Originally Posted by
krhinks
Hi, this is my first time posting though I've been taking indirect advice off the forum for years! I had a lovely first-time stay at Giri in January (minus some F&B mishaps that I'll chalk up to Sarika's seasonal closing) and am keen to give some other properties a go.
I'm planning a week-long trip to Indonesia this July (currently located in Melbourne so flights are too easy!) and intended to hop between the various Amans there doing the Bali & Beyond offer quite literally. However, I've had second thoughts since seeing mixed opinions on Dari, Kila, and Wana. Jiwo seems largely positive, so certainly keeping that in. Are the others worth visiting? I'm particularly curious about Wana given the travel time and flight coordination, plus I'm not sure if the transition to exclusivity booking had begun and if anyone had experience with the shared weeks yet. We're not after a beach or spa vacation, though I've been told that Kila isn't necessarily that and diving at Wana isn't spectacular. We are moreso looking for cultural/historical experiences and nature/adventure treks, plus snorkelling/diving if its worthwhile. I'd love to do a charter in Komodo Nat Park, but I feel the time frame is criminally short. Are there any other chains/resorts worth breaking the Aman bubble for?
Additionally, I have never utilised a travel agent as I quite enjoy doing the planning myself, but I've seen them frequently referenced for Amans. Should I seek one out, especially for getting into contact with GMs? I'd really appreciate direct communication given the intended inter-resort logistics.
Thanks!
I'd like to opine on the travel agent question: I am a very experienced traveler and, way back in the day, was actually an agent myself. Still, I always use a TA with close knowledge of the properties I am booking . A good agent can explain the various nuances of rooms but, more important, work with the hotel to be certain that my stay is as seamless as possible. If I book a hotel myself, I am one and done. With an agent, the hotel needs to maintain a good relationship to keep the flow of clients visiting. It stands to reason that a high performing travel agent will get more attention for his/her
client vs. a person doing a one-off booking. As well, in the rare case that something goes wrong, a TA is generally in a better position to apply appropriate pressure to right things. Amans are very much a "thing" and reading through these forums it is clear that there are many agents here who
are extremely well positioned to provide personal attention for an Aman booking. I have no horse in this race, as my agent is not one of them, but I'd suggest you give using someone strong consideration.