Michael,
a truly excellent trip report that reflects my stay at Amankila two months ago by a 100% ^ . Now it seems that I don't need to write my own trip report anymore or just need to copy and paste...
Originally Posted by opxzaw
...The drive was about 1 hour 20 and uneventful but with a huge music selection on an ipod. We were welcomed by two little girls and a reception staff member who was incredibly nice and immediately connected with my wife as if two old friends met again.
Same experience here. The driver even detoured to the new Bulgari resort on my request to take a tour there.
The two nice little charming girls welcoming the guests and handing over selfmade floral presents make for a very down to earth start which is a very nice touch.
The GM, here too, was not there during our stay.
Tracy was out of town when we arrived but met here two days later. She really is a very nice person.
And yes, in such small resorts with a low number of guests I really expect to meet (or be met by) the GM. When I have guests to my home I as their host don't hide from them in my back office either...I like to socialise with GM's who do not regard themselves as GM's or directors but as guest hosts. It makes me feel being welcomed and respected. For them it is an easy chance to receive feedback.
We were brought to our suite and at first this was a bit of a letdown compared with Amanjiwo, as the suite looks a bit old. This may be just me, as I am such a fan of more modern design...
Funny but I had exactly the same feelings (maybe because we just came over from Kayumanis Nusa Dua and from the short visit at the Bulgari). But the room design grew on me during the stay which was favoured by the immaculate maintenance of the suite in every respect. Only real disappointment (the only one of the whole stay) was the surprisingly bad mattress comfort of the bed. It was uncomfortably stiff (like at the PEN BKK) and no comparison to those benchmark beds of the FS (i.e. Sharm or SIN) or RC (Wolfsburg) or Royal Meridien HAM. IMHO this is the area where Amankila has to urgently invest.
The food was very good and a lot of options. Prices are moderate for the food and you had several wines in the low 40$ range.
Sometimes, when I read comments about Amans mostly from people who have not been there, it seems to me that people think that because it is expensive and chic, that this is a celebrity and high society place where you have to wear your best clothes all the time and you have to eat several courses and choose an expensive wine or champagne. It is not like that at all. If you want to eat just a soup, that's fine and we witnessed that you can save your bottle of wine for the next day. So far at least I have not met a single staff member with an attitude. Most guests we encountered are very down to earth and it is not about people watching.
Again, full acknowledgement here. Having experienced the same low-key attitude at the Sri Lanka Amans it is really something that I regard as a very important asset of Amanresorts over other hotels. It feels very relaxing to know the fact that although the room rates are very expensive the food is moderately priced (just another difference here compared to the Prince Maurice as far as I know...) and that all guests still maintain a low profile and stick to themselves and don't feel the need to pose around (MO BKK go figure!)...
I just love the main pool area, the famous three-tier pool stepping down like terraced fields overlooking the ocean with huge comfortable Bales on both sides. It's so comfortable and just a pleasure to sit there and enjoy the design.
^ That's the reason why my laptop's wallpaper constantly shows this view now...
From the main pool it is I think 160 rather steep steps or so down to the beach club area with another pool, another restaurant for lunch and the beach. I am not a beach person but this one I loved. The Bales at the beach are fabulous. In case you don't know, these are cushioned beds that are about the size of king beds with pillows and an overhanging thatched roof. Ok, my description sucks. They are secluded so you can't see any other Bale, it feels as though you have the entire beach to yourself, though on a few days we were actually alone there...The beach staff was incredibly nice...
I liked the black sand but it gets awfully hot. The ships, sure, they diminish the view, but we didn't care that much. The beach is not very long, so not much of a walk. I liked the beach, but that is just me, I understand, if people see it differently, you certainly don't go to Amankila because of the beach. The pool down near the beach was almost always empty and when we had lunch at the restaurant there, we were usually alone, it is a really nice setting though.
The balés are outstandingly comfortable and private with those nice little touches as the free suntans, the white flag, free drinking water etc. The presence of the tankers and the ferries wasn't too annoying as I knew about them from reading some reports on tripadvisor ahead of our visit but it didn't invite me to go swimming in the sea at first. But on the second day I was convinced by other guests to rethink and I immediately started to love tackling the crushing waves like the other guests did as the sea seemed much cleaner than expected. To me it mainly is a psychological thing. When you see tankers and the black sand one automatically associates this with oil spills and oil-drained wildlife. But those fears were unwarranted. I even found the coming and going of the ships a welcomed change to the otherwise static though beautiful scenery.
The staff is just outstanding as everybody else has written. Their reputation is well deserved, simply the best. I have no idea how they do it but they really seem to know everything. Every staff member knows who you are, we were not once asked for our room number. When we went to breakfast early in the morning, the waiter not only knew that we were going to trek but he also which trek we had chosen. It is simply a pleasure to interact with them...
Yes, staff is truly excellent. Many middle-aged members around which shows that staff seem to be very loyal to Amankila. One staff member told me that the close relationship and socialisation between Amankila and the local villages combined with Adrian Zecha's omnipresent aura and kindness in his staff member treatment when he visits Amankila ties the staff to the resort in the long run (this would make a good learning ground for many CEO's around the world in this regard...).
We did the morning cruise on the Aman XII, lounging on the sundeck is really nice.
...esp. when you are the only guests on the ship. It feels pretty decadent to enjoy this sort of life...
The snorkeling during the cruise was another highlight for us. Swimming with the exotic fish and feeding them and watching a stingray and even a reef shark swimming below was a thrilling experience. Being served a marvelous lunch on the boat right afterwards feels pretty Onassis-like.
And of course we had the dinner at the beach. You have the entire beach and pool all to yourself served to you with a private chef and waiter. They light candles and make a bonfire for you, the table in the sand, which is still warm in the evening and a Bale. Also liked it that you could choose what you wanted to eat, you meet with the chef and tell him what you want to eat. Same with our birthday dinner at the pool. Th dinner at the beach was on our last evening and it was the perfect ending of an incredible week.
Relaxing at the beach balé and being visited by the chef (he is from SYD btw) to discuss the beach dinner food to create your personalized menu that materialized in such an unforgettable experience and mood that I nearly proposed to my girlfriend...
We had the room til 5 p.m. on our departure day...
Same here. It is just another major advantage of the Amans over so many other luxury hotels: I never ever experienced any hassle or discussion about early or late check-in/check-out. It works without having to say a single word
...this is true luxury!
Overall an exceptional resort and benchmark in service, staff attitude and overall experience for the rest of the hospitality world. ^ ^ ^ ^