Hong Kong and Bali site inspection trip
Apr 26, 2011, 10:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Asheville, NC
Programs: Virtuoso, FSPP, STARS, MO FAN Club, PEN Club, Bellini Club, Dorchester Diamond Club, Travel Leaders
Posts: 1,854
Hong Kong and Bali site inspection trip
My site inspections are all below... I leave Amankila in less than 7 hours, so here's a new intro to this trip report.
A primary reason I took this trip has been to address the question "FS or Aman?" that is so frequently asked. I've read what others have written, but nothing can substitute for seeing a property with one's own eyes and actually spending some time on property as a guest.
Here's my basic perspective: Amanresorts and Four Seasons are two very different hotel management companies. Each does what it does very well, but they try to do different things. Monty Brown, Aman's regional manager for Indonesia, related the following story which I think is quite illustrative. Michael Dell (owner of FS Hualalai and Kona Village Resort) once approached Amanresorts to redevelop and manage Kona Village Resort. Dell's idea was the make the resort a bit bigger. Aman's intention would be to make the resort smaller, and it was an immediate no-go decision for Aman.
This story pretty much encapsulates what Aman is all about. Aman means peaceful, and Amanresort's intention is to create extremely intimate resorts - 30 to 35 rooms only - that can provide this kind of guest experience. Each resort has a lot of space and very few guests. With a 4-1 staff-to-guest ratio, Aman has the resources to provide personalized service and an uncrowded, serene guest experience. Your guest assistant will work with you to customize an itinerary for your stay, and you will be in the best of hands with Aman's excellent driver-guides. Everyone will know you by name, and you'll never be presented with a bill until you check-out - they don't want to interrupt your stay with a commercial experience. You will of course pay more for the personal space and level of service you are lavished with, but the price is worth it if this is what you want for your vacation.
Four Seasons provides an excellent product at a reasonable price, but it's a very different product aimed at a different market. Four Seasons' goal is to offer a predictably comfortable luxury resort stay at a price that represents a good value at nearly 100 properties around the globe. You can generally expect large rooms, great beds, great bathrooms, complimentary kids programs, no resort fees, and a very good amenity program through FSPP, and its two properties in Bali (FS Jimbaran Bay, FS Sayan) succeed in providing this as well as anywhere.
But your experience at a 147 suite beach resort (FS Jimbaran Bay) will be materially different from your experience at a 35 suite beach resort (Amankila). This is not a criticism of FS, just a statement of fact. Some will choose FS for reasons of budget, but others will choose FS simply because they want the kind of vacation you'll experience at a FS. If you have kids and they want to play with other kids on the beach, you will prefer Four Seasons. If you want a choice of restaurants on property for dinner, you will prefer Four Seasons. If you have fun meeting lots of other guests and interacting with them at the bar, at the pool, on the beach, you will prefer Four Seasons.
There are lots of good choices in Bali, and this report discusses not only Aman and Four Seasons but also a few possibilities at a lower price point. I spent two nights at Chedi Club (a GHM property) because one client who is the most particular hotel critic I know loves this place and has booked perhaps a half dozen stays. I also visited two Orient-Express resorts because we have a preferred partner relationship with OE; Jimbaran Puri is a great property for the price, and everything is just steps from the beach.
As I always state with my site inspection reports, I am expressing my own subjective opinions ... others will have different opinions about each of these properties, and they should!
A primary reason I took this trip has been to address the question "FS or Aman?" that is so frequently asked. I've read what others have written, but nothing can substitute for seeing a property with one's own eyes and actually spending some time on property as a guest.
Here's my basic perspective: Amanresorts and Four Seasons are two very different hotel management companies. Each does what it does very well, but they try to do different things. Monty Brown, Aman's regional manager for Indonesia, related the following story which I think is quite illustrative. Michael Dell (owner of FS Hualalai and Kona Village Resort) once approached Amanresorts to redevelop and manage Kona Village Resort. Dell's idea was the make the resort a bit bigger. Aman's intention would be to make the resort smaller, and it was an immediate no-go decision for Aman.
This story pretty much encapsulates what Aman is all about. Aman means peaceful, and Amanresort's intention is to create extremely intimate resorts - 30 to 35 rooms only - that can provide this kind of guest experience. Each resort has a lot of space and very few guests. With a 4-1 staff-to-guest ratio, Aman has the resources to provide personalized service and an uncrowded, serene guest experience. Your guest assistant will work with you to customize an itinerary for your stay, and you will be in the best of hands with Aman's excellent driver-guides. Everyone will know you by name, and you'll never be presented with a bill until you check-out - they don't want to interrupt your stay with a commercial experience. You will of course pay more for the personal space and level of service you are lavished with, but the price is worth it if this is what you want for your vacation.
Four Seasons provides an excellent product at a reasonable price, but it's a very different product aimed at a different market. Four Seasons' goal is to offer a predictably comfortable luxury resort stay at a price that represents a good value at nearly 100 properties around the globe. You can generally expect large rooms, great beds, great bathrooms, complimentary kids programs, no resort fees, and a very good amenity program through FSPP, and its two properties in Bali (FS Jimbaran Bay, FS Sayan) succeed in providing this as well as anywhere.
But your experience at a 147 suite beach resort (FS Jimbaran Bay) will be materially different from your experience at a 35 suite beach resort (Amankila). This is not a criticism of FS, just a statement of fact. Some will choose FS for reasons of budget, but others will choose FS simply because they want the kind of vacation you'll experience at a FS. If you have kids and they want to play with other kids on the beach, you will prefer Four Seasons. If you want a choice of restaurants on property for dinner, you will prefer Four Seasons. If you have fun meeting lots of other guests and interacting with them at the bar, at the pool, on the beach, you will prefer Four Seasons.
There are lots of good choices in Bali, and this report discusses not only Aman and Four Seasons but also a few possibilities at a lower price point. I spent two nights at Chedi Club (a GHM property) because one client who is the most particular hotel critic I know loves this place and has booked perhaps a half dozen stays. I also visited two Orient-Express resorts because we have a preferred partner relationship with OE; Jimbaran Puri is a great property for the price, and everything is just steps from the beach.
As I always state with my site inspection reports, I am expressing my own subjective opinions ... others will have different opinions about each of these properties, and they should!
Last edited by DavidO; May 11, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Apr 26, 2011, 10:12 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Asheville, NC
Programs: Virtuoso, FSPP, STARS, MO FAN Club, PEN Club, Bellini Club, Dorchester Diamond Club, Travel Leaders
Posts: 1,854
Hong Kong Hotels
Four Seasons Hong Kong
The Four Seasons Hong Kong displays the casual elegance typical of Four Seasons. This property is as good as any hotel in the world, and its quality is reflected by the fact that the hotel averages 80-90% occupancy. Guests are welcomed into a spacious lobby with a soaring atrium, and the property abounds with beautiful details such as burled light wood paneling, etched bronze doors inside elevator cars, and attractive art throughout the property. The hotel offers 399 guestrooms and suites, two three-star Michelin restaurants, unobstructed views over Victoria Habour, and great service.
I spent two nights in a Deluxe Harbour View room that looks directly across the harbor towards the brand new Ritz-Carlton, but the views are also good on the other side of the hotel. Deluxe Peak rooms, especially on the higher floors, provide an interesting city view. High ceilings throughout the property, including all guest rooms, add to a sense of spaciousness. Because of the curved shape of the building, rooms in the middle are somewhat larger than rooms on either end, so ask to be blocked in a center room.
There are two distinct styles of rooms in this Four Seasons. Some floors are decorated with an Asian motif - with reds and golds, darker woods, and "lucky coins" in the carpet pattern. Other floors have a "contemporary" motif - more neutral colors with earth tones and lavender accents. Western guests are said to prefer the Asian rooms, while Asian guests are said to prefer the contemporary rooms! Mine was an Asian-styled room, and I loved it. Bathrooms are everything you would expect from a Four Seasons - full marble bathrooms accented with Asian motifs. Every bathroom in the hotel has dual vanities, a soaking tub, separate step-in shower, and a private toilet with closing door. And if you book a Four Seasons Executive Suite (or up), the accommodations are even more fabulous. The Executive Suite is really a full 1 BR Suite with closing pocket doors between the large sitting room and master bedroom, a large walk-in closet, and corner views.
Club Lounge access is included in Suite bookings and can be purchased as an add-on with regular guest rooms. The Lounge provides an observation deck over the harbour as well as food presentations during the day including a breakfast buffet with omelet station, Afternoon Tea, and a dinner buffet in the evening.
The Four Seasons is the only hotel in the world with two three-starred Michelin restaurants. Caprice is a gorgeous restaurant with a view of the harbour, an open kitchen, and a special cheese room. Lung King Heen serves gourmet Chinese cuisine and boasts the distinction of being the first Chinese restaurant to have been awarded a third star.
Upper House
looking up the central atrium of Upper House
The Upper House is the newest Virtuoso hotel in Hong Kong and a member of the Preferred Hotel group. This boutique hotel has just 117 rooms. Its light and airy contemporary style was designed to create a residential feeling from the moment a guest arrives on property. The hotel's name refers to the "upward journey" that guests take to the hotel itself. With no front desk; guests are immediately taken to their room where they are checked in by iPad. Guest rooms begin at floor 38, and the restaurant on the top floor (49) has panoramic views of Hong Kong and the harbor.
The restful feeling begins in the hallways whose plush carpeting, linen wallpaper on the outside wall, and bamboo baffles on the inside walls, effectively deaden the sound as you walk down the hallway. The peaceful feeling extends into the guest rooms where colors are distinctly muted.
The lead-in room category is a Studio 70 (730 square feet), but these were all occupied for our site inspection We were shown a Studio 80 with Island view. This Junior Suite provides 840 square feet of living space and has oak floors and bamboo built-ins. Bathrooms are large, all with dual vanities, and impressive views can be seen from both the huge soaking tub and from a separate rain shower. Guests have a choice of chenille bathrobes or silk Japanese yukata, and there is even a special amenity kit that guests are invited take home with them.
We were also shown an Upper Suite, a 1200 square foot one bedroom suite whose harbour view is actually enhanced by the lower buildings in front of the hotel that provide a "foreground" to the harbour.
A lot is included the price of your room at the Upper House. A complimentary "Maxi Bar" provides beer, soft drinks, mineral water, juices and snacks; guests are charged only for wine. Wireless internet is provided on a complimentary basis throughout the hotel … and Virtuoso guests receive complimentary breakfast and an Afternoon Tea for two, in addition to an upgrade if available at check-in..
We enjoyed our lunch at Café Grey Deluxe. The restaurant was intended to offer very good food at accessible prices, and the hotel was actually surprised when it learned that the restaurant had been awarded a Michelin star. Food is western, café-style, and don't pass up the molten chocolate brownies for dessert.
Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
“If you build it, they will come.” The Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris; visitors will pay and wait in line to take the elevator (or walk) to the top of this iconic tower to enjoy the views of Paris from the top. Tourists to New York used to pay to take the elevator to the observation deck of the World Trade Center (and still do pay to ride to the top of the Empire State Building). So it should be no surprise that when Ritz-Carlton planned a hotel on the very top floors of the new ICC Building in Hong Kong, the fourth tallest building in the world, it would attract a lot of attention.
And it has. With 312 rooms starting on floor 103 of the ICC building, two restaurants — Tin Lung Heen (Chinese) and Tosca (Italian) on floor 102, and a bar (Ozone) that serves drinks, sushi, and Asian Tapas on the very top floor in Hong Kong, this is a hotel with a buzz. During my site inspection on Saturday afternoon, every table in the Lounge was occupied by visitors enjoying Afternoon Tea. No wonder!
High-speed elevators whisk guests to the main lobby on the 103rd floor in just 52 seconds; your ears do "pop" both on the way up and on the way down. Interior styling is very contemporary with an Asian motif. The lobby has marble floors, black lacquered wooden walls, and a painted ceiling in the medium of ancient ink on canvas. There is nothing at all understated about the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong; its use of colors and materials is intentionally dramatic. But nothing is quite so bold and dramatic as the "Peak-level" views afforded from each guest room in the hotel.
Guest rooms are 540 square feet, and each bathroom offers dual vanities, separate step-in showers, and complimentary internet. But most importantly, each room offers dramatic views in every direction from high above the city. The "smaller" skyscrapers of Kowloon seem strangely tiny from the view high above them. Deluxe rooms face north away from the harbour over Kowloon. Deluxe Harbour rooms have a very interesting view to the west over Kowloon's port. But if you can possibly do it, book a Harbour Island room for its unforgettable views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong. The most dramatic rooms in the house are found in the Suites, all of which occupy corners of the hotel. (And given occupancy levels, especially on weekends, you shouldn't count on an upgrade).
Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong has an unique Club open 24 hours per day with six food presentations, although alcohol is only served when the Club is attended. Cocktails are available, and wine by the glass is served from an Enomatic wine machine.
night image of Kowloon, April 30th, from the 45th floor Club Lounge balcony
The Four Seasons Hong Kong displays the casual elegance typical of Four Seasons. This property is as good as any hotel in the world, and its quality is reflected by the fact that the hotel averages 80-90% occupancy. Guests are welcomed into a spacious lobby with a soaring atrium, and the property abounds with beautiful details such as burled light wood paneling, etched bronze doors inside elevator cars, and attractive art throughout the property. The hotel offers 399 guestrooms and suites, two three-star Michelin restaurants, unobstructed views over Victoria Habour, and great service.
I spent two nights in a Deluxe Harbour View room that looks directly across the harbor towards the brand new Ritz-Carlton, but the views are also good on the other side of the hotel. Deluxe Peak rooms, especially on the higher floors, provide an interesting city view. High ceilings throughout the property, including all guest rooms, add to a sense of spaciousness. Because of the curved shape of the building, rooms in the middle are somewhat larger than rooms on either end, so ask to be blocked in a center room.
There are two distinct styles of rooms in this Four Seasons. Some floors are decorated with an Asian motif - with reds and golds, darker woods, and "lucky coins" in the carpet pattern. Other floors have a "contemporary" motif - more neutral colors with earth tones and lavender accents. Western guests are said to prefer the Asian rooms, while Asian guests are said to prefer the contemporary rooms! Mine was an Asian-styled room, and I loved it. Bathrooms are everything you would expect from a Four Seasons - full marble bathrooms accented with Asian motifs. Every bathroom in the hotel has dual vanities, a soaking tub, separate step-in shower, and a private toilet with closing door. And if you book a Four Seasons Executive Suite (or up), the accommodations are even more fabulous. The Executive Suite is really a full 1 BR Suite with closing pocket doors between the large sitting room and master bedroom, a large walk-in closet, and corner views.
Club Lounge access is included in Suite bookings and can be purchased as an add-on with regular guest rooms. The Lounge provides an observation deck over the harbour as well as food presentations during the day including a breakfast buffet with omelet station, Afternoon Tea, and a dinner buffet in the evening.
The Four Seasons is the only hotel in the world with two three-starred Michelin restaurants. Caprice is a gorgeous restaurant with a view of the harbour, an open kitchen, and a special cheese room. Lung King Heen serves gourmet Chinese cuisine and boasts the distinction of being the first Chinese restaurant to have been awarded a third star.
Upper House
looking up the central atrium of Upper House
The Upper House is the newest Virtuoso hotel in Hong Kong and a member of the Preferred Hotel group. This boutique hotel has just 117 rooms. Its light and airy contemporary style was designed to create a residential feeling from the moment a guest arrives on property. The hotel's name refers to the "upward journey" that guests take to the hotel itself. With no front desk; guests are immediately taken to their room where they are checked in by iPad. Guest rooms begin at floor 38, and the restaurant on the top floor (49) has panoramic views of Hong Kong and the harbor.
The restful feeling begins in the hallways whose plush carpeting, linen wallpaper on the outside wall, and bamboo baffles on the inside walls, effectively deaden the sound as you walk down the hallway. The peaceful feeling extends into the guest rooms where colors are distinctly muted.
The lead-in room category is a Studio 70 (730 square feet), but these were all occupied for our site inspection We were shown a Studio 80 with Island view. This Junior Suite provides 840 square feet of living space and has oak floors and bamboo built-ins. Bathrooms are large, all with dual vanities, and impressive views can be seen from both the huge soaking tub and from a separate rain shower. Guests have a choice of chenille bathrobes or silk Japanese yukata, and there is even a special amenity kit that guests are invited take home with them.
We were also shown an Upper Suite, a 1200 square foot one bedroom suite whose harbour view is actually enhanced by the lower buildings in front of the hotel that provide a "foreground" to the harbour.
A lot is included the price of your room at the Upper House. A complimentary "Maxi Bar" provides beer, soft drinks, mineral water, juices and snacks; guests are charged only for wine. Wireless internet is provided on a complimentary basis throughout the hotel … and Virtuoso guests receive complimentary breakfast and an Afternoon Tea for two, in addition to an upgrade if available at check-in..
We enjoyed our lunch at Café Grey Deluxe. The restaurant was intended to offer very good food at accessible prices, and the hotel was actually surprised when it learned that the restaurant had been awarded a Michelin star. Food is western, café-style, and don't pass up the molten chocolate brownies for dessert.
Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
view from the windows of Tosca
“If you build it, they will come.” The Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris; visitors will pay and wait in line to take the elevator (or walk) to the top of this iconic tower to enjoy the views of Paris from the top. Tourists to New York used to pay to take the elevator to the observation deck of the World Trade Center (and still do pay to ride to the top of the Empire State Building). So it should be no surprise that when Ritz-Carlton planned a hotel on the very top floors of the new ICC Building in Hong Kong, the fourth tallest building in the world, it would attract a lot of attention.
And it has. With 312 rooms starting on floor 103 of the ICC building, two restaurants — Tin Lung Heen (Chinese) and Tosca (Italian) on floor 102, and a bar (Ozone) that serves drinks, sushi, and Asian Tapas on the very top floor in Hong Kong, this is a hotel with a buzz. During my site inspection on Saturday afternoon, every table in the Lounge was occupied by visitors enjoying Afternoon Tea. No wonder!
High-speed elevators whisk guests to the main lobby on the 103rd floor in just 52 seconds; your ears do "pop" both on the way up and on the way down. Interior styling is very contemporary with an Asian motif. The lobby has marble floors, black lacquered wooden walls, and a painted ceiling in the medium of ancient ink on canvas. There is nothing at all understated about the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong; its use of colors and materials is intentionally dramatic. But nothing is quite so bold and dramatic as the "Peak-level" views afforded from each guest room in the hotel.
Guest rooms are 540 square feet, and each bathroom offers dual vanities, separate step-in showers, and complimentary internet. But most importantly, each room offers dramatic views in every direction from high above the city. The "smaller" skyscrapers of Kowloon seem strangely tiny from the view high above them. Deluxe rooms face north away from the harbour over Kowloon. Deluxe Harbour rooms have a very interesting view to the west over Kowloon's port. But if you can possibly do it, book a Harbour Island room for its unforgettable views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong. The most dramatic rooms in the house are found in the Suites, all of which occupy corners of the hotel. (And given occupancy levels, especially on weekends, you shouldn't count on an upgrade).
Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong has an unique Club open 24 hours per day with six food presentations, although alcohol is only served when the Club is attended. Cocktails are available, and wine by the glass is served from an Enomatic wine machine.
Last edited by DavidO; May 1, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Apr 26, 2011, 10:13 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Asheville, NC
Programs: Virtuoso, FSPP, STARS, MO FAN Club, PEN Club, Bellini Club, Dorchester Diamond Club, Travel Leaders
Posts: 1,854
Bali — staying near the beach
Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay
We spent two nights at FS Jimbaran Bay, about a half hour drive from DPS. The drive is not the most attractive, but once you have reached the Four Seasons, you will know that you have arrived at an exclusive enclave. The resort consists of 147 hillside villas overlooking Jimbaran Bay. We stayed in an Ocean Front Villa, # 104 (which likely is the villa pictured above from the FS website). All villas have the same configuration, differing only in the view afforded. Each is 200 square meters, that area including private outdoor space.
I was impressed with the architectural design of the resort; villas are built out of blocks of the same black volcanic rock — and with similar design motifs — used to construct the countless temples you will see everywhere in Bali, so you definitely get a sense of "place" at FS Jimbaran Bay. Painted wooden doors lead through a stone gateway into your extensive private courtyard. To one side is a large open air living room under a thatched roof with a ceiling fan, sitting area, minibar, and a round table around which guests can enjoy breakfast or another meal through in-villa dining. Straightaway is a private plunge pool which provided the foreground for our beautiful view of Jimbaran Bay. To the other side is the entrance into the master bedroom suite. Space is very generous. A separate dressing area provides two closets, and the bathroom has a large soaking tub, dual vanities, and both indoor and outdoor showers. Villas are beautifully furnished with marble floors throughout, thatched roofs, and Balinese motifs in the furnishings.
FS Jimbaran Bay is a large resort, and a complimentary "buggy service" is available at any time to take you wherever you might wish to go in the resort. Kid-friendly, there is a complimentary "Kids for All Seasons" programs as well as complimentary baby sitting for parents who want to enjoy a romantic dinner in one of the resort's three restaurants. The spa provides a full menu of treatments, and there is a fully equipped exercise room with views of the lush landscaping around the spa facility.
Being a hillside resort, none of the villas are "on" the beach. However, you can walk to the beach (or take a "buggy"). Four Seasons has several shaded areas alongside the beach with lounge chairs which attendants will set up for you. We spent our final morning swimming in the bay (the water was calm and the temperature perfect), then spent an hour relaxing in lounge chairs under the trees, just looking out onto the water. Wonderful! If you are a fan of Four Seasons beach resorts, you will be satisfied with your stay at Jimbaran Bay.
Amankila
The final stay on our trip to Bali and Java, Amankila is one of the most elegant and serene beach resorts in the world. Situated on east Bali on a hillside overlooking the Indian Ocean. Amankila has just 35 suites, and its guests have access to a wide beach or any of four public pools. Nine lucky guests staying in pool suites can also relax alongside their own private plunge pool (about 30' long by 10' wide).
We spent two nights in a Pool Suite which had a filtered view of the ocean. Suites are large (about 680 total square feet) and beautifully furnished. Floors and bathrooms are finished in beautiful terrazzo, and furnishings, doors, windows, and accents are solid teak wood. The Master Bedroom has a King bed centered along one outside wall, and a twin-sized daybed and large desk (providing both 110 and 220 AC power) on the other side of the room. Free Wifi is provided to guests at Amankila.
Passing through to the next section of the suite, there is a window seat along one outside wall and a terrazzo tub along the other outside wall, along with a toilet and step-in rain shower, both with wooden privacy doors. The final section of the suite has two separate vanities and two dressing areas, each with drawers and closet space, are found on the left and right sides of the room.
Common to a lot of resorts in Bali, Amankila has a vertical orientation up and down a hillside, and you will need to be comfortable climbing stairs. It's an easy walk to the beach and the Beach Club restaurant, but you may wish to take advantage of the buggy service back to the main Lobby area. Guest assistants can help you plan sightseeing or shopping trips in the vicinity of the resort.
Amankila seemed to have the highest occupancy rate of all the Aman properties we visited in Indonesia, and small wonder. If you are desiring a serenely elegant beach vacation, there is no better choice in Bali.
Jimbaran Puri Bali
I wanted to see some less expensive options on the beach in Bali, and as my agency is a preferred partner of Orient-Express, I made plans for a site inspection of Jimbaran Puri Bali. There is a certain feeling that Orient-Express properties creates for me, and Jimbaran Puri provides that same feeling. The resort is neither as large nor as elaborate as FS Jimbaran Bay. Just 42 cottages and 22 newly constructed villas, all at sea level, some with a direct view of the beach across a lovely, shaded, green lawn. What this resort offers is simple: direct access to a great beach and a great pool — in other words, everything you really need for a very comfortable but non-pretentious beach vacation.
Jimbaran Puri is located on Jimbaran Bay, a 30 minute walk on the beach from the Four Seasons (with the InterContinental Bali in-between). The thatched roof cottages are quite understated on the outside (in fact, they look quite humble in photographs), but they are spacious and comfortable on the inside with marble floors, wooden furnishings decorated with cotton batik fabrics, and a high ceiling/thatched roof. Bathrooms have a sunken marble bath tub, dual vanities, and an outdoor shower.
The 22 newly constructed 1BR and 2BR villas are large and exceedingly private, each with its own courtyard, pool and living generous space. 2BR Villas provide a detached King-bedded master suite, twin beds in the second bedroom, along with a dining area and a living room (that can accommodate additional children). Villas do not have beach views, but along with the rest of the accommodations, the walk to the beach is short and level.
With prices perhaps one-third those at the Four Seasons, Jimbaran Puri is a very reasonably priced option to consider on Jimbaran Bay. The clientele is mostly European, but I would not hesitate to recommend this resort.
Amanusa
Amanusa is an elegant and exclusive resort. Perhaps the best way to describe the aesthetic experience is to think about its large and soaring lobby (which seems even larger in reality than this picture) and its palatial main swimming pool … and to consider that the resort has just 35 suites. So much space and attention is lavished on just a very few select guests… that's what Aman is about.
The accommodations are Zen elegant … simple, spacious, and beautiful. The Pool Suite we were shown was absolutely gorgeous, with every detail — from its stunning marble floor to its full-length private pool — exquisitely planned.
While all beaches on Bali are public, Amanusa has a private beach club available only to resort guests. This private area was created just off the public beach and provides shaded lawn chairs, a beach restaurant, washrooms, and recreational equipment. We visited around sunset while a candlelit barbecue was being set up on the beach. The resort itself is high above the water (with spectacular views), and a shuttle service is provided to take guests to the Beach Club. You cannot walk to the beach.
Amanusa provides priority reservations for its guests at the adjacent Bali Golf and Country Club. If you want to play golf while on Bali, this is where you will want to stay. With a location convenient to the airport, this is a resort to consider at the very beginning or end of your Bali vacation.
We spent two nights at FS Jimbaran Bay, about a half hour drive from DPS. The drive is not the most attractive, but once you have reached the Four Seasons, you will know that you have arrived at an exclusive enclave. The resort consists of 147 hillside villas overlooking Jimbaran Bay. We stayed in an Ocean Front Villa, # 104 (which likely is the villa pictured above from the FS website). All villas have the same configuration, differing only in the view afforded. Each is 200 square meters, that area including private outdoor space.
I was impressed with the architectural design of the resort; villas are built out of blocks of the same black volcanic rock — and with similar design motifs — used to construct the countless temples you will see everywhere in Bali, so you definitely get a sense of "place" at FS Jimbaran Bay. Painted wooden doors lead through a stone gateway into your extensive private courtyard. To one side is a large open air living room under a thatched roof with a ceiling fan, sitting area, minibar, and a round table around which guests can enjoy breakfast or another meal through in-villa dining. Straightaway is a private plunge pool which provided the foreground for our beautiful view of Jimbaran Bay. To the other side is the entrance into the master bedroom suite. Space is very generous. A separate dressing area provides two closets, and the bathroom has a large soaking tub, dual vanities, and both indoor and outdoor showers. Villas are beautifully furnished with marble floors throughout, thatched roofs, and Balinese motifs in the furnishings.
FS Jimbaran Bay is a large resort, and a complimentary "buggy service" is available at any time to take you wherever you might wish to go in the resort. Kid-friendly, there is a complimentary "Kids for All Seasons" programs as well as complimentary baby sitting for parents who want to enjoy a romantic dinner in one of the resort's three restaurants. The spa provides a full menu of treatments, and there is a fully equipped exercise room with views of the lush landscaping around the spa facility.
Being a hillside resort, none of the villas are "on" the beach. However, you can walk to the beach (or take a "buggy"). Four Seasons has several shaded areas alongside the beach with lounge chairs which attendants will set up for you. We spent our final morning swimming in the bay (the water was calm and the temperature perfect), then spent an hour relaxing in lounge chairs under the trees, just looking out onto the water. Wonderful! If you are a fan of Four Seasons beach resorts, you will be satisfied with your stay at Jimbaran Bay.
Amankila
The final stay on our trip to Bali and Java, Amankila is one of the most elegant and serene beach resorts in the world. Situated on east Bali on a hillside overlooking the Indian Ocean. Amankila has just 35 suites, and its guests have access to a wide beach or any of four public pools. Nine lucky guests staying in pool suites can also relax alongside their own private plunge pool (about 30' long by 10' wide).
We spent two nights in a Pool Suite which had a filtered view of the ocean. Suites are large (about 680 total square feet) and beautifully furnished. Floors and bathrooms are finished in beautiful terrazzo, and furnishings, doors, windows, and accents are solid teak wood. The Master Bedroom has a King bed centered along one outside wall, and a twin-sized daybed and large desk (providing both 110 and 220 AC power) on the other side of the room. Free Wifi is provided to guests at Amankila.
Passing through to the next section of the suite, there is a window seat along one outside wall and a terrazzo tub along the other outside wall, along with a toilet and step-in rain shower, both with wooden privacy doors. The final section of the suite has two separate vanities and two dressing areas, each with drawers and closet space, are found on the left and right sides of the room.
Common to a lot of resorts in Bali, Amankila has a vertical orientation up and down a hillside, and you will need to be comfortable climbing stairs. It's an easy walk to the beach and the Beach Club restaurant, but you may wish to take advantage of the buggy service back to the main Lobby area. Guest assistants can help you plan sightseeing or shopping trips in the vicinity of the resort.
Amankila seemed to have the highest occupancy rate of all the Aman properties we visited in Indonesia, and small wonder. If you are desiring a serenely elegant beach vacation, there is no better choice in Bali.
Jimbaran Puri Bali
I wanted to see some less expensive options on the beach in Bali, and as my agency is a preferred partner of Orient-Express, I made plans for a site inspection of Jimbaran Puri Bali. There is a certain feeling that Orient-Express properties creates for me, and Jimbaran Puri provides that same feeling. The resort is neither as large nor as elaborate as FS Jimbaran Bay. Just 42 cottages and 22 newly constructed villas, all at sea level, some with a direct view of the beach across a lovely, shaded, green lawn. What this resort offers is simple: direct access to a great beach and a great pool — in other words, everything you really need for a very comfortable but non-pretentious beach vacation.
Jimbaran Puri is located on Jimbaran Bay, a 30 minute walk on the beach from the Four Seasons (with the InterContinental Bali in-between). The thatched roof cottages are quite understated on the outside (in fact, they look quite humble in photographs), but they are spacious and comfortable on the inside with marble floors, wooden furnishings decorated with cotton batik fabrics, and a high ceiling/thatched roof. Bathrooms have a sunken marble bath tub, dual vanities, and an outdoor shower.
The 22 newly constructed 1BR and 2BR villas are large and exceedingly private, each with its own courtyard, pool and living generous space. 2BR Villas provide a detached King-bedded master suite, twin beds in the second bedroom, along with a dining area and a living room (that can accommodate additional children). Villas do not have beach views, but along with the rest of the accommodations, the walk to the beach is short and level.
With prices perhaps one-third those at the Four Seasons, Jimbaran Puri is a very reasonably priced option to consider on Jimbaran Bay. The clientele is mostly European, but I would not hesitate to recommend this resort.
Amanusa
Amanusa is an elegant and exclusive resort. Perhaps the best way to describe the aesthetic experience is to think about its large and soaring lobby (which seems even larger in reality than this picture) and its palatial main swimming pool … and to consider that the resort has just 35 suites. So much space and attention is lavished on just a very few select guests… that's what Aman is about.
The accommodations are Zen elegant … simple, spacious, and beautiful. The Pool Suite we were shown was absolutely gorgeous, with every detail — from its stunning marble floor to its full-length private pool — exquisitely planned.
While all beaches on Bali are public, Amanusa has a private beach club available only to resort guests. This private area was created just off the public beach and provides shaded lawn chairs, a beach restaurant, washrooms, and recreational equipment. We visited around sunset while a candlelit barbecue was being set up on the beach. The resort itself is high above the water (with spectacular views), and a shuttle service is provided to take guests to the Beach Club. You cannot walk to the beach.
Amanusa provides priority reservations for its guests at the adjacent Bali Golf and Country Club. If you want to play golf while on Bali, this is where you will want to stay. With a location convenient to the airport, this is a resort to consider at the very beginning or end of your Bali vacation.
Last edited by DavidO; May 11, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Apr 26, 2011, 10:13 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Asheville, NC
Programs: Virtuoso, FSPP, STARS, MO FAN Club, PEN Club, Bellini Club, Dorchester Diamond Club, Travel Leaders
Posts: 1,854
Bali — site inspections from the Ubud area
First, some notes about Ubud. One of the highlights of the trip to Ubud is simple the drive out of busy, crowded Denpassar north into the hills (as long as you are being driven, not driving yourself!). The traffic moves faster, but as in the city, there are scores of small motor scooters on the streets. The sole industry in the small villages along the way is the particular craft that they have passed down through the generations — such as stone carving or wood carving. In many villages that you drive through, every house will have its inventory of hundreds of unsold craft items displayed right along the road. The sight of driving past shop after shop with hundreds of stone carvings is memorable. It's definitely a buyers market, but as the cost of shipping heavy stones back home would be prohibitive, I can't imagine they are selling much of anything to passing tourists.
Ubud is in the cultural center of Bali, an area you definitely should visit if you want to experience this destination, but it is overrun with the success of its tourism. The streets are crowded and lined with too many shops and restaurants. To enjoy a worthwhile experience in the area of Ubud, you should engage a driver-guide who can show and describe to you the culture of the area - the small villages, the rice paddies, the temples, the belief and practices of the Balinese, the master craftsmen, etc.
Amandari
We spent two evenings at Amandari in a River View Pool Suite. Amandari is designed to resemble a small Balinese village (as is FS Jimbaran Bay). The major difference is the scale of the resort; Amandari has only 30 villas. There is an expansive feeling, with beautiful, landscaped walkways leading through the resort. Separation between the villas creates a real sense of privacy. Amandari's common areas are exceptional in their beauty and serenity.
There are three room categories at Amandari. Village Suites are on the "village" side of the property with views just of your villa's garden courtyard. River Suites look out towards the river and the hillside beyond. Pool suites (offered in the River View category only) have a large and very private green-tiled pool. There is marble flooring throughout the first floor of your villa. The bathroom provides two separate vanities, a step-in shower, and an outdoor sunken bath.
Amandari has both single-level and bi-level villas. The bi-level villas have more living space (with the master bedroom, a power room, and desk on the second floor) and are ideal for a family. However, if you are traveling as a couple, I strongly recommend requesting a single-level villa at the time of booking. It's far more convenient to have everything on one floor. It has been noted on this forum that Amandari is an older resort and its rooms are a little dated. I would agree with this assessment. While FS Sayan has a superior room product, I loved the traditional Balinese setting of Amandari and Aman's personal and intimate service. If Amandari renovates its villas, it will be the perfect resort.
Beyond the physical product, Aman offers the opportunity to really engage the culture of the surrounding area. With a three night stay, you receive the Aman Bali Experience — providing not only a nightly discount but one complimentary activity per stay. While you could use it on a spa treatment, don't! We went on a 3 hour cultural tour with our Aman driver-guide today (that extended to over 4 hours), and he showed us a side of Bali we could never have found any other way - a totally personalized tour in which we visited a Balinese home, an art studio, a master wood carver's shop, and a popular temple … early enough that we could enjoy the temple all to ourselves before the tourists got there.
The previous evening, we took advantage of the opportunity to experience a local religious festival (there is a schedule of ceremonies in your room - or just ask at the front desk). Our driver-guide dressed us in traditional sarongs and took us to a local celebration that was an incredible experience of Balinese culture - a cacophony of bright colors (reds and golds and yellows), sounds (a Hindu priest ringing a bell, a soloist chanting), smells (incense), sights (villagers bringing offerings of fruit baskets, others praying devoutly as they offered flower petals), and the experience of a community that had come together for a social and religious festival. That 20 minute visit to the temple ceremony will be an experience that will stay with me forever.
Four Seasons Sayan
Four Seasons Sayan is a very contemporary 60 room resort about five minutes south of Amandari. The entrance is at the top of a hillside; guests walk across a bridge and down a staircase into the main lobby (see the picture above). The resort is built into the hillside below the entrance level. The property is quite vast, and buggies are available 24 hours a day to transport guests around the resort.
Guest rooms are everything you would expect from a Four Seasons. Like Jimbaran Bay, they are designed with the traditional Balinese dwelling in mind — an outdoor covered living area and an indoor sleeping area. The enclosed master bedroom has a large dressing area and a great bathroom with black marble vanity with two sinks, a marble soaking tub, and a large step-in shower with attractive green tiles.
Suites and Villas are virtually identical in layout, but Villas are detached and provide you with a private infinity pool. Garden Villas overlook rice paddies while River Front Villas offer a direct view of the river - an upsell that is quite worth it, in my opinion. If you're after the best and most up-to-date room product in Ubud, FS Sayan would be your choice.
Chedi Club
Chedi Club is a small resort (a GHM property), just 20 suites and villas, close to Ubud. What is unique about this property is that it is set in the midst of the rice fields of the adjacent village. The guest suites and villas look out over the fields, as do the Spa and exercise room. Pictured above is the "front lawn" of the Chedi Club at dawn, the front lawn being a rice field; bear in mind that the appearance of the rice fields will change during the course of each four-month growing season.
We stayed in one of the resort's nine Pool Villas. A large private courtyard provides your own infinity lap pool (about 24' by 7'). The courtyard is furnished with two lounge chairs on side side of the pool, a day bed on the other side, and a covered dining area at one end, and an open view of the rice fields at the other end. The guestroom has a total area of about 430 square feet - no marble floors or baths but with attractive terracotta flooring. There is a bamboo wall at the head of the bed bed, behind which is space for a dressing area and desk (with complimentary ethernet internet access), useful if one guest wants to rise early to check email while the other guest prefers to sleep. The bathroom has two separate vanities, a large shower, and a very large outdoor soaking tub.
There are three Spa villas with larger enclosed indoor space ideal for a family (three day beds along one side of the large living room), a master bedroom, a private spa room with two tables set up (a couple receives one 90-minute massage per guest per day), dual vanities inside and an outdoor soaking tub, rain shower, a small outdoor "plunge pool" (really, a small tub), and a sauna.
The seven Suites have a large bedroom and living room space with outdoor covered bathtub and rain shower.
The service at the Chedi Club is personal and attentive - we had some special concerns come up at the beginning of our stay, and GM Stefan Noll could not have been more accommodating. One of the features of Chedi Club is the personal butler service. Our butler met us at check-in and took us to our villa, and she explained that she was on call to provide anything you need - whether it be to restock the complimentary mini-bar (which includes gin, whiskey, and vodka as well as soft drinks and bottled water), set up unlimited complimentary transfers into Ubud, make dinner reservations, or guide you on a one-hour walk through the rice fields and the adjacent village of Tanah Gajah (a highly recommended experience). And an extra bonus: Chedi Club provides complimentary laundry service, so this would be a perfect place to stay in the middle of your trip to Bali!
If you have an opportunity to attend a performance of the twice-weekly show, Kecak Fire Dance, I would definitely recommend this. Not your typical native cultural dance with a few local dancers, this dramatic choral and dance performance has a cast of between 75 - 120. A compelling performance, it holds your attention, and is followed by an Indonesian Feast.
Chedi Club has a spa that looks out over the rice fields, as well as a well-equipped exercise room.
Ubud Hanging Gardens
A small resort - just 38 rooms, Ubud Hanging Gardens is adjacent to a small rural village about 30 minutes from Ubud. Owned by Orient-Express, the resort is perched on a hillside overlooking the Ayung River. In fact, this is the origin of the name "Hanging Gardens." With a vertical orientation up and down the steep hillside, there are two funiculars taking guests to the different levels of the resort, although you can use the steps.
Rooms feel very "Orient-Express" with lots of natural wood— the floor and in the furnishings. The property was 90% occupied when we visited, but we were able to see a Panoramic Room, the most popular room category as it offers a view of the temple on the opposite hillside across the river. The room was small by comparison to the Aman and Four Seasons properties in Bali; the Master Bedroom felt like a typical Superior room plus a private outside patio. Bathrooms feature dual vanities with both an indoor and an outdoor soaking tub (with showers in the tub). Free WiFi is provided guests throughout the property, and a buffet breakfast is included in the room rate.
The Spa was very special, open to the outside (see above) with the soothing sounds of the river, birds, and crickets providing a natural background for your treatment. No need for canned music from a CD here!
Ubud Hanging Gardens offers a unique experience for guests, a private dinner in the Temple across the river. Guests are driven to the Temple (illuminated at night) for a private romantic dinner. Afterwards, the couple makes their way down lighted steps to the river where they receive a Hindu blessing, followed by a Couples Massage for two.
Rates are reasonable, starting at $400 for a Suite with private infinity pool. There is also a joint package with Jimbaran Puri resort that includes a dinner at each resort and transfers; the package requires at least three days at each resort.
Ubud is in the cultural center of Bali, an area you definitely should visit if you want to experience this destination, but it is overrun with the success of its tourism. The streets are crowded and lined with too many shops and restaurants. To enjoy a worthwhile experience in the area of Ubud, you should engage a driver-guide who can show and describe to you the culture of the area - the small villages, the rice paddies, the temples, the belief and practices of the Balinese, the master craftsmen, etc.
Amandari
We spent two evenings at Amandari in a River View Pool Suite. Amandari is designed to resemble a small Balinese village (as is FS Jimbaran Bay). The major difference is the scale of the resort; Amandari has only 30 villas. There is an expansive feeling, with beautiful, landscaped walkways leading through the resort. Separation between the villas creates a real sense of privacy. Amandari's common areas are exceptional in their beauty and serenity.
There are three room categories at Amandari. Village Suites are on the "village" side of the property with views just of your villa's garden courtyard. River Suites look out towards the river and the hillside beyond. Pool suites (offered in the River View category only) have a large and very private green-tiled pool. There is marble flooring throughout the first floor of your villa. The bathroom provides two separate vanities, a step-in shower, and an outdoor sunken bath.
Amandari has both single-level and bi-level villas. The bi-level villas have more living space (with the master bedroom, a power room, and desk on the second floor) and are ideal for a family. However, if you are traveling as a couple, I strongly recommend requesting a single-level villa at the time of booking. It's far more convenient to have everything on one floor. It has been noted on this forum that Amandari is an older resort and its rooms are a little dated. I would agree with this assessment. While FS Sayan has a superior room product, I loved the traditional Balinese setting of Amandari and Aman's personal and intimate service. If Amandari renovates its villas, it will be the perfect resort.
Beyond the physical product, Aman offers the opportunity to really engage the culture of the surrounding area. With a three night stay, you receive the Aman Bali Experience — providing not only a nightly discount but one complimentary activity per stay. While you could use it on a spa treatment, don't! We went on a 3 hour cultural tour with our Aman driver-guide today (that extended to over 4 hours), and he showed us a side of Bali we could never have found any other way - a totally personalized tour in which we visited a Balinese home, an art studio, a master wood carver's shop, and a popular temple … early enough that we could enjoy the temple all to ourselves before the tourists got there.
The previous evening, we took advantage of the opportunity to experience a local religious festival (there is a schedule of ceremonies in your room - or just ask at the front desk). Our driver-guide dressed us in traditional sarongs and took us to a local celebration that was an incredible experience of Balinese culture - a cacophony of bright colors (reds and golds and yellows), sounds (a Hindu priest ringing a bell, a soloist chanting), smells (incense), sights (villagers bringing offerings of fruit baskets, others praying devoutly as they offered flower petals), and the experience of a community that had come together for a social and religious festival. That 20 minute visit to the temple ceremony will be an experience that will stay with me forever.
Four Seasons Sayan
Four Seasons Sayan is a very contemporary 60 room resort about five minutes south of Amandari. The entrance is at the top of a hillside; guests walk across a bridge and down a staircase into the main lobby (see the picture above). The resort is built into the hillside below the entrance level. The property is quite vast, and buggies are available 24 hours a day to transport guests around the resort.
Guest rooms are everything you would expect from a Four Seasons. Like Jimbaran Bay, they are designed with the traditional Balinese dwelling in mind — an outdoor covered living area and an indoor sleeping area. The enclosed master bedroom has a large dressing area and a great bathroom with black marble vanity with two sinks, a marble soaking tub, and a large step-in shower with attractive green tiles.
Suites and Villas are virtually identical in layout, but Villas are detached and provide you with a private infinity pool. Garden Villas overlook rice paddies while River Front Villas offer a direct view of the river - an upsell that is quite worth it, in my opinion. If you're after the best and most up-to-date room product in Ubud, FS Sayan would be your choice.
Chedi Club
Chedi Club is a small resort (a GHM property), just 20 suites and villas, close to Ubud. What is unique about this property is that it is set in the midst of the rice fields of the adjacent village. The guest suites and villas look out over the fields, as do the Spa and exercise room. Pictured above is the "front lawn" of the Chedi Club at dawn, the front lawn being a rice field; bear in mind that the appearance of the rice fields will change during the course of each four-month growing season.
We stayed in one of the resort's nine Pool Villas. A large private courtyard provides your own infinity lap pool (about 24' by 7'). The courtyard is furnished with two lounge chairs on side side of the pool, a day bed on the other side, and a covered dining area at one end, and an open view of the rice fields at the other end. The guestroom has a total area of about 430 square feet - no marble floors or baths but with attractive terracotta flooring. There is a bamboo wall at the head of the bed bed, behind which is space for a dressing area and desk (with complimentary ethernet internet access), useful if one guest wants to rise early to check email while the other guest prefers to sleep. The bathroom has two separate vanities, a large shower, and a very large outdoor soaking tub.
There are three Spa villas with larger enclosed indoor space ideal for a family (three day beds along one side of the large living room), a master bedroom, a private spa room with two tables set up (a couple receives one 90-minute massage per guest per day), dual vanities inside and an outdoor soaking tub, rain shower, a small outdoor "plunge pool" (really, a small tub), and a sauna.
The seven Suites have a large bedroom and living room space with outdoor covered bathtub and rain shower.
The service at the Chedi Club is personal and attentive - we had some special concerns come up at the beginning of our stay, and GM Stefan Noll could not have been more accommodating. One of the features of Chedi Club is the personal butler service. Our butler met us at check-in and took us to our villa, and she explained that she was on call to provide anything you need - whether it be to restock the complimentary mini-bar (which includes gin, whiskey, and vodka as well as soft drinks and bottled water), set up unlimited complimentary transfers into Ubud, make dinner reservations, or guide you on a one-hour walk through the rice fields and the adjacent village of Tanah Gajah (a highly recommended experience). And an extra bonus: Chedi Club provides complimentary laundry service, so this would be a perfect place to stay in the middle of your trip to Bali!
If you have an opportunity to attend a performance of the twice-weekly show, Kecak Fire Dance, I would definitely recommend this. Not your typical native cultural dance with a few local dancers, this dramatic choral and dance performance has a cast of between 75 - 120. A compelling performance, it holds your attention, and is followed by an Indonesian Feast.
Chedi Club has a spa that looks out over the rice fields, as well as a well-equipped exercise room.
Ubud Hanging Gardens
A small resort - just 38 rooms, Ubud Hanging Gardens is adjacent to a small rural village about 30 minutes from Ubud. Owned by Orient-Express, the resort is perched on a hillside overlooking the Ayung River. In fact, this is the origin of the name "Hanging Gardens." With a vertical orientation up and down the steep hillside, there are two funiculars taking guests to the different levels of the resort, although you can use the steps.
Rooms feel very "Orient-Express" with lots of natural wood— the floor and in the furnishings. The property was 90% occupied when we visited, but we were able to see a Panoramic Room, the most popular room category as it offers a view of the temple on the opposite hillside across the river. The room was small by comparison to the Aman and Four Seasons properties in Bali; the Master Bedroom felt like a typical Superior room plus a private outside patio. Bathrooms feature dual vanities with both an indoor and an outdoor soaking tub (with showers in the tub). Free WiFi is provided guests throughout the property, and a buffet breakfast is included in the room rate.
The Spa was very special, open to the outside (see above) with the soothing sounds of the river, birds, and crickets providing a natural background for your treatment. No need for canned music from a CD here!
Ubud Hanging Gardens offers a unique experience for guests, a private dinner in the Temple across the river. Guests are driven to the Temple (illuminated at night) for a private romantic dinner. Afterwards, the couple makes their way down lighted steps to the river where they receive a Hindu blessing, followed by a Couples Massage for two.
Rates are reasonable, starting at $400 for a Suite with private infinity pool. There is also a joint package with Jimbaran Puri resort that includes a dinner at each resort and transfers; the package requires at least three days at each resort.
Last edited by DavidO; May 6, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Apr 26, 2011, 10:14 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Asheville, NC
Programs: Virtuoso, FSPP, STARS, MO FAN Club, PEN Club, Bellini Club, Dorchester Diamond Club, Travel Leaders
Posts: 1,854
Amanjiwo - site inspection
Amanjiwo is an exquisite and beautiful resort, but it's really all about the destination - the Borobudur area of Java. Relatively unspoiled by western tourists, Borobudur is a tourist destination to take advantage of now, before the rest of the world catches on.
There's so much to see and do in Java… and a fascinating culture to experience. Here are some of the things that Amanjiwo set up for us:
- A pre-dawn visit to Borobudur (before the tourists for the day arrive), followed by a private picnic breakfast on a hillside overlooking the temple.
- A visit to a local market.
- Dinner at a private home.
- A tour of the home shops of local artisans - who make such diverse things as palm sugar, pottery, tofu, and noodles.
- A tour of the largest private art collection in Indonesia, with the collector himself - Dr. Oei Hong Kjien - as the guide.
- A walking tour of some very impressive terraced rice fields, concluding with a visit to a Hindu temple.
Java is one place on earth where they have not seen a lot of western faces.
Now about the resort itself. Amanjiwo has just 35 rooms and had few guests when we visited in May - lots of opportunities for upgrades here except perhaps in July or August. Amanjiwo is designed with the UNESCO World Heritage temple at Borobudur in mind. Driving in the front driveway, you can see the temple framed in the picture window in the resort's facade (pictured above). The resort is designed in three concentric circles, an architectural allusion to the top of the Borobudur temple.
Guests suites are identical in design, differing only in the view offered. The floors, showers, and sinks are all terrazza, and extensive teak wood is used in the elegant rooms. You enter a palatial master bedroom area with a King bed on a terra-cotta pedestal centered in the room. There is a large desk in one corner (free and fast WiFi is provided for guests) and a large day bed on the opposite side of the room. Two large dressing areas each have their own sink and vanity. Suites have a separate step-in shower as well as an outdoor soaking tub. Garden view suites have views just of the landscaping while Borobudur suites offer a direct view of the temple itself. Some rooms have private and substantial infinity-edge pools, but the resort's public pool is spectacular and elegant as well.
Guest assistants can help you plan your sightseeing of the area, and Aman's driver-guides are knowledgeable and tireless! One complimentary activity is included either with a three-night stay (Aman Java Experience) or with the Bali & Beyond package.
I highly recommend Java as a destination, either in the middle of your trip to Bali - or at the beginning or end of your trip. Amanjiwo will not disappoint.
Last edited by DavidO; May 11, 2011 at 6:39 am
Apr 27, 2011, 4:19 am
#7
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Belfast , UK
Programs: AMEX PLAT , HILTON GOLD, STARWOOD PREFERRED GUEST GOLD, IHG PLAT AMBASSADOR, DAVID O FAN CLUB
Posts: 383
great stuff DavidO
I have booked through DavidO for
4 nights chedi club
3 nights amankila
4 nights club at the legian
for my honeymoon in september and it will be interesting to see how you get on , especially at chedi and amankila.
must fix up my hotel for singapore ( 2nts ) when you get back!
safe trip
enjoy
I have booked through DavidO for
4 nights chedi club
3 nights amankila
4 nights club at the legian
for my honeymoon in september and it will be interesting to see how you get on , especially at chedi and amankila.
must fix up my hotel for singapore ( 2nts ) when you get back!
safe trip
enjoy
Apr 27, 2011, 6:32 am
#9
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SkyMiles PM/2MM, AA Plat, IC Diam. Amb., Peninsula regular, amanjunkie
Posts: 5,848
I'm jealous of your trip. So much time in such lovely places in Indonesia. But I can't be too jealous for too long, as Mr. Megatop and I are headed there ourselves in December, on amanbookings handled by none other than DavidO.
I trust you've done FS Sayan on previous visits, so no need to return.
I'll be most interested in your impression of FS Jimbaran Bay. Although we stayed in a lovely 2 BR oceanfront villa there, overall, we didn't love the property as much as I've loved others in Bali (including FS Sayan), mostly because the Jimbaran hotel villas were too close together. It would be helpful to have a site inspection of the FS Jimbaran Residence Villas. They're advertised as much larger than the hotel villas and usually listed at cheaper rates. Are they a good value proposition? What are the drawbacks, if any? We didn't have a chance to figure that our while there last November.
Apr 27, 2011, 7:04 am
#10
Join Date: May 2007
Location: HKG
Programs: SPG Plat, Hyatt Diamond, QF/HH/TG/SQ GOLD
Posts: 473
Waiting your comment about the Upper House. Upper House is under my least choice now due to several issues. FS HK is always my only choice, but will also stay in RC HK next month.
Two and three night in AmanKila and Amanjiwo just perfect. I am sure DavidO will like the different style of Aman there. A brief thanks that assistance our Thailand hotels bookings.^
Two and three night in AmanKila and Amanjiwo just perfect. I am sure DavidO will like the different style of Aman there. A brief thanks that assistance our Thailand hotels bookings.^
Apr 27, 2011, 7:44 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Jakarta
Programs: Krisflyer PPS, SPG, Hyatt GoldPassport, Shangri-la Golden Circle, British Airways ExecClub
Posts: 1,245
Anyway, If you do go ahead with your stay, do report back here and let us know how it is.
Apr 27, 2011, 8:29 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
I originally booked RC for my trip to HK this week but decided to cancel after reading reports of teething issues with service and operations, which is expected for such a new hotel. Somebody else can be the guinea pig this time.
Anyway, If you do go ahead with your stay, do report back here and let us know how it is.
Anyway, If you do go ahead with your stay, do report back here and let us know how it is.
