Introduction So I just returned from a 5-day stay at Amanpuri. I created another thread detailing some of the issues I was having whilst at Amanpuri, but wanted to create a separate one for a proper trip report. As background, this was our 5th Aman visit, with the previous 4 being Pulo, Jiwo, Dari, and Kila (will likely do some trip reports on those as well, time permitting!). Check In Arrived in Phuket, greeted by Puri staff at the exit as expected, then put into a late model BMW 7-series for transit to the resort. Cold towels and water in the car, no snacks. Once we pulled into Puri we were greeted immediately by Harish, who was fantastic. Then Paul came and spoke with us as well. This was a super last-minute trip (we booked 2 days before arrival), so we just went for the regular Pavillion at the 650 USD rate, hoping for an upgrade to a Garden Pavillion, which we received. Tea and cold towels were given, some flowers, then escorted to the room, where a full-size bottle of complimentary Taittinger was waiting on ice.No tour of resort given as it was puring rain, but all good so far. Room Room was pretty much as expected. Bathroom huge, bed quite comfortable (mattress bad already on the bed), linens nice. A/C was great--went down to 16 degrees, but I only managed to really get it down to 17 at night. I love it cold and that was good enough for me!I have to say I wasn't a huge fan of the medium-dark colored wood paired with the black shower. This theme extends to the rest of the resort, which I'll comment on later, but as a previous review stated a few years ago, seems like a 1980s Japanese theme that is getting a bit long in the tooth. One big negative aspect of the pavillions is that there was zero privacy. Even in the "garden" pavillions where you are surrounded by greenry, from our dining sala I could see directly into the sala of the pavillion above me, which was maybe 10 feet away. Also could see both the walkway below and level with our villa. And from the bedroom if you open the window/doors anyone walking on the balcony could see right in. A bit frustrating, but given that the resort was built in 1988, I get it. No doubt in my mind that in '88 Puri was the best and most innovate resort on the planet. Resort Grounds On to the resort itself. First the main pool--much smaller than expected, and as I mentioned in the room review, black. I hate black pools. Much prefer blue or green, as I feel black is just not welcoming and really darkens up the place to much. Also, compared to a property like Pulo, the pool here just isn't all that big, and looks great in pictures but was a bit underwhelming in real life. As was the view of the ocean from the main level of the resort. Nice, but nothing like the panoramic view from Kila (where we were about 4 weeks ago). That said, once you decend down the iconic staircase I found the resort stunning. As others mentioned, I much preferred the smaller beach to the larger one. I also really loved the Beach Club Pool area. At first it was underwhelming compared to Kila's, as the pool was half the size and, once again, black. Surrounded by black marble tables, grey chair covers, and grey slate everywhere. That said, over time I really started to appreciate the area. They were playing music from large Bose speakers on all sides of the Beach Club, which actually made it quieter as it drowned out the noise from the beaches below. Also, if you take lunch on the teak tables surrounding the pool you actually get a good view of the ocean, and a beautiful view of the surrounding trees. I'm not really a tree guy, but some of the massive and very old trees were quite stunning surrounding the pool area. We have some good photos, but apparently they are mostly too large to attach. So I'll see what I can do and perhaps add them later. Gym was fantastic. We barely used it but it was huge, with a ridiculously large array of equipment. Reall impressive. Spa was...meh. Steamroom was huge, but overall fit & finish (e.g. shower heads, toilets, etc.) was looking quite old and worn. View from the area where you drank your tea before and after was just of trees. I'm not really a spa guy, but was much less impressed with this one than, say Pulo, The Siam, Soori Bali, etc. Also took a tour of 2 of the villas. A 4-bedroom, which had a spectacular setting hanging over the rocks near the main beach. Gorgeous views. But wasn't really a fan of the design. Common areas were amazing, but another black pool (I think they call them midnight blue, but that's a stretch). Also, the pool was pretty small. Having spent 4 nights last year in the Dalem Jiwo suite at Amanjiwo, I imagine 8 people in the smaller pool at Puri's 4-bedroom would be a bit crammed. Then we saw one of the 7-bedrooms that overlooks the ocean on the other side of the peninsula. Again, not a fan. They did a good job of matching the original 1988 style, but not being a fan of that style I found it very dark (all the hallways are dark grey, pools & showers black, etc.) The place was massive, but honestly I feel like you'd need 20-30 people in there just to make it feel like you weren't totally alone. Pool was almost exactly the same size at that of the Dalem Jiwo suite, which I felt was too small for a villa of this size. Panoramic view of the ocean, but no beach access. Don't really see the allure, to be honest. One big negative of the hard product of the resort grounds were the bathrooms. Now I know the bathrooms at Dari, Kila, etc. are all that new either, but some of the bathrooms at Puri were pretty bad. Specifically, the male and female toilets in the pavillion beside the main pool (where the musicians sit every evening to perform) were dated and smelled like urine the entire time. Then the single, shared bathroom at the original beach (and I know this has been commented on before) was a joke. I liked that it was built around a rock, but 1 shared bathroom for what was often 20 people on that side of the beach is just not acceptable hard product for a resort of this size. Best bathrooms were the ones in the South American lounge!Now, with regards to the resort itself here's where some of the problems start. This place is huge. So with a room count (pavillions plus villas) getting close to 100, you'd think there would be plenty of room to spread out. Kind of, but not really. The scale of the resort makes it feel much less intimate than other Amans. And with it being so spread out, every time you visited the spa, gym, other villas, various restaurants, etc. you bumped into all sorts of new staff who had no idea who you were. Last comment would be that this is currently low season, yet the place was quite busy whilst we were there. People everywhere. But given that it's such a family-friendly place, it worked out to our advantage. What I mean, is that the beaches were jam-packed. The small, original beach was often full, or would have maybe 1 open set of chairs. The large, newer beach wasn't appealling at all because it had so many chairs set up that it looked crowded to me. That said, it was rarely more than 40% full. With the number of people there and number of kids, the beach was full all day and the watersports area's equipment was often close to fully utilized. Then add the people coming over from the Surin and the water and beaches were much more full than I've seen at other Amans. Kind of killed the peaceful atmosphere. That said, the restaurants, whilst busier than at other Amans, never seemed at full as the beaches. And the 2 bars were almost always empty. That's what worked to our advantage--travelling without children, I was all about long dinners and then long drinking sessions at the bars. Seemed like most of the families used the night times to go back to their villas and do family time, so it left the bars wide open to the childless lushes in the crowd Dining Here is the one area where Puri really stood out. F&B was outstanding. Not quite at the level of some of the Maldivian resorts, but as much of a foodie as I am, I really don't need 8-couse tasting menus every night. So what was on offer worked perfectly. Definitely a notch above any other Aman I've been to (and that's no disrespect to Shane, as I love what he's done with the Indonesian Amans). Thai restaurant was great, as was the Italian restaurant (which was the only one with aircon). The South American place was primarily a bar, but served food, as well. Smaller menu, but still quite good. Then Nawa, the Japanese place was outstanding. Kaiseki menu that was done pretty well (nowhere near the level of Kyoto, but quite good overall), and the sushi, sashimi, tempura, etc. was all good. For the bars, it was the main, original bar. Interesting, and showed classic movies on the lower level each night. But aligning with some of my earlier comments, the bar was really, really dark. So we went there probably 3 times, but would do just 1 round of drinks there. Great views over the lower half of the property, though. Then the South American place, when just utilizing it as a lounge/bar, was great. We'd bring chess sets down from the library and typically spent 2-3 hours there each evening, often by ourselves. Service at the restaurants was outstanding overall, with the Japanese place being the best, but I'll touch on that more in just a minute. Service Ok, no here's where the action begins. Overall service ranged from very good to excellent, but was not at the standards that Aman junkies are used to. You can reference my other thread ("Amanpuri--trip report in the making") for my real-time commentary whilst I was there. Bottom line is that the service ranged from very good to excellent across the resort, but we felt that the "Aman ethos" was long gone. With the size of the resort, number of staff, and high levels of staff turnover, barely anyone had any idea who we were. So the intimate environment was just not there. Never mind anticipating your needs or getting to know you personally--that was almost entirely non-existent. Why, you ask? Well, over the course of our 5 days we were asked for our room number 8 times in total. We were also asked to sign our bill once at lunch. For me, that is simply unacceptable at an Aman. Two of the times were at F&B places. First night we go to Nawa, and the first words out of the waiter's mouth was: "Welcome to Nawa, may I have your room number". Then on our 2nd night, after having dinner at the Italian place, where they knew who we were, we walked 1 level below to the South American lounge and drank for about 2 hours. At the end of that they asked for our room number. Which baffled me, because they knew we had just come from upstairs--which showed there was often little communication amongst the various venues and staff. That said, the guy who asked our room number was also one of the best staff there. He helped us at the South American lounge our next 2 nights and was beyond fantastic. Would save our chessboard for us, knew all our drinks, and when he saw us during the daytime would ask if we were coming to drink with him again that night. Don't know his name but he was stellar. The other 6 times we were asked our room number were once at the spa, twice at the beach, and 3 times at the watersports area. Then on our 4th day, after having a great lunch at the Beach Club pool area, we got up to leave and the waiter chased us down because, "You need to sign your bill." He gave great service during the meal, which shows to me the problem is either staff training, turnover, or likely a combination of the two. Overall service at the restaurants was excellent. Bar service was very good--a bit short of excellent because it was often a bit more reactive than one would like. And the kitchen staff were astoundingly fast. I've never seen food come out that quickly!Beach service was mixed. At the small, original beach (which we preferred from a vibe point of view) had at best mediocre service. They would adjust the umbrellas, bring us ice water, ask our room number, and then we would never see them again. Usually the two of them, who liked they were barely 18, would just stand in the back chatting until you waved them down. At the larger, newer beach, however, service was excellent. Fresh glasses of ice were brought out every hour, and service was much more proactive overall. In 5 days at both beaches, however, only received "special treats" once--skewers of fresh fruit one morning. Nothing on any other days. So if this had been a Four Seasons or some other resort, I'd be perfectly happy with the service. But it did not feel like an Aman, in any way. And being asked for room numbers constantly, and to sign bills, reallly ruined the entire vibe of the stay. Response from management just compounded the problem. On day two I spoke to the front desk and told them I had been asked for my room number around 4 times, at that point. They apologised, agreed that should not happen, and said they would rectify the situation. Next morning, as soon as I step onto the beach I get asked for my room number. Head back up to reception and speak with Preeya this time, as Harish was off site, and Paul was on site but speaking with other guests. She told me the previous night's complaint was communicated to her, they addressed it in their daily, morning staff meetings, and all should be ok going forward. I told her, actually, I was just asked about 10 minutes ago. She apologises, says they'll work on it. But indirectly she seemed to imply that staff turnover is a big issue, as is the fact that it's the biggest Aman given the number of villas they've built. I then go back down to the beach, grab a paddle board, and get asked for my room number again. At this point it's just getting comical. I complain for the 2nd time on our 4th day. This straight to Paul. He fully understands it's an issue and not up to Aman standards, but basically reiterates that they will continue to cover it in morning staff meetings, but that's really all they can do at this point. Then on our 5th day, when I finally got asked to sign my bill after lunch, I about blow my top. Go find Preeya again and tell her the situation. Bascially told her this has basically ruined my stay, and that it just confirms the lack of intimacy and that "Aman feeling" at the resort. We had a very polite, positive conversation, but I made it clear that I felt like we were at a large, chain resort, and not an Aman. No real response, other than continued apologies.That night (our final night) we go to the Japanese restaurant again, and the staff informs us that management has given us a free bottle of champers. So no formal apology, and no real service recovery, but at least it's a step in the right direction. At this point, all F&B staff finally know exactly who we are. Service was beyond reproach at dinner that night, and I mean amazing. We were drinking the new Aman-branded sake with dinner, so decided to take the champagne in the South American lounge. Walk up there and as soon as they see us they bring out champagne on ice and bring us our chess set. And then to top it all off, we get back to the room that night and I noticed a cooler of extra ice for us. The previous 2 nights I had asked for a cooler of ice so I could make the beers in the minibar even colder. So then on our last night it was nice to have them deliver one premptively. So our last night was absolutely flawless in every way, and easily up the Aman standard which we've received at most of our other visits. Too bad it took so long to get it to that point... Excursions This was a last-minute, beach & chill holiday, so we didn't really do any excursions (unlike other Amans where we would do volcano climbing, trekking, cultural activities, etc.). We did do the Aman I, shared boat trip around Phang Nga Bay. Trip was great, staff was wonderful, F&B was solid, and that Bay is gorgeous. Hard product was, keeping with the theme, really old and out of date. Aman I is a 60-foot cruiser, but I've had better junk boats back in Hong Kong. Decent enough, but not luxury in any way. Around 300 USD per person, for what ended up being about a 4-hour cruise. Decor was horrendously outdated and old, cushions on the seats were frayed and had holes--that sort of thing. Granted, for 10,000 USD per person they'll set you up with a 150 ft, brand new luxury cruiser (one of which docked off the beach our last night and was pretty spectacular), but would be nice if there were a middle-range offering. Check Out Going with the theme of the place being crowded, check out was a bit confused. Two groups arrived from the airport as we were leaving, so luggage was everywhere, as an example. They brought out our luggage tags, had them sitting on the desk as I was signing the bill, then completely forgot about them when we got into the car until I reminded them. Not really a complaint, just an observation of the effects of having close to 100 rooms at fairly high occupancy rates. Paul came out to wish us goodbye, and we spoke for about 10 minutes. Here's the rub--he's very experienced, very nice, and very outgoing. That said, at no time during check out did he even reference the issues we had had all week. Certainly no apology. I chose not to bring them up because I was trying to end the stay on a positive note, but service recovery was basically one bottle of champagne and that was it. Contrast this to Amanjiwo, where our room had an aircon unit that wasn't working, and they decided to just upgrade us to the Dalem Jiwo suite for the remaining 4 nights of our 7 night stay. Now that's what I call service recovery!!! Overall Conclusion. Very hard for me to say this, but I highly doubt I would every return to Amanpuri, nor would I recommend it to anyone. Whilst generally very good, the service was just not "Aman-like" enough. And being asked for room numbers multiple times and to sign bills is just not acceptable--not that that is necessarily bad practice in & of itself (although you can argue that), but it is just further proof that this place is just too big and the staff really have no idea who you are, let alone your preferences, past visits, etc. And here's the kicker--once that Aman service ethos, vibe, and intimacy is gone, then guests tend to turn their attention to the hard product. And at a place like Puri the hard product is simply not up the standards of what we expect in this day & age, of its direct competitors, or even to that of other Amans.Being based in Hong Kong I would rather return to Kila, Pulo, etc. or try an Aman I haven't visited (e.g. Amanoi). And if I return to Phuket I'd rather do Iniala.