Originally Posted by
Ignutzz
Thanks everyone for your thoughts so far. I had dismissed Kila because we would have already gotten in some beach time at (StR) and my husband is decidedly not a beach/ocean/boat person. It just didn't seem that Kila was well suited for us, but maybe it's worth reconsidering. We wanted more of an inland/cultural experience, and I had thought Ubud would be the place to do that. I have emailed Aman for the activity lists for Dari and Kila to compare.
Assuming (for the sake of discussion) that we do stick with Ubud, there's been one positive remark for Mandapa. Any other contributions?
StR junkie and Amanjunkie here. It sounds like you're too settled on Bali and ignoring that one of the all-time best properties and Aman favorite is on nearby Java--Amanjiwo. It's inland. It's spectacular, even more so than Amankila. It looks onto Borobudur Temple, one of the world's great ancient wonders. It allows a visit to Prambadan Temple, too, on the way in or out. It is very rural, more so than even Amankila. And it offers much the same amazing cultural exploration and local culture and sightseeing as Amankila...but with less slope. The bicycle tour we did around Amanjiwo is one of our most treasured experiences. The bicycle tour we did near Amankila was just not as amazing.
If you do the StR Bali and stay a little longer, you easily can explore a lot of Bali. If you'd rather not do another seaside resort, skip touristy Ubud and just head over to Amanjiwo--which is absolutely amazing. Still our favorite Aman of all time.
We did a day trip to Ubud from Amankila (and had a great lunch at Amandari), and we agree it's very touristy. We were glad we didn't bother to stay there. You can do that same day trip from the StR. But instead of simply adding Amankila on the same island of Bali, you can add Amanjiwo and explore an entirely new island of Java.
Also, the food at Amanjiwo is superior to that of Amankila--especially if you like noodles. Javanese cooking is noodle-based, while Balinese cooking is rice based. Amanjiwo had the best food & beverage of any Aman we've ever visited. I'm salivating just thinking about it.
We did Amanjiwo, Amanusa, Amankila, and Amanwana in 2009, and had lunch and checked out the StR Bali while at Amanusa and had lunch and checked out Amandari while at Amankila. Don't think twice. Include Amanjiwo.