Trip Report: Amankila, Four Seasons Sayan and Amanusa
May 9, 2011, 12:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,068
Trip Report: Amankila, Four Seasons Sayan and Amanusa
I just got back from a 2 week trip, including a couple of one night stays at Upper House Hong Kong, which I have already written a brief report on. We flew Cathay Pacific business class from Hong Kong to Denpasar. Cathay employs long haul planes for this route, meaning an extremely comfortable flat bed on the upper deck of the 747 for the 4.5 hour flight. Fantastic food and service - it felt as though we were already at Aman!
Amankila
This was a return trip and the GM Tracy was there to meet us when we arrived. We were allocated Ocean Suite 37 that we loved so much last time. The room looked very fresh and a new rainfall shower had been added. As has often been reported, Amankila is amazing - a real tropical paradise - and IMO the best of the 3 hotels we stayed at. This time the hotel was almost full due to Easter and Japanese Golden Week, yet service remained faultless. We only had one slight criticism, which related to the menu at dinner. While everything was good we found the selection quite limited and became bored after a couple of nights. This is a shame as there are limited options nearby. Luckily the daily specials were usually appealing. We went to the Alila resort next door one nght for dinner, which was fine but not amazing. It felt also as though prices have crept up at all of the Aman resorts in Bali (although maybe I was paying less attention last time). Most main courses are approaching GBP 30 and this feels a little steep when you are talking about local dishes such as Satay.
Four Seasons Sayan
We booked through DavidO and received a free night as well as an upgrade to a one bedroom villa and free breakfast. This was tremendous value for what was, without doubt, the best accommodation of the trip. Huge villa with a large totally private garden and plunge pool. Apart from the lack of view this really did rival Trisara in terms of design.
While the modern architecture of the resort is very impressive the whole feel of the place is much less rustic and authentic than Aman. When we went to Amandari one night for dinner we immediately felt further away from home again. I loved the look of Amandari, especially with the views and the giant buckets of Tuberose everywhere, but am glad that we chose the FS for its stunning accommodation.
I had my best ever spa treatment in one of the spa villas. Truly amazing - ask for Santika.
Service is generally a notch down from Aman, but not to the extent that it was a problem. Food was fine, although seemed more bland than at Aman - maybe they cater more for international tastes. The alcohol taxes in Indonesia are a pain if you want to drink wine. GBP 80 for a bottle of something very basic and much more for anything decent.
Note that the weather in Ubud is much rainier than elsewhere in Bali. After 4 nights we were pleased to head to the sunny skies of Nusa Dua.
Amanusa
Downsides first: Nusa Dua is, to me, not very appealing and does not feel very Balinese. The view from the resort reminded me of the Costa del Sol. I'm not a golfer and would not fly half way around the world to stay on a golf course. There was also some noisy construction work going on nearby and occasional low flying planes were annoying.
BUT this is still a fantatic resort. The service is top notch and the two restaurants provide terrific dining variety. The thing that really made our stay (and we would not have chosen Amanusa otherwise) is the incredible beach club. The trip down in the vintage car is fun and the beach itself is beautiful. The best lunches of the trip were served from the tiny beach kitchen - not sure how they did it, but everything was delicious.
Others have raved about the rooms at Amanusa. We stayed in a Deluxe Suite, which had a nice view towards the ocean. Compared to the beachy rustic rooms at Amankila I was less impressed with the Amanusa suites. The design is more urban and formal, with checked marble floors and bolder use of lighting in the bathroom. Just not my style. We also found the bed creaky and not entirely comfortable. Our mattress was definitely due a replacement.
On the final day we came back from the beach and had half an hour to shower and change before we left for our flight back to Hong Kong. Unfortunately there was no water in the room (or it seemed anywhere else in the resort). We were told that it was being fixed, but in the end had to give up and head to the airport covered in sand and suntan lotion. These things happen and they were apologetic, but it was not ideal.
Would I go back to Amanusa? Yes probably for the beach, but only in conjunction with another hotel in Bali. If you only stayed here you would not be getting a real feel for the island as a whole.
Amankila
This was a return trip and the GM Tracy was there to meet us when we arrived. We were allocated Ocean Suite 37 that we loved so much last time. The room looked very fresh and a new rainfall shower had been added. As has often been reported, Amankila is amazing - a real tropical paradise - and IMO the best of the 3 hotels we stayed at. This time the hotel was almost full due to Easter and Japanese Golden Week, yet service remained faultless. We only had one slight criticism, which related to the menu at dinner. While everything was good we found the selection quite limited and became bored after a couple of nights. This is a shame as there are limited options nearby. Luckily the daily specials were usually appealing. We went to the Alila resort next door one nght for dinner, which was fine but not amazing. It felt also as though prices have crept up at all of the Aman resorts in Bali (although maybe I was paying less attention last time). Most main courses are approaching GBP 30 and this feels a little steep when you are talking about local dishes such as Satay.
Four Seasons Sayan
We booked through DavidO and received a free night as well as an upgrade to a one bedroom villa and free breakfast. This was tremendous value for what was, without doubt, the best accommodation of the trip. Huge villa with a large totally private garden and plunge pool. Apart from the lack of view this really did rival Trisara in terms of design.
While the modern architecture of the resort is very impressive the whole feel of the place is much less rustic and authentic than Aman. When we went to Amandari one night for dinner we immediately felt further away from home again. I loved the look of Amandari, especially with the views and the giant buckets of Tuberose everywhere, but am glad that we chose the FS for its stunning accommodation.
I had my best ever spa treatment in one of the spa villas. Truly amazing - ask for Santika.
Service is generally a notch down from Aman, but not to the extent that it was a problem. Food was fine, although seemed more bland than at Aman - maybe they cater more for international tastes. The alcohol taxes in Indonesia are a pain if you want to drink wine. GBP 80 for a bottle of something very basic and much more for anything decent.
Note that the weather in Ubud is much rainier than elsewhere in Bali. After 4 nights we were pleased to head to the sunny skies of Nusa Dua.
Amanusa
Downsides first: Nusa Dua is, to me, not very appealing and does not feel very Balinese. The view from the resort reminded me of the Costa del Sol. I'm not a golfer and would not fly half way around the world to stay on a golf course. There was also some noisy construction work going on nearby and occasional low flying planes were annoying.
BUT this is still a fantatic resort. The service is top notch and the two restaurants provide terrific dining variety. The thing that really made our stay (and we would not have chosen Amanusa otherwise) is the incredible beach club. The trip down in the vintage car is fun and the beach itself is beautiful. The best lunches of the trip were served from the tiny beach kitchen - not sure how they did it, but everything was delicious.
Others have raved about the rooms at Amanusa. We stayed in a Deluxe Suite, which had a nice view towards the ocean. Compared to the beachy rustic rooms at Amankila I was less impressed with the Amanusa suites. The design is more urban and formal, with checked marble floors and bolder use of lighting in the bathroom. Just not my style. We also found the bed creaky and not entirely comfortable. Our mattress was definitely due a replacement.
On the final day we came back from the beach and had half an hour to shower and change before we left for our flight back to Hong Kong. Unfortunately there was no water in the room (or it seemed anywhere else in the resort). We were told that it was being fixed, but in the end had to give up and head to the airport covered in sand and suntan lotion. These things happen and they were apologetic, but it was not ideal.
Would I go back to Amanusa? Yes probably for the beach, but only in conjunction with another hotel in Bali. If you only stayed here you would not be getting a real feel for the island as a whole.
May 9, 2011, 1:28 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,145
Thanks for the trip report. Bali will always be my favorite island, and I would love to try Amanusa and Sayan some time - having previously been to dari and kila + FS Jimbaran and Anaya + a number of great, though not luxury hotels. There are so many great hotels there that one can go back again and again, even if one like to try out new places.
May 9, 2011, 4:58 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Toronto
Programs: SPG Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 855
Thanks for such an informative and critical (in a good and appropriate way) report! I am heading to Amankila and Amandari very shortly. I am however, getting increasingly apprehensive about my stay at Amandari due to your comments and others that i have recently read. The idea was to make my 3 night stay a seamless Aman Bali break, but maybe this is a mistake and Sayan was the way to go for one night instead of Amandari. We shall find out soon! 
May 9, 2011, 5:12 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,068
Thanks for such an informative and critical (in a good and appropriate way) report! I am heading to Amankila and Amandari very shortly. I am however, getting increasingly apprehensive about my stay at Amandari due to your comments and others that i have recently read. The idea was to make my 3 night stay a seamless Aman Bali break, but maybe this is a mistake and Sayan was the way to go for one night instead of Amandari. We shall find out soon!
May 9, 2011, 5:31 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Programs: UA1K, *G & Wife of UA1K MM
Posts: 3,431
Thanks Londonjetsetter. Always nice to hear about these fine resorts.
Blueline, don't worry about Amandari. You will have a wonderful time. The problem with Bali is that there are so many great places to stay that we get a little nitpicky when comparing one to the other. All of these hotels have a slightly different character. Amandari has elements that make it wonderful in a very different way than the FS and I doubt very much you will regret your decision.
Blueline, don't worry about Amandari. You will have a wonderful time. The problem with Bali is that there are so many great places to stay that we get a little nitpicky when comparing one to the other. All of these hotels have a slightly different character. Amandari has elements that make it wonderful in a very different way than the FS and I doubt very much you will regret your decision.
May 9, 2011, 7:52 am
#6
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
thanks for the post
im off to chedi ubud - amankila - club at the legian - 2 nights singapore ( undecided)
in september , so enjoying yours and DavidO posts at the mo
im off to chedi ubud - amankila - club at the legian - 2 nights singapore ( undecided)
in september , so enjoying yours and DavidO posts at the mo
May 9, 2011, 8:24 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New York City
Posts: 408
Terrific report--makes me want to try the villas at FS Sayan, since the Amandari duplex pavilions were a bit too rustic for my taste--but I agree with you about how special the atmosphere at Amandari is.
The water failure at Amanusa preventing clean-up prior to departure is pretty grim. Seems like Aman should have found some way to compensate or make amends for that significant inconvenience . . . but I'm not sure how, exactly.
The water failure at Amanusa preventing clean-up prior to departure is pretty grim. Seems like Aman should have found some way to compensate or make amends for that significant inconvenience . . . but I'm not sure how, exactly.
May 10, 2011, 1:09 am
#9
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
londonjetsetter , who did you arrange your dinner with at Amandari ? I am staying 4 nights chedi ubud followed by 3 nights amankila then 4 nights club at the legian and it would be nice to visit amandari for dinner one night while in ubud....
May 10, 2011, 3:04 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,068
Another thing that I remembered about Amanusa is that mixed drinks in the bar were really bad. A quite revolting thai martini and a negroni served in a long glass with LOTS of soda. I know this is picky, but other places such as Amankila get this right. Bvlgari Bali serve the best negronis ever - makes sense with the Italian connection I guess!
May 10, 2011, 6:33 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SkyMiles PM/2MM, AA Plat, IC Diam. Amb., Peninsula regular, amanjunkie
Posts: 5,848
Last November, Mr. Megatop and I and some friends staying at FS Sayan booked in to dinner at amandari, asking the FS concierge to make the reservation. The FS hotel car ran us up the road to amandari, on a complimentary basis. I can't remember whether an amandari car ran us back (also offered for free) or FS picked us up. Both hotels are very accommodating when it comes to going back and forth between 'em.
When last we stayed there, the Chedi Club offered complimentary rides to anywhere in or near Ubud town. We used that for Mozaic, which is on the far side of Ubud town from the Chedi and about a mile or so short of amandari. It shouldn't be a problem to use the Chedi car to reach amandari.
When last we stayed there, the Chedi Club offered complimentary rides to anywhere in or near Ubud town. We used that for Mozaic, which is on the far side of Ubud town from the Chedi and about a mile or so short of amandari. It shouldn't be a problem to use the Chedi car to reach amandari.
May 10, 2011, 11:07 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,068
Last November, Mr. Megatop and I and some friends staying at FS Sayan booked in to dinner at amandari, asking the FS concierge to make the reservation. The FS hotel car ran us up the road to amandari, on a complimentary basis. I can't remember whether an amandari car ran us back (also offered for free) or FS picked us up. Both hotels are very accommodating when it comes to going back and forth between 'em.
When last we stayed there, the Chedi Club offered complimentary rides to anywhere in or near Ubud town. We used that for Mozaic, which is on the far side of Ubud town from the Chedi and about a mile or so short of amandari. It shouldn't be a problem to use the Chedi car to reach amandari.
When last we stayed there, the Chedi Club offered complimentary rides to anywhere in or near Ubud town. We used that for Mozaic, which is on the far side of Ubud town from the Chedi and about a mile or so short of amandari. It shouldn't be a problem to use the Chedi car to reach amandari.
