We spent two nights at Amanfayun in mid-December, following four nights at the St. Regis Shanghai. We decided to take the train to Hangzhou from Shanghai and I would encourage everyone to do the same. The train was easy, cheap, and very fast. Don’t make the same mistake we did and recognize that there are indeed assigned seats – we sat in the first seats we could find before realizing our actual seats were 4 cars over. We decided to stand between cars for the one-hour ride instead.

Our biggest mistake of this entire trip was not arranging transportation from the Hangzhou East Train Station to Amanfayun. We spent 20 minutes looking for the taxi line (there are four taxi areas, but three were closed), and another 30 minutes waiting in line. The taxi driver spoke not a word of English and had never heard of Amanfayun, whose address we had printed out on a piece of paper. He eventually called the hotel and things were straightened out. This was a very stressful transfer and it is my fault that we didn’t book, though I do think Amanfayun should encourage it a little more strongly during pre-arrival communication.

Speaking of pre-arrival, I was in close correspondence with Edisson (EAM) during the weeks leading up to our stay. He was beyond helpful, and it was one of the best pre-arrival communication I’ve encountered. Edisson put together an itinerary for our short stay based on what I wanted to accomplish, and helped me tweak it back and forth until it was perfect.

Edisson was on hand to greet us upon our arrival, which was a nice touch. We began the check-in formalities while we were served Longjing tea, for which the area is famous for. The process was a bit slow, but the GM Kent Si did join us after a few minutes to introduce himself, which was appreciated. He was clearly aware of our planned itinerary and made some additional recommendations

ROOM

We had booked the entry-level Village Room but was upgraded to a Village Suite upon check-in. The hotel was at very low occupancy, given the low season and wet weather we experienced during our entire stay.

The room was quite special given its authentic feeling and charm. There was quite a bit of space even in this relatively low-category room, with a dining table, lounging area, desk, king bed, and a long hallway to the humongous bathroom. There was a Nespresso maker waiting for us, as well as one of the largest welcome amenities I’ve seen – a platter of various snacks, sweets, and nuts, along with a bottle of red wine and a fruit bowl. Tea-making facilities were of course also available. The minibar was complementary for all non-alcoholic drinks, which I certainly appreciated.







The bed was absurdly comfortable. Seriously, this could be the best bed I’ve ever slept on. In this case, I actually put my money where my mouth is and purchased a duvet + comforter for our home (see Service section below). People won’t love the TV’s location, but we didn’t mind. We didn’t use it though, so no insights on what channels are available.





Given the extremely cold winters that Hangzhou faces, the room features floor heating throughout both the bedroom and bathroom. I’m no stranger to the concept, but they must have had a nuclear power plant supplying the energy to heat these floors because they were scalding to the touch at the higher settings. Even at lower settings the room got extremely hot. I also don’t think our aircon was working properly, so we slept with the windows open which was actually very pleasant, given the gentle rain showers outside. I mentioned the heat/aircon issues the next day, but after inspection was told that they were working properly. I think this may have been a miscommunication because there was certainly no air conditioning in our room.

This makes two Aman properties in a row (Sveti Stefan being the first) where I’ve encountered HVAC issues – sorry bhrubin! I truly think it was a fluke, given that the weather was unusually warm for December. I did alert the GM about this after our stay, and he mentioned that hardware, in-room lighting, and air conditioning are all in the 2018 room upgrade plans.

Speaking of room lighting – yes, the other reviews are right – these rooms are dark. We loved it (and we usually love sunlight and bright rooms), given the setting of the property. I do think some additional lighting should be added on dimmer switches to allow for more user control. As of now, lighting control is quite complicated and is controlled across many switches strewn about the room.

The bathroom was fantastically oversized and was a highlight for me. Here is where room lighting was actually a bit of a problem, as everything was just a bit too dim (think shaving). The bathroom has the classic Aman dual vanities, as well as a massive separate vanity which I used zero times but my fiancée loved.

The toilet is not fully enclosed and given that the bathroom does not have a door (it just connects from the hallway), this is a bit strange. It’s quite uncomfortable that if you are standing by the sinks you can make direct eye contact with someone sitting on the toilet through the wood carvings.





As a whole this room was a huge hit for us. It has its quirks – namely around the heat/aircon and lighting controls, as well as the lack of an enclosed bathroom – but the charm makes up for it. We felt as if we went back in time being here, and that was priceless.

FACILITIES

Much like Aman Sveti Stefan, much of the appeal of Amanfayun comes from its surroundings – the fact that this was an ancient Chinese village converted into a luxury hotel. Walking the grounds is quite surreal, as it truly does feel like being transported into a different world. Perhaps this was exaggerated by the light rain mist that lingered throughout our stay, which can’t be described other than as magical.





Amanfayun is very spread out, with one main walking path crossing the property and rooms and common areas placed along the walkway. The reception is on one end of the resort, while the other end features the entrance to a major local temple popular with tourists. The walkway itself is not closed to non-hotel guests, though we saw very few people on the actual property while we were there. Security guards were placed in close proximity to each other to monitor activity.

This property is extremely quiet. Coming from a particularly stressful period of time at home (and from Shanghai!) this was very welcome. Silence filled the property, and we almost felt as if we were at a monastery at times. I’ve been critical of this silence at Aman’s (see: Amantaka) but it worked here. Amanfayun has a highly spiritual feel to it, which made the silence feel authentic, peaceful, and unlike anywhere else I’ve been.

There is a beautiful common area, Fayun Place, which is used for daily cultural activities as well as tea and small snacks, though we did not use it much. We spent a few minutes one day listening to a local musician perform, though it didn’t do much for us. The art across Fayun Place is for sale and some of it is quite beautiful (and reasonably priced). Fayun Place has two floors, and the second-floor doubles as the Library.





FOOD & BEVERAGE

If I were to give one recommendation to guests at Amanfayun, it would be to stick with Chinese food when dining on-property. While the western Restaurant is definitely passable, the Chinese food we ate was remarkable.

There is a total of five dining venues on the property, two of which are operated by Amanfayun – the western Restaurant and the Steam House. We had the chance to eat at both during our two-night stay.

The Restaurant is quite beautiful in typical Aman fashion. Big glass windows and soft warm light made us feel right at home. We ate here on our first night and was seated as soon as we walked in. We were one of two tables occupied at around 7:30pm. I was blown away that the waiter brought over two glasses of Monkey 47 as soon as we sat down. It is apparently in our guest notes that this is our favorite drink and the fact that they acted on this was extremely impressive, especially considering the list price of a bottle.



The food itself was decent but rather forgettable. Nothing to write home about but nothing offensive either.

The real standout was our following night’s meal at the Steam House, offering traditional food from Hangzhou. We had a tasting menu included in our room rate, which we took advantage of. This was absolutely spectacular and completely blew me away. The environment feels similar to the suites, with dark wood, dimmed lighting, and simple furniture. There were a couple of other guests dining, including the GM and his family. The GM was nice enough to stop by and check on us on his way out.



The menu consisted of 7 or 8 dishes, and by dish 4 we were getting full and asked the chef to make the courses smaller. He suggested that we save the last two courses for lunch the following day, which we took him up on (and much appreciated). The highlight here was a pork and tofu soup called Yan Du Xian. I’m not much of a tofu eater but this was extraordinary and by far the best thing we ate on this trip.



The Steam House is a must-visit for dinner. The food was spectacular and the service was exceptional.

We had breakfast at the Restaurant both days. This was the weakest element of the F&B program, with the American breakfast tasting…off. The bacon was flavorless, the avocados unripe, the pastries overly buttery, and the cappuccinos disappointing. Nothing was “send back and complain” worthy, but could not hold a candle to the breakfasts we’ve had at other Aman properties. The Steam House is also open for breakfast and serves a Chinese menu – perhaps we would have been better off dining there.



We didn’t get a chance to visit any of the other (independently-operated) restaurants during our stay.

ACTIVITIES

We tried to fit in as much as we could during our short three days here, which included a:

Temple Tour: We spent two or three hours with a (spectacular!) local guide exploring the temples a walking distance from Amanfayun. This was a must-do and was a great introduction to Hangzhou’s spiritual attractions.

West Lake: We wanted to take a boat on West Lake, which may be Hangzhou’s most famous attraction, but the weather did not cooperate.

West Lake Impressions: Instead, we spent one evening watching the West Lake Impressions show, a light/music/dance/theater show that takes place on West Lake itself. In preparation for the G20 summit in 2016, the city built a stage 3cm below the surface of the lake, in which hundreds of performers put on quite a spectacle. It’s a bit cheesy but well worth the price of admission and we had a great time. Amanfayun drove us there, bought our tickets, walked us in, and gave us the most comfortable blankets to stay warm with during the show.



He Fang Street / Medicine Tour: This was a big miss, unfortunately. Our tour guide did not have a strong command of the historical material and as a result the tour felt sloppy and uninteresting. I ended up cutting it about 30 minutes short.

There is definitely much more to do at Amanfayun that we did not get to. If we had another day or two we would have loved to see the tea fields (though it was the off-season) and visit some additional temples, as well as actually do a West Lake boating trip.

SPA

There is a dedicated Aman Spa on the property. We spent a couple of hours in our spa room prior to receiving massages. Each room has a beautiful wooden bath, but I do wish that the bath itself was in a more “interesting” location – instead it is simply in the corner of the room with not much to look at. By the time we were ready for our massage, the room was so hot and steamy that the massage was quite uncomfortable until the masseuse opened up the windows and let the room air out. My massage was good, but not earth-shattering. I wouldn’t hesitate to return for another treatment, but I also wouldn’t seek it out.

There is also a pool in the spa area, though given it was December, it’s tough for me to really evaluate. We didn’t use the gym this go-around – don’t judge us.

SERVICE

Everything I’ve always considered Aman to represent with regards to service was represented at Amanfayun. From start to finish, we found the service level to be essentially flawless. I was blown away, and can confidently say that this was the best service we’ve received at any Aman property to date, and perhaps any property overall.

A few highlights:

• On the morning of our check-out day, we decided we wanted to buy the duvet + comforter that Amanfayun uses. After speaking with the front desk, we found out that they don’t sell linens, but were able to track down an extra set from housekeeping that we could take. They charged us cost and packed them up in a way to make it easier for us to bring back to the States.
• I can confirm that the Aman housekeeping fairies are here. Our room was cleaned at least three times a day, and we didn’t encounter housekeeping once.
• During a tasting menu at the Steam House, the chef noticed we couldn’t finish all of the meals as we were full. So, he saved the last few dishes for lunch the following day, which was delivered to our room at no charge.
• When we woke up to rainy, misty weather on the morning we were supposed to do our West Lake tour, we gave the front desk a call – boom, canceled.
• Knowing that Monkey 47 is my favorite gin and bringing it for a pre-dinner drink on our first night without asking (or charging). These little touches are impressive.
• We wanted to change our pre-purchased train tickets to leave two hours earlier. This required picking up new tickets at the station the day prior, 45 minutes away. This was done without a bat of the eyes for a very minimal fee.
• The night prior to departure, the front desk checked in about how we’d get to the train station. They offered both the house car, or a taxi for 25% of the price – I appreciate being able to make that choice myself.

OVERALL

Amanfayun is an extremely special property that strongly represents the Aman brand. The setting is stunning and offers visitors a way to travel back in time to a different China. The hard product, given the conversion from a traditional village, is stunning, feeling both authentic and modern at the same time. The service was faultless and the best we’ve encountered at any Aman. The F&B - especially the Chinese offerings – was excellent (Western cuisine was “good”). The spa was an asset of the property. The activities on offer are both interesting and quite varied. We enjoyed most of what we did, and wish we had additional time to do more.

Would we return? Probably not anytime soon, just because there is too much to see elsewhere. Would we recommend it? Absolutely, unequivocally, yes. To anyone traveling in Shanghai or Hangzhou, this is an essential add-on to your trip for at least two nights (ideally 3). This hotel is superbly run, and although the GM Kent is new to Aman, he is running this ship extremely well.

We traveled in mid-December. The weather was cold and misty, with high humidity that made the chill really sink into your bones. 45 degrees here felt like 35 back home. We were fine doing all of the tours we did, but wished it was warmer. My sense tells me that fall and spring are the best times to visit, as summer is supposed to be unbearably hot (and very crowded).