Just got back home this morning from our stay in Bali. Spent four full days at Amandari and could not be happier with our decision to stay there. Being there in low season likely helps as there were probably only 8-10 suites occupied. We were in suite 15, a duplex pool villa to the left side of the resort and really loved it. the duplex layout allowed me to work at night after my wife went to sleep without worrying about bothering her. The bedroom can be loud in the morning with all of the jungle noise, but we were going to sleep by 10pm, so waking up at 6am was still 8 hours of solid sleep. Also enjoyed the privacy in the pool / bale area.
In our experience, as opposed to FBCooper's, suite the suite we were in had two seperate AC controls, one for downstairs and one for upstairs. I actually remember thinking how smart that was for a hotel built 30 years ago. Also, while clearly more of a classic design, we did not find the hotel outdated at all, except for in the gym. We stayed in the Sayan Villa at the FS 5 years ago, and I think the only place where the FS clearly beats the Aman is in the spa / gym / class offerings.
All of our excursions were organized through the hotel, and we did not have any issues with the drivers. We also did not have any insects in our bed. We did get a fair amount of little critters downstairs, but that was because we left all three sliding glass doors open more or less all day, so comes with the territory.
Finally, Jann as a GM was great. Was there for our check-in and suite tour and was very present throughout our stay and also included some tips on avoiding the touristy instagram trips with less crowded alternatives so we constantly found ourselves at temples and mountain summits with just our guides and maybe 2 or 3 other local families. Again, likely helps that the hotel was low occupancy, but this was by far and away the most interaction we have had with a manager at an Aman.
The one issue we had was that on the other side of the river, a "river day club" has opened. While the swing looks fun and we don't mind people screaming as they do this, the club has decided they also want to create a party atmosphere and play loud music. This happened on our first day and Jann was all over it, but it is a process and we will see if he will remain successful in keeping the music down at the club.
Finally, FWIW we asked one of our guides about his friends who work at the other hotels. He mentioned that his friends who work at Mandapa generally do not like it because there are a lot of tour group guests from a specific country who are not nice to the staff. He said they feel they work too hard and are not appreciated. Obviously this was not the experience mentioned previously, but I know on other threads there have been comments about the soft product at Mandapa.
Sorry if this was rambling, my mind is still adjusting to the time zone.