We hoped to take a helicopter from Athens to Amanzoe, but our son was quite ill when we had him on a helicopter in the fall. We opted for the Aman car transfer, but the last hour and a half of winding (though highly scenic) roads nearly got the best of him and affected Mr. Ericka as well. Our son did better on the return trip with a little motion sickness medication.
Our first impression of Amanzoe was that the Aman website pictures…and they were really nice pictures…didn’t do it justice. This may be Aman’s most striking site. Thanks to its location on the peninsula, the sea and mountain views extended 270 degrees around the main restaurant and public areas. The sunlight reflected off the calm waters in the morning and at sunset in truly magical ways. And lavender and jasmine grew in abundance on the property, making the resort smell as great as it looked.
Pavilion 21
We contacted GM Sven Van Den Broeck before our arrival and asked him to suggest a pavilion with a beautiful natural view and few rooftops. He selected pavilion 21 which was one of the original “sea view” pavilions when they used to sell them that way. Our pavilion view was exactly what we hoped for and the setting was also incredibly private.
The pavilion had very high ceilings, with floor to ceiling white and grey marble, light colored woods and numerous sliding glass doors to open the interior space up to the outside. There were the usual his and hers oversized Aman bathrooms and changing areas with an awkward few steps in between (be careful)! The pavilion was generously sized but open-concept, so we put our son’s bed in the entryway (around the corner from us and separated by a wall). We found our bed to be a bit hard and requested a mattress topper which was helpful. Outside, there was lots of space with cozy loungers, a large dining table and a striking green marble plunge pool.
Service
The Greek culture of hospitality worked well with the Aman service culture. Service at Amanzoe was excellent. We were never asked our pavilion number. All employees projected “family” and “warmth” and they knew what activities we were going to do or had done that day. As Americans with a small child, we ate dinner early and returned to the room early to put our son to bed. This caught housekeeping off guard the first night, but they quickly caught on and adjusted to our schedule. Also, our son was given a puzzle and small sea animal toys on departure. And the cook staff were quick to make him whatever he wanted to eat, whether it was on the children’s menu or not.
Food
Three words; yogurt, cheese, honey. And the tomato and feta based greek salad. And the baklava. Opa! We were also impressed by the Greek wine the sommelier recommended to us. The only food that we didn’t like at Amanzoe was the taramosalata, a traditional creamy dip that tried to pass for the milder tzaziki, but ended up slapping us in the face with the flavor of fish roe. For our in room barbecue, the chefs prepared a variety of salads/sides and grilled a dozen different types of meat and fish. It was an obscene amount of food with each item being more delicious than the last.
Activities
We decided not to see any of the nearby ruins, having just come off of four days in Athens and a recent trip to Epheses. But we still managed to do some fun things with our son. We started with the honey farm tour; a beautiful piece of property run by a very welcoming family. It was great to learn about the honey making process and see the bees in action, but the best part of the tour was the honey tasting and the opportunity to buy the different varieties. The next day, we chartered Amanzoe One for four hours. We docked at Hydra and shared a donkey ride (actually pony ride LOL) with our son, after which our captain found a private cove for a yummy Greek picnic. We had time for a few other stops along the way, including a fly-by of Spetses.
Amanzoe had a full service spa so we made sure to set aside some adult time for massages. We especially loved the spa’s use of lavender (a flower found all over the resort) in the oils. Our guided hike of Ermionida without our son was a great way to get some exercise, but not quite as beautiful as we had hoped. In hindsight, we could have gotten the same brisk walk on a tour of Nafplio.
Opportunities for Improvement
When things went wrong at Amanzoe, the resort was quick to make up for it. As an example, the chefs offered to make a special order of baklava for our last night on property. They said it would take about a half hour and they would deliver it to our room. Unfortunately, it took closer to an hour and a half but they were gracious enough to comp it. More puzzling was the night we had booked a babysitter and guest assistants sought us out to confirm the time for the sitter no less than 5 times. After all that, the sitter did not show up at the correct time so one of the guest assistants ended up taking care of our son.
Pavilion 21 Bedroom
Pavilion 21 Bathroom
Pavilion 21 Dressing Area/Bathroom
Pavilion 21 Sea View
Pavilion 21 Privacy
Aman Details
Honey Collection
Amanzoe Bar
Lavender
Greek Salad
Amanzoe One
Beach Toys
