Originally Posted by bigmerv

Amandari:

Ericka, I think you may be a bit of an Aman expert but not sure if you have been to Dari before? I will assume you haven't, but apologies if much of the below is old news to you.

This place was amazing. We had a duplex pool suite, right at the end of one of the lines of villas, overlooking the gorge down to the Ayung river. This was our first visit, so I can't compare to what it was like before the refurb, but the room was immaculate and looked like it had been constructed yesterday, not 20 years ago. All the sides to the downstairs living area can be opened up, which is just magical! On the exterior of the rooms, and on all the paths etc., Aman have left all the plant growth, which preserves the wonderful impression of a traditional Balinese village, rather than creating a stark resort.

If budget allows (or if you or your TA are persuasive on the free upgrade front!!) I would recommend getting a room with a pool, as the main pool is flanked by the bar and restaurant and is right by the entrance to the resort, so it is not at all private.

Activities-wise, we went on the cycling tour of the local villages/rice paddies (10/10 and a must-do), on a walking tour of the rice paddies, a market trip (good but only worth a short visit) and breakfast in one of the Aman bales (highly recommended). We also heard good reports of the rafting, but have done that many times before (albeit not in Bali) so decided to skip it. We also had a couple of massages - one excellent and one not particularly good (sorry, I cant remember the name of the dodgy masseuse) and spent a lot of time just soaking up the magical ambiance in the resort (occupancy was at about 10 - 20% so it was very serene yet did not feel dead - incidentally, Amankila and Amankora were at around the same occupancy rate).

Btw, for what it is worth, I preferred Dari to Kila; my wife took the opposite view (save that we both agreed the food at Dari was better)!

Hope this helps.