My site inspections are all below... I leave Amankila in less than 7 hours, so here's a new intro to this trip report.

A primary reason I took this trip has been to address the question "FS or Aman?" that is so frequently asked. I've read what others have written, but nothing can substitute for seeing a property with one's own eyes and actually spending some time on property as a guest.

Here's my basic perspective: Amanresorts and Four Seasons are two very different hotel management companies. Each does what it does very well, but they try to do different things. Monty Brown, Aman's regional manager for Indonesia, related the following story which I think is quite illustrative. Michael Dell (owner of FS Hualalai and Kona Village Resort) once approached Amanresorts to redevelop and manage Kona Village Resort. Dell's idea was the make the resort a bit bigger. Aman's intention would be to make the resort smaller, and it was an immediate no-go decision for Aman.

This story pretty much encapsulates what Aman is all about. Aman means peaceful, and Amanresort's intention is to create extremely intimate resorts - 30 to 35 rooms only - that can provide this kind of guest experience. Each resort has a lot of space and very few guests. With a 4-1 staff-to-guest ratio, Aman has the resources to provide personalized service and an uncrowded, serene guest experience. Your guest assistant will work with you to customize an itinerary for your stay, and you will be in the best of hands with Aman's excellent driver-guides. Everyone will know you by name, and you'll never be presented with a bill until you check-out - they don't want to interrupt your stay with a commercial experience. You will of course pay more for the personal space and level of service you are lavished with, but the price is worth it if this is what you want for your vacation.


Four Seasons provides an excellent product at a reasonable price, but it's a very different product aimed at a different market. Four Seasons' goal is to offer a predictably comfortable luxury resort stay at a price that represents a good value at nearly 100 properties around the globe. You can generally expect large rooms, great beds, great bathrooms, complimentary kids programs, no resort fees, and a very good amenity program through FSPP, and its two properties in Bali (FS Jimbaran Bay, FS Sayan) succeed in providing this as well as anywhere.

But your experience at a 147 suite beach resort (FS Jimbaran Bay) will be materially different from your experience at a 35 suite beach resort (Amankila). This is not a criticism of FS, just a statement of fact. Some will choose FS for reasons of budget, but others will choose FS simply because they want the kind of vacation you'll experience at a FS. If you have kids and they want to play with other kids on the beach, you will prefer Four Seasons. If you want a choice of restaurants on property for dinner, you will prefer Four Seasons. If you have fun meeting lots of other guests and interacting with them at the bar, at the pool, on the beach, you will prefer Four Seasons.


There are lots of good choices in Bali, and this report discusses not only Aman and Four Seasons but also a few possibilities at a lower price point. I spent two nights at Chedi Club (a GHM property) because one client who is the most particular hotel critic I know loves this place and has booked perhaps a half dozen stays. I also visited two Orient-Express resorts because we have a preferred partner relationship with OE; Jimbaran Puri is a great property for the price, and everything is just steps from the beach.

As I always state with my site inspection reports, I am expressing my own subjective opinions ... others will have different opinions about each of these properties, and they should!