should now clearly spell out what happened. We are all reasonable adults here and things can go wrong. But not naming, but only making guess them is unfair towards Aman.

I persist with my opinion that Aman should watch out carefully not growing too quickly (former Yugoslavia is a hot ground) until the ownership question is not clear and (very competent) senior regional management people leave the company.

P.S. Do you think Aman management reads FT ?

Like cadogan1 I had a fairly fraught drive to Dubrovnik airport due to the long border crossing and I think I commented in my trip report that you need to ensure that you leave Sveti Stefan in sufficient time.

This thread has somehow got into my head. I had an extremely vivid dream last night that I went to Amanzo'e and that it was a complete DISASTER. Wild party next door and no sleep! :eek:

has anyone flown montenegro airlines yet?

This thread has somehow got into my head. I had an extremely vivid dream last night that I went to Amanzo'e and that it was a complete DISASTER. Wild party next door and no sleep! :eek:

HA! Scary, as I had a similar dream, except I was at Amanruya. And, given that I will actually be at Amanruya in four days, I hope this is a dream that does not come true (for either of us)!

HA! Scary, as I had a similar dream, except I was at Amanruya. And, given that I will actually be at Amanruya in four days, I hope this is a dream that does not come true (for either of us)!

I hope and believe your stay at Amanruya will be like a dream, but not a nightmare, of course. Please please write aa little report to us when you get back!

HA! Scary, as I had a similar dream, except I was at Amanruya. And, given that I will actually be at Amanruya in four days, I hope this is a dream that does not come true (for either of us)!

I am very envious. Have a wonderful time.

I hope and believe your stay at Amanruya will be like a dream, but not a nightmare, of course. Please please write aa little report to us when you get back!

I'll try to post some pictures while I am there, since I know many have been interested in seeing photos of the resort (especially the common areas) and there are not many of those on the Aman website.

And of course, a trip report upon my return!

Thanks for your well wishes on the trip. If the service at the resort is a good as the service has been prior to my arrival, the stay should be fantastic.

re zoe, dont recall seeing a porto heli collection master plan - would be interesting to see how other planned resorts will neighbor aman

I'll try to post some pictures while I am there

If the service at the resort is a good as the service has been prior to my arrival, the stay should be fantastic.

^ and enjoy :cool:

Regarding driving time between Dubrovnik and Sveti Stefan: When we went there last year, the Aman drivers were aware of a much quicker way to cross the boarder. They crossed a little moutain with narrow roads and very little traffic and no waiting time whatsoever at the boarder. This was a very good alternative last year, but the road might have been closed or something.

Regarding driving time between Dubrovnik and Sveti Stefan: When we went there last year, the Aman drivers were aware of a much quicker way to cross the boarder. They crossed a little moutain with narrow roads and very little traffic and no waiting time whatsoever at the boarder. This was a very good alternative last year, but the road might have been closed or something.

We did this on the way back, Musken, and it was very convenient. Next time I may try Montenegro Airlines into Tivat as I hear they fly direct from London this summer.

Reading thru this thread, I am not quite sure what is the ultimate intention of the OP besides just posting here to rant, by writing such a long post, waxing lyrical about expectations not being met while ultimately not providing sufficient details to justify his/her stand. :rolleyes:

We also took that less known border crossing in both directions - super fast on the way there but on the return trip it was general traffic that caused the problem not clearing the border - we literally crawled along the coast road for 2 hours covering not very many miles in that time and had a big queue for the ferry crossing too. I think it was high summer traffic so not necessarily a problem all the time but even so would have expected the management to have been aware and to have adjusted timings accordingly. We spent much of the journey calling the GM to ask him to contact the airline to warn them we were going to be cutting it very fine and to see if they could hold the flight (maybe that was why it was delayed!!!) and trying to make childcare arrangements for our children in the UK who would have been stranded if we've missed the flight so it really very super-stressful! Next time i shall certainly try and fly into one of the closer airports....

Well isn't this all a tad dramatic. Some people need perspective.
:rolleyes:

And I'll just add that the moniker valextraofstyle is hillarious... :rolleyes:

And I'll just add that the moniker valextraofstyle is hillarious... :rolleyes:

I know! I can't help it, but every time I see the name I think "valtrexofstyle" ... which might be a bit appropriate as I'd imagine he'll be that difficult to get rid of from Aman Corporate's perspective.

;) just kidding Val!

thanks cadogan1

i find it interesting traffic doesnt get more discussion here, like in this case, and also for example bali and manila

whole of Budva had been cut off, but that water should be restored by mid-evening

im taking this to mean local water is unreliable. seems to me if this is the case a luxury (aman) property should have water reserve. if the local water is unreliable, and aman doesnt have a reserve, what is common? reserve or no reserve? interested in any experiences/information. OP didnt mention service recovery for it.

thanks cadogan1

i find it interesting traffic doesnt get more discussion here, like in this case, and also for example bali and manila


im taking this to mean local water is unreliable. seems to me if this is the case a luxury (aman) property should have water reserve. if the local water is unreliable, and aman doesnt have a reserve, what is common? reserve or no reserve? interested in any experiences/information. OP didnt mention service recovery for it.

Aman does have a reserve but somehow it didn't get to the villa .. Likely more local restrictions.
Understand that there was much cleaning up to do - major pipe from town burst - pity OP's timing was off too.
( Perhaps not as seasoned jet setters of style?? as they think they are plus likely lurking for awhile - a poor choice for first post :rolleyes: )
The team is a good one & with Kevin there, can't ask for more.
When visiting , remember cultural & local differences .. Which cannot be managed by Aman . Lots of ' surprises ' to work with.
AmanSS is not fully ready yet either - pool , etc , ongoing..

When we stay, we always call any time if something crops up - not only at Aman which of course, has a team on stand by at all times.
Some SS staff have been sent for training at other Amans . Have met them at Puri , Taka , etc - very enthusiastic & people/service oriented.

Have to agree with the OP here. Nothing is more maddening than arriving at a location and finding out there are natives carrying on with some raucous festival or holiday of some kind. When I arrived in Hong Kong this past winter on Christmas Eve, there was a nightmarish gathering of thousands celebrating Christmas right in the bloody streets, and I made sure to give hell to the Intercontinental who should never put up with that kind of thing.

re noise, you wouldnt care if there was some loud nightclub next to an aman like amankila?

OP did some trolling, but that doesnt mean they did not provide extremely useful info regarding asking about noise etc. as i said, im also curious about context of water situation they raised.

FlyerEC, not sure what you mean re water, as OP said no water in island guestroom or milocer public restroom.

others brought up specifics regarding traffic.

for people trying to change subject from context of noise, you wouldnt care if there was some loud nightclub next to an aman like amankila?

OP did some trolling, but that doesnt meant they did not provide extremely useful info regarding asking about noise etc. as i said, im also curious about context of water situation they raised.

FlyerEC, not sure what you mean re water, as OP said no water in island guestroom or milocer public restroom.

others brought up specifics regarding traffic.

Kage, with respect, it is the OP who changed the subject from noise to oblique references to something that sounds awfully like an allegation of fraud...which makes the entire report lack in credibility....

i responded to your post, even though i recognized sarcasm, because it included noise.
or, in went back to noise. which led me to make an incorrect assumption that was intended.
from your last post seems you didnt intend anything beyond general joke, not re noise.
i was also recalling this earlier, which didnt read as a joke to me >

There are seriously people who can't sleep because of mild noise from a party further on up the coast?

"mild" "party" "further" being assumptions used to support an implied opinion

vs >

will be very irate if the surrounding area turns out to be 'party central'

I had an extremely vivid dream last night that I went to Amanzo'e and that it was a complete DISASTER. Wild party next door and no sleep! :eek:

i am a super light sleeper and would totally have been aware of even the most distant sounds when trying to sleep

noise would definately put a damper on things as we are very light sleepers

while the OP is not first to do 'pending hotel response' their comments were pretty strong, and there were already some things which negatively impacted credibility, which continued in posts after the last negative one.

whenever someone (including regulars here) does the 'pending hotel response' some others disagree. normally, when a regular or no additional context, its just a question a personal opinion.

* OP raised the issue of noise being dependent on room location and mentioned being moved to a better located room - i hear this is indeed the case, so this is one of the factors with regards to room request, which is a frequent topic here, and not just a matter of avoiding dates entirely, of course depending on how light a sleeper, which aman (mgmt) should also be able to address especially after this situation

noise - we dont know how OP would have been accommodated if they had asked to be moved during the evening/night (OP approved of next day recovery)

OP's departure issues - i hear one of them was not related to aman

water - im curious about any reserve when OP reported no water in island guestroom or milocer 'public' restrooms (both) (and im personally curious about this in general, but thats me)

- will be interesting to see more reports on amanruya location, and how amanzoe fits into porto heli collection development, and how its construction progresses (amanzoe also building residences)

* OP raised the issue of noise being dependent on room location and mentioned being moved to a better located room - i hear this is indeed the case, so this is one of the factors with regards to room request, which is a frequent topic here, and not just a matter of avoiding dates entirely, of course depending on how light a sleeper, which aman (mgmt) should also be able to address especially after this situation

noise - we dont know how OP would have been accommodated if they had asked to be moved during the evening/night (OP approved of next day recovery)

OP's departure issues - i hear one of them was not related to aman

water - im curious about any reserve when OP reported no water in island guestroom or milocer 'public' restrooms

- will be interesting to see more reports on amanruya location, and as i mentioned, how amanzoe fits into porto heli collection development, and how its construction progresses (amanzoe also building residences)

Well put, Kage.

Being a light sleeper myself, I also hate having to deal with noise problems. Nothing irritates me more than noise that cause me to loose sleep. However, I feel there should be a reasonable and fair expectation when dealing with noise problems in hotels / resorts, ie whether the noise is caused by internal factors within the control of the property or external factors and whether the property could or could not have anticipated it.

For the former, such as noisy next-door guests, noise from the hotel's own night club, noisy housekeeping staff etc, certainly the hotel could have done something and have the obligation to do so by either eliminating / restricting the source of the noise pollution.

For the latter, if it was anticipated, they could have informed the guest but most won't do because either they aren't sure if the noise problems will be serious enough, hoping the guest staying in is less sensitive to noise, or more likely for the selfish reason of not wanting to loose business. Either case, they should be able to assist the guest to shift to a room away from the source of noise to ensure the guest has a good night sleep. That's why good hotels should never let their rooms run up to 100% full capacity.

I speculated that the OP's stand swings from being pacified with the response to suddenly being upset again was due to his/her request for a refund/compensation being eventually denied, which might have partially fair given the experience, but it wasn't clear in the post. Also not clear why the OP didn't insisted on a change of room on the first night.

positive >
no offer of compensation, but what we were looking for was an understanding of the problem and a solution
negative >
no amount of...extra bread can change
ill soften my earlier framing of this by saying it seems to suggest not wanting compensation (with clarity) and would therefore seem to support credibility.

(some suggested compensation might be appropriate. perhaps even if a move was requested, because a move could be suggested. and there are other factors like disclosure. i personally dont know much about this.)

unfortunately there are also clarity and credibility issues.

I am still hoping we will hear the detailed report from OP about which rooms, source of hopefully one off noise, etc.we are going early July and staying in a deluxe cottage sea view with terrace on the island. It sounded like room selection / location could make a difference. Anybody else know which location to ask for, or should we most likely not worry! We are looking forward to a week here and week in Amanruya!

I am still hoping we will hear the detailed report from OP about which rooms, source of hopefully one off noise, etc.we are going early July and staying in a deluxe cottage sea view with terrace on the island. It sounded like room selection / location could make a difference. Anybody else know which location to ask for, or should we most likely not worry! We are looking forward to a week here and week in Amanruya!

Well I guess it depends upon where and what is going on on the mainland, off the island. On the side that overlooks the public beach, where the Sveti Stefan Suite is located, I never heard a thing, but I guess if there was a party on the mainland, then I would. The only area that would not hear anything (apart from noisy yachts, I imagine) would be the rear of the island, but then, as far as I can remember, there are no suites here. Inland, of course, would be quietest, but then you don't get the views, and the suites are entry-level on the whole (village view). Something like Deluxe Cottage No: 40 is the nearest to the open sea I can think of and has a great terrace. Could be one of the quietest, but then I have never had a problem with noise, so this whole thing may be just a one-off thing, which is what I suspect.

Thanks so much! I know we will have a great time and will request#40, but will be off to amanruya afterwards so nothing can be too bad!!

I'm curious, what exactly would you like the hotel to do? Shut down a party it has no control over? Completely sound proof the walls for the one night a year when it's a problem? Mention that you don't want to stay here when you book? Your post is long on complaint and short on remedy. . .

thank you for saying what exactly is on my mind!!!!

I was really hoping valextra had returned with an update.

thank you for saying what exactly is on my mind!!!!

Odd first post - having joined 6 years ago!

Odd first post - having joined 6 years ago!

Odd indeed, because the inexcusable can not be excused.

Perhaps an Aman lurker who makes his coming out :D. We can even not say welcome to FT after 6 years ;).

We just stayed at Sveti Stefan for 5 nights and had no problem with noise. We were on the southern end of the island with Budva across the bay. Outside you on a couple of occasions could hear it extremely faintly, but in the room not at all.