This trip was taken back in May 2012. My partner and I usually go to Bali around May/June period to celebrate his birthday and weather during that time is lovely. Not too hot and just tailing off the rainy season with blue skies and occasional showers. Amandari is our 3rd Aman stay in Indonesia (We did Kila and Jiwo the year before). GM Sally has just left and Siddarth has stepped in from Amansara. Though Siddarth was away for most of the time during our stay, he delegated his assistant Samuel (a very young and pleasant Swiss guy) to take care of us, and he did a very good job.
Arrival/Transfer/Depart
Usual Aman efficiency with VIP on arrival visa service to help us beat the queues and a comfortable 1.5 hours drive with snacks and drink if you’re feeling peckish.
Aman has stationed a staff there to help with our luggages and check-in at the international terminal when we left, which is a nice touch.
Room and grounds
We stayed in a single storey pool suite (#14) after reviewing our options here on flyertalk
It has a nice layout with a living area/bedroom and an oversized bathroom with outdoor tub. The bamboo thatched roof blends in with the surroundings superbly and made us feel like we’re staying in a luxurious Balinese village house.
The outdoor bathtub is similar to that of Amanjiwo, which we find even Aman housekeeping staff was unable to keep it spotlessly clean at all times as it is surrounded by trees and vegetations. Fallen leaves and small insects can be a bit of nuisance after a tropical rainshower. The overhead rainforest shower has perfect water pressure though.
Amandari is a resort which I think a private pool is essential as the main pool (the only pool) is fairly small and public, overlooked by the restaurant perched above it.
I believe different pool suites have slightly different layouts with varying pool sizes and views. According to our guest assistant Wayan, #14 is the most private as it looks out to the river gorge whilst #30 sports the biggest pool but is close to surrounding villages so noise and privacy can be an issue. We didn't have much noise problem as reported previously probably because we're facing away from the village.
Amandari has a fairly small footprint compared to Amankila and Amanusa. But again the overall ambiance is that of a traditional Balinese village with shrines, statues and lotus ponds dotted around the resort. For a resort built more than 20 years old, it has certainly aged gracefully and the moss-lined path creates a very verdant and authentic feel. And the guardian lion (?) around the reception area is very cute!
Facilities
As said before, the main pool is more of a decorative purpose and probably will feel a bit crowded during the high season.
The gym pavilion however is very nice, situating right in the middle of a lotus pond with views of green wherever you look. You get your usual cardio machines and some weight-lifting machines (not much free weights I’m afraid).
We didn’t get to check out the spa area apart from the locker as my partner doesn’t like massages. I did have a glimpse into one of their treatment rooms which looks fairly standard.
Food
We stayed in Amandari for nearly all our meals and the quality is excellent. Ingredients are fresh and both Western dishes and Indonesian ones taste great. The only gripe is that the dinner menu feels a bit limited - only two to three western/indonesian main courses to choose from, though I’m sure they will be happy to prepare out-of-menu dishes.
We did manage to get out of the resort and went to one of the restaurants down at Ubud. The transfer to Ubud is complimentary and Amandari helped us reserve a table at Ibu Rai. I must stay that meal was a step down from what we had at Amandari and the Indonesian dishes were slightly too westernised and service a tad slow.
We did a private dinner at one of their on-site bales one night which was wonderful. We requested Babi Guling and they were happy to serve a smaller portion. The whole experience was topped by a troup of girls performing a Balinese dance before dinner and we were drowned in petals afterwards
Activities
We stayed for 4 nights and booked the Amandari classic package which includes three of the following activities:
- a scenic Ayung River trek with a personal guide and picnic breakfast
- a Balinese home-cooking class in a traditional Balinese kitchen
- a one-hour Amandari massage
- a visit to a well-known local healer
- a tour of Bali's craft villages (silverwork, wood and stone carving) or John Hardy's silver atelier
We were enjoying ourselves by the private pool too much and only did the cooking class and a hike to Jatiluwah (which they made complimentary!).
I would highly recommend the cooking class if you enjoy Balinese food. It starts with a morning market tour and we were whisked to the home of one of Amandari’s staff to do the cooking with real wood stove. Of course the whole experience was carried out Aman style, we were offered cold water and towel whilst doing the chopping up and crushing of spices using huge pestle and mortar. Three people were there ready to take over once they feel you get the hang of the technique. The highlight is that we get to taste our own cooking at a lovely Bale surrounded by tropical trees, few steps away from their home.
The hike to Jatiluwah is also pleasant but amounts to a ¾ day to full day trip. We were driven up north for about an hour and started our guided bike ride through paddy fields and local villages to Jatiluwah. Our guide was very knowledgable about local fauna and flora and showed us some huge spiders (scream!) and wild vanilla pods along the way. The paddy field at Jatiluwah earns itself an UNESCO hertiage status and is absolutely stunning. We had lunch at a local restaurant nearby with panoramic view of the paddy fields but the food is nothing to write home about.
Pictures:
"Guardian lion" near lobby
A Balinese welcome
Resort passageway
Lovely lotus pond
Early morning pool
Gamelan players by the pool at night
Pool Suite #14
Sunset by our private pool
Suite interior
Our favourite breakfast spot
Hiking at Jatiluwah paddy fields
Cooking class in action
Lunch Bale after class
Private dining Bale (Sorry for the slightly dark picture)
Overall it is another great stay at a solid Asian Aman property and we’ll be visiting Nusa, Wana and Jiwo later this year to complete our Indonesian Aman jigsaw
Happy to answer any questions and big thanks to
DavidO for help us with the booking!