5khours

Sorry missed your post. I'll be in in Tokyo on the 4th. Catch you on the next one.

FlyerEC

Am in Phuket .
Are you still here ?
Lunching at Raya tomorrow

How ' s Trisara ??

Likely Puri in late April after Sri Lanka , before Tokyo mid May ..

stimpy

Ritz-Carlton Abama

offerendum

Think about it more or less every year. Always don´t travel because no proper flights are available. Please report back.

m3red

The Vale, Grand Hirafu and the Conrad Tokyo.

5khours

Trisara about the same. Thinking about a short trip to Puri in a couple of weeks.

stimpy

BA flies to TFS. IB flies there from ORY as well as many flights from MAD and BCN of course. There are flights from ZRH and FRA I think and several from Scandinavia. But of course I will report back. I stacked both FHR and Marriott Platinum. We'll see.

DSI

April : Galla , Wella

Thinking of Tea Trails before too but not sure which one to stay at .
Where else to consider

We stayed at Castlereagh Tea Trails and quite liked it. As some people have mentioned, there does seem to be a family across the lake that likes to listen to music, and if that sort of stuff bothers you, it might not be the best option. But the views are great. But their other houses are more closed off to local culture, and thus, quieter.

I don't think that the Aman hotels are the luxury/high end options anymore in Sri Lanka. Ani is of a much higher caliber, and even some of the boutiques seem like they may be able to offer just as much--if not more--at a fraction of the price.

I really, really enjoyed Chena Huts and after seeing the high density build of the Ceylon camp (sister of Tea Trails) it's a better option.

0bsidian

What does pricing look like at Ani Villas? And I imagine you cannot just rent one villa, right?

DSI

It's more expensive than Aman, but it's a much higher-end experience. We haven't stayed at Amanwella, but compared to some of the Amans we've stayed: taka, sara, kora, bagh, there is just no comparison. The former are nice but Ani is just so much more inclusive and personal and service-oriented, with living spaces that are truly grand. The furnishings are not nearly as expensive as Iniala, but I doubt anywhere is.

The GM there is ex-Aman--and a really great guy--as are many of the staff from Amanwella.

We stayed at Villa Divia, so you don't need the entire estate.

I think that Aman represents a form of luxury travel that maybe was at the apex of things in the 80's-90's, but has been surpassed with the private villa movement.

Or at least that's based on my limited experience at places like Iniala, and seems analogous to when Gallivanters wrote "in those days, the travel media did not know or understand Amanresorts and we were often criticized for extolling the virtues of this fledging high-end group..." In the same way, I think that private villas represent the same generational leap, or at least that's my limited experience. It seems to be the experience of Macmyday based upon his Aman and Iniala comparisons.

I only wish I could afford to always travel in style, but alas, I can't! But hopefully we can splurge once per year.

Kagehitokiri

ani 1BR rates on request >

ani anguilla is not on a beach, and yao noi location hasnt been described as great here

iniala phuket has 3 beachfront villas with no space in between, next to 100 room hotel

locations are always very tough

offerendum

Yeah, there are also direct flights from DUS. My problem is to fly 4 1/2 hours in Economy or a Business (including stop) which costs an arm and a leg and is more or less equally to Economy.

stimpy

I got business class TFN-LYS via MAD for €390 on IB. There's lots of variety in pricing during the day and week on IB. And by looking at both the north and south airports, which are an hour apart. And it's a bit of a secret so far, but IB Express has the best IFE in the world. And a decent business class.

surftb15

Better to spend 3 nights in BKK or kul before flying to Nairobi? Only ever spent 1 night at each.

stimpy

If you like the nightlife, BKK is the place. KUL is less mad.