Luxury Hotels - Private swimming pool within a few hours of NYC

Can anyone recommend a hotel or resort that has casitas or "villas" with a private pool that's within reasonable travel distance from NYC? Looking for late August. Thanks.

Can anyone recommend a hotel or resort that has casitas or "villas" with a private pool that's within reasonable travel distance from NYC? Looking for late August. Thanks.
Drive or Fly?

I was thinking fly (Bermuda? St. John?) but driving is fine too.

http://www.amanresorts.com/amanyara/accommodation.aspx

Amanyara is my favorite resort in the caribbean and easily reachable from NYC. ^

Thanks, looks neat.

+1.

We went last August and other than a half hour a day of rain, weather was great.

+1.

We went last August and other than a half hour a day of rain, weather was great.

I see that they include airport transfers in the room price. Is the food varied and good enough that you just sit tight (loose?) there, or do you rent a car and go out for dinner?

I know they drive on the left.

We were there for 3 nights and did not leave the property once

I see that they include airport transfers in the room price. Is the food varied and good enough that you just sit tight (loose?) there, or do you rent a car and go out for dinner?

I know they drive on the left.

The food and service are excellent, no need to leave the resort.

Have you thought about renting a house on the ocean somwhere on the east coast?

Have you thought about renting a house on the ocean somwhere on the east coast?

kiawah has 2 or 3 resort managed beachfront >

http://www.kiawahresort.com/accommodations/premier-and-private-homes/premier-homes/
http://www.kiawahresort.com/accommodations/premier-and-private-homes/
http://www.kiawahresort.com/accommodations/premier-and-private-homes/premier-homes/rates/

96 Surfsong
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=96+Surfsong+Rd,+Kiawah+Island,+Charleston,+ South+Carolina+29455&hl=en&ll=32.602777,-80.080668&spn=0.001661,0.002234&client=safari&oe=UTF-8&geocode=FWx88QEdGhA6-w&hnear=96+Surfsong+Rd,+Kiawah+Island,+Charleston,+S outh+Carolina+29455&t=h&z=19

63A Eugenia
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=63+Eugenia+Ave,+Johns+Island,+Charleston,+S outh+Carolina+29455&hl=en&ll=32.596322,-80.105417&spn=0.001661,0.002234&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.69072,73.212891&t=h&geocode=Feti8QEd_685-w&hnear=63+Eugenia+Ave,+Johns+Island,+Charleston,+So uth+Carolina+29455&z=19

109 Flyway Drive
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=109+Flyway+Dr,+Johns+Island,+Charleston,+So uth+Carolina+29455&hl=en&ll=32.607039,-80.0591&spn=0.003321,0.004469&client=safari&oe=UTF-8&geocode=FQaP8QEdhWI6-w&hnear=109+Flyway+Dr,+Johns+Island,+Charleston,+Sou th+Carolina+29455&t=h&z=18
http://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-555-4381980/109-flyway-drive-kiawah-island-sc-29455

Have you thought about renting a house on the ocean somwhere on the east coast?

Based on the two recommendations here and some web surfing, I booked Amanyara for August (but as a picky eater, also rented a car in case we get restless or bored with the food).

But the same question will come up every year, so I'm open to all other suggestions. I'm looking for specific recommendations - is there a great house with a pool that you've rented on the East Coast and would rush back to in a heartbeat?

Based on the two recommendations here and some web surfing, I booked Amanyara for August (but as a picky eater, also rented a car in case we get restless or bored with the food).

But the same question will come up every year, so I'm open to all other suggestions. I'm looking for specific recommendations - is there a great house with a pool that you've rented on the East Coast and would rush back to in a heartbeat?

There's some nice houses on Fishers Island, but it's kind of a strange place.

There's some nice houses on Fishers Island, but it's kind of a strange place.

Known as Fantasy Island to the nearby locals? ;)

Known as Fantasy Island to the nearby locals? ;)

It's actually a pretty nice place.

Based on the two recommendations here and some web surfing, I booked Amanyara for August (but as a picky eater, also rented a car in case we get restless or bored with the food).

But the same question will come up every year, so I'm open to all other suggestions. I'm looking for specific recommendations - is there a great house with a pool that you've rented on the East Coast and would rush back to in a heartbeat?

Regarding food Amans are known to be very flexible in terms of cooking you whatever you feel like, also outside of the menus. Just talk to the chef upon arrival about your preferences, and you will have nothing to worry about. But of course it can still be nice to have a car to get around a bit and see some more.

Make sure you book Amanyara under one of the "Exclusives" packages for August. They are always an excellent value.

And I guess the resort can be difficult to find for people renting a car. Make sure you do your coming and going while it is still light out. You might want to consider having the resort drive you for the once or twice you want to eat out instead....especially if airport transfers are included and the meals are too!

There's a huge pool in Central Park. But all public pools will be packed, really really crowded, and not as pleasant as the beach (which will also be crowded, of course, but not as bad).

http://www.amanresorts.com/amanyara/accommodation.aspx

Amanyara is my favorite resort in the caribbean and easily reachable from NYC. ^

We went for four days, weather was good, a few quick rain showers, but plenty of sun. The "pavilions", pool, beach and other facilities were lovely. The frontline staff were very good to excellent. Beach staff were particularly gracious and alert (service by the pool was rather lax in comparison). We would have slept very well if the air conditioner in the pavilion wasn't so loud when it cycled on - woke me a few times.

There were other hiccups - for the prices charged (almost double what we spend in NYC), the food simply wasn't good enough. Sometimes it was excellent, sometimes (even the same dish the next day), okay. At the airport they handed our bags to a local baggage handler. His first question was "did you enjoy the snorkeling"? I don't know if he's aware that Amanyara includes a one hour daily snorkeling trip in the room rate. But even though I booked each evening, in the morning when I showed up they announced the engine on the boat was broken, maybe fixed by tomorrow. (Twice this news was delivered at the front desk, once at the beach - they never called the room to say don't rush for your 10am scheduled trip.) To me, at a destination resort, no effort to resolve this or provide alternatives or even profusely apologize was unacceptable. It's off season on an island resort, there were plenty of boats or motors they could have rented or borrowed. They simply didn't feel obligated to show me a good time.

I loved their beach, my wife preferred the pool. But one thing that was disconcerting (maybe standard, we don't go to that many beach resorts, we're mostly city travelers), was that boats, some that I'd call small double-hulled yachts, were regularly coming and going from all parts of the swimming beach to pick up or drop off (just not for the snorkel trip included in the room rate). At one point when I wanted to go swimming, a large boat idling 20 or 30 feet out for half an hour put me off.

My wife's description of the resort was "unfocused", I felt it was more like "rudderless". Judging by other comments here I suspect that this was atypical, but we're not likely to spend another vacation with Aman.

My wife's description of the resort was "unfocused", I felt it was more like "rudderless". Judging by other comments here I suspect that this was atypical, but we're not likely to spend another vacation with Aman.

It's a shame your stay was such a disappointment. Have you contacted management?

Even if you never return to Amanyara, I hope this experience does not discourage your from trying other properties. I hope you can get in touch with management and let them make things right on a future stay elsewhere. The Indonesian Amans are arguably the best IMHO.

I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience. Make sure you write the general manager(s).

About the food....we really loved ours. But then, we are not from NYC.

I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience. Make sure you write the general manager(s).


My wife and I have a pretty simple rule about this. If it's a place that we want to return to or a place we frequent, or a sole proprietorship where the owner is away, we let them know about problems so they can solve them. If it's clear to us that we'd never return, we tend not to bother making a fuss. In this case I did quietly express some disappointment a few times, but they didn't seem trained to listen. They did give us some extras at dinner after I'd mentioned a concern about the food, but my concerns were not about quantity.

Overall we had a nice four day respite from the city, but we missed the indulgent hospitality we've experienced at other destination resorts. Not the end of the world.