My wife and I returned from our Indonesia trip a couple of days back. We had a fabulous time on the whole and can't wait to return to Bali in the near future. There's magic in Bali!

Our itinerary ended up being - 4 nights in Amanusa, 2 nights in Amandari, 3 nights in Amanwana.

Amanusa - Fabulous! I expected Amandari to be the star property of the trip, but Amanusa ended up being that. I liked it more than Amankila, which surprised me because I loved my stay at Amankila 2 years back and didn't expect too much of Amanusa. For me, the aesthetic and "feel" of a property matters relatively more than impeccable service or food. The main area of this property is stunning, with its impossibly large swimming pool, beautiful view out to what at times looks like something out of an oriental fable, with many shades of green, the ocean and mountains in the distance, and the main fortlike structure. We were in a pool suite which had a view out to the golf course and the ocean in the distance. The rooms were nice enough, more sleek and modern (and better) than Amankila or Amandari, though not as innovative as and lacking the special ambiance of some other Amanrooms like Amanjiwo or Amanbagh. The outside areas of the rooms are really beautiful - the green pond adjacent to the bathroom, an outdoor shower, and the lovely terrace with its stone-columned daybed and blue pool. Given the beach and the massive main pool, next time I'd save $200 and get a regular room. The many (lily? or lotus?) ponds that are strewn around the property add a lot to the look and feel of the property. The italian restaurant has pretty good food and a great ambiance at night. The beach area is really well done with semi-private bales surrounded by bushes. This beach is one of the best in Bali and fun to swim in during high tide, though not nearly as pretty or pristine as beaches in places like Maldives. Our beach experience was greatly enhanced to niravana-ic proportions by a substance easily available in Bali, and was the highlight of the trip. Any guest at Amanusa should try their honeycomb ice-cream, preferably we soon as they arrive. We gorged on it throughout our stay. The spicy Indonesian curries were fairly good. By day 3, the special-ness of this property had really crept in and we decided to extend our stay.

More on the other properties in a bit...