Introduction As many on FT would know, Aman Villas at Nusa Dua is the successor of the unfortunately-closed Amanusa that is soon to reopen as a Kimpton (which just feels so sad). The compound consists of six villas that were originally the private residential villas developed nearby Amanusa. As such, each of the villas has subtle design touches that resulted from the requests of each of the owners. Villa Entrance featuring familiar face? Location We were picked up by an Aman car by a friendly associate, who drove us all the way to the Nusa Dua peninsula. There were cold towels and water in the car. Unlike most other hotels in the area, Aman Villas isn't located within the Nusa Dua gated community, but just outside it, along with several other hotels like the St Regis, the enormous and impersonal Mulia Resort, the stalled Shangri-La project, as well as the neighbouring Revivō Wellness Resort (which in itself was developed when a group of villa owners decided to make their own hotel brand). There isn't anything in the direct vicinity of Aman Villas, but there is a car service that can shuttle guests anywhere within Nusa Dua. Check In Once arrived, we were greeted by the very warm and friendly general manager, Michel B. He brought us around on a quick tour as one of our butlers came and brought us a refreshing welcome drink, whilst our luggage was quietly brought to our room in the background.Soon after, we were brought to our room by our butler, where the check-in formalities were done, consisting of signing a few documents. This had to be one of the smoothest arrival experiences I've had on the island.In-room fruit platter Villa I thought that the fact that the ~3,500 sqm entire villa is blocked to a single booking party—regardless of how many rooms are booked—is simply extraordinary. We were assigned Villa 5, which boasts a phenomenal 50m pool, the longest of the six villas at the compound. Swimming in that pool with such an unparalleled level of privacy had to be one of the most wonderful swimming I've done on the island. Exceptional pool and the main pavilion in the backgroundThe grounds were beautiful and certainly evoked a Kerry Hill touch, and I really liked the look of the whole place. I especially loved the cold library, where I could sit for hours ... although sadly there weren't many books that piqued my interest. The large, circular table at the dining pavilion wasn't very effective for a party of two, but I reckon it would be nice to use when staying as a larger group. Main pavilion interiorLibraryDining PavilionAman Villas at Nusa DuaThe marble and stone-clad rooms look identical to that at the bygone Amanusa and were beautiful albeit a bit dark at some hours. Like at many Amans, there was a fruit platter in the room that was topped up whenever the room is serviced (which is a lot of times). There were also banana chips and peanuts provided as snacks, along with an endless amount of water. BedroomBedroomBedroomThe bathroom features double sinks. There are both indoor and outdoor showers, but what I really liked was the sunken bathtub. As expected at Aman, none of the bath amenities were branded. They were of high quality and had a wonderful tuberose scent. SinksClosetBathtubI did feel that the sheer size of the place did make it a bit wasteful for just two people since there were a lot of spaces that we didn't use. As such, I would personally prefer to return with a couple members of friends or family for next time. Dining The food at Aman Villas is exceptional and is definitely on par with Kila, if not better (although I did really miss Kila's spectacular Moroccan Donuts). I felt that the quality of the food is excellent and very well prepared. There was a rather comprehensive menu, although they were inherently a bit more like guidelines. That is to say that it is possible to order off-menu, but that required some advance notice given the nature of the property. When dining in, we mostly stuck to the menu. The breakfast was very well done, and something I looked forward to having each day. The pastries were fragrant, soft, and flaky on the outside. The fruit plate was similarly excellent, and I loved that they had mangoes and mangosteens.PastriesFruit plateI sampled an almond porridge, which was perhaps my least favourite dish on offer, but still nice for what it is.Almond porridgeThe mains I sampled were all exceptional and were of very high quality. Over the course of the stay, I had their Banana Pancakes, the Eggs Royale, and the Gypsy Eggs. Of the three, I found the Gypsy Eggs to be the most wonderful, and I can still remember its wonderful flavours as I type this. Banana PancakesEggs RoyaleGypsy EggsOutside breakfast, I especially loved the Mahi-mahi fish which was superbly done by the chef. It was so good that I had it twice. Mahi MahiI also sampled the Pork Ribs on the menu, which was nice but a bit salty for my liking.Pork Ribs Beach Like Amanusa, neither Aman Villa nor Revivō is adjacent to a beach. As such, Aman Villas rents a small plot on the public Mengiat Beach, which sits a bit north of the old Amanusa Beach Club, in between the Merusaka and Ayodhya resorts. The beach got rather crowded at certain times given its public access and the fact that our stay went over a bank holiday weekend, although the small Aman area is expectedly closed to the public. Of course, this wasn't an ideal arrangement, but I understand the difficulty to secure a nice plot by the sea given that virtually all plots in the area are occupied. There is a shower stalls at the beach club, which served its purposes.Aman Beach ClubMengiat Beach over the holidaysBeach Club with the temple behindThe beach attendant is an absolutely delight, and he was probably the star during our stay. He attended to each of our requests and was very quick to respond to everything. I had a minor injury on my foot whilst walking back from the edge of the beach and he showed up within minutes of contact. Beach Club Entrance Service The service we had at Aman Villas at Nusa Dua was amongst the best we've had anywhere on the island, perhaps even the best (along with the old Tandjung Sari in Sanur). Each villa is assigned two butlers and a chef, in addition to various others working different roles. Everyone at our villa still had a strong sense of the old Aman Ethos I had feared to be long gone. Overall I found Aman Villas at Nusa Dua to be an absolutely wonderful place to stay. The whole place made it feel like one is staying at a private house (which it technically is) and reminded me a lot of the magic of Aman. The Aman ethos was very strong with this team, and that single-handedly made this stay exceptional. Add to the fact that the place was desolate of any arrogant influencers and their photographers (if there were, I wouldn't have known), which made the stay so very much more exceptional.