Groombridge

In late 2011, we spent 12 nights at Amantaka, Amansara, and Amanpuri (in that order). By combining Amantaka and Amansara, we received Aman’s “Indochina Past and Present” inclusions (some complimentary meals, excursions, spa treatments, and transfers).

We expected to love the design and location of Amanpuri – and we did.

We expected to feel that Amansara would provide optimize our experience of the Angkor ruins – and it did.

So the great surprise of the trip was Amantaka which – even given the very high standards we have come to expect from Aman – is setting world-class service standards, and is one of the true jewels in the Aman crown.

I really loved kurl’s recent trip report comparing Trisara, Amanpulo, and Amanpuri, and while Amanpuri is a very different type of resort from Amantaka and Amansara, I’m going to use the same compare/contrast format.

Arrival

Aman transfers are virtually always flawless, and that was the case at each of these three resorts, with staff waiting with clear signage for us the moment we exited customs.

From the Luang Prabang airport, it’s only about a 10-minute drive to Amantaka. The Luang Prabang customs clearance line was a bit tedious, so try to grab a seat on your aircraft near the door where the passengers deplane. (I believe all of the flights into LPQ currently deplane from the rear of the aircraft.)

Upon landing in Siem Reap, Amansara had a representative awaiting us immediately upon deplaning who helped us avoid the queues and obtained our visas for us. Our luggage was swiftly dispatched into a separate vehicle and we were ushered into a 1960s black Mercedes that, while slightly underpowered in relation to 21st century standards for air conditioning and acceleration, was regardless a really special way to travel, a perfect first introduction to the mid-century modern aesthetic of Amansara. From the airport, you are taken straight toward Angkor Wat, you drive alongside the moat, and then another several miles into the heart of Siem Reap, where you pull off the main road into the Amansara compound, where you are welcomed by the wonderful staff.

There’s nothing to report about the Amanpuri transfers. The drive took about 45 minutes, and the service was proficient, if perfunctory and less warm than at the other two resorts.

1. Amansara
2. Amantaka
3. Amanpuri


Resort Grounds / Common Space

A large lawn separates the main building of Amantaka from a very busy street that serves as one of the primary arteries toward the historic center of Luang Prabang, a short 10-minute walk from Amantaka. But once inside the rectangular compound that stretches out behind the main building, the environs are calm and pristine.

The large rectangular pool occupies the center of the courtyard formed by the main building, the fitness center, and the spa – and then beyond the pool the accommodations line three sides of a grassy courtyard. The pool is a very relaxing place to spend a sunny afternoon – although the water temperature was so cold that we didn’t spend much time in it.

But it’s not the low-key grounds that make Amantaka such a magical place – Amantaka’s design strengths are in its interiors, which have been rehabilitated in a way that is truly soothing. The pale green-gray of the ubiquitous celadon floor tiles, the stratospheric height of the ceilings, the glow of the burnished wood of the furniture, the signature white chrysanthemums (everywhere), and especially the use of Hans Georg Berger’s photographic series of Laotian monks, creates the most aesthetically pleasing interiors of any Aman I’ve visited. So there’s definitely an evocation of the French colonial aesthetic, but updated wonderfully.

Because Amansara occupies a former royal compound, its footprint is the smallest of any Aman resort I’ve visited, so the grounds and common spaces are limited. There’s a very small library, and then the guest rooms surround two courtyards that each contain a lawn. The main swimming pool is sculpturally mid-century modern and is a delight in the very hot middle of the day between Angkor excursions. We also enjoyed the circular dining room with its high ceilings. Amansara has really done a wonderful job of respecting, and accentuating, the architectural bones of the place.

I’m not sure what more can be said about the glory of the grounds of Amanpuri: the joys of being in the midst of a mature palm grove; the iconic staircase down to the perfect beach; the sleek main pool; and all of those wonderful Thai-esque eaves, everywhere. It really is just a wonderful place to be. I’d heard less about the Beach Club pool, but we really loved it, and spent an afternoon there with no other guests in sight. I’d also point out that the library is one of the nicest of any Aman library – with a really wonderful double-height ceiling that lets in loads of light. I could be very happy on a rainy day in that interior.

1. Amanpuri
(big gap)
2. Amantaka
3. Amansara



Accommodations

The four of us were in two truly wonderful abodes at Amantaka, the Amantaka Suite (#24) and next door to it, a Khan Pool Suite (#23). The Amantaka Suite, in a free-standing building that was formerly one of the French colonial hospital’s offices, has the benefit of a gargantuan shower room with two rainforest shower heads, and a covered outdoor lounge with opposing daybeds. I awoke with jetlag one night at 4 am, completely unable to sleep, and found the outdoor pool to be a perfect temperature for a night-time swim. The front room of the suite contains two large daybeds as well, so a family of four could sleep very comfortably in the suite.

The Khan Pool Suite was just as wonderful as the Amantaka Suite, with a really inviting, comfortable courtyard for lounging next to the well positioned pool, and a comfortable sitting room well removed from the bedroom. I just really found the layout to be supremely beautiful and enjoyable.

In both suites, the interiors are, to my eye, the perfect mix between minimalism and decoration, with beautiful wood furnishing and more of Berger’s exquisite prints on the walls. There is a carefully edited selection of fruit that changes each day, accompanied by a small card describing that day’s choice.

At Amansara, I really think you need to opt for the somewhat newer and higher-priced pool suites, as the standard suites we were in are starting to show their age. The pool suites are part of a new build, and are located in a courtyard that feels more private, and with much nicer dimensions, than the older original courtyard. The interiors are very stylish, a pitch-perfect mix of the tropics and mid-century modern.

We took the new 2-bedroom pool pavilion at Amanpuri. As many others have noted, the interiors of the pavilions at Amanpuri do not have a large enough living space for two people to be comfortable lounging about. But the maintenance of the pavilions is superb – and the bathrooms perfectly fresh. (Although I did think the choice of a Toto high-tech toilet with heated toilet seat was a strange investment in the tropics – we promptly turned the heating off.) The outdoor space of the 2-bedroom pool pavilion is really chic and lovely – and perfect for sunsets through the lush fronds of the palm grove with the sea in the distance below.

1. Amantaka
(big gap)
2. Amanpuri
3. Amansara

Service

I’d never met Gary Tyson, Amantaka’s General Manager, before this stay, but given what he’s accomplished at Amantaka, he is someone we will now follow to whatever resort he happens to oversee. What he has done in creating service standards of the utmost polish and skill in a location where there was no former 5-star experience from which to draw, is astounding. (And if you get a chance, have him tell you about the process he went through of hiring and training new employees in a “fake Amantaka” he created to serve as a training site during the construction of the resort.)

Aman resorts have spoiled many of us by setting the highest bar in the world for service and housekeeping standards, and even within this stiff competition, Amantaka rises to the very top.

At Amansara, service was also world class, and you basically fall in love with the entire team, who are so sweet, warm, friendly, and skilled. Sally Baughen had recently arrived as GM, and I think that is a very good thing, as the experience needs a bit of freshening up. In other words, it feels as if some of the things the staff do for the guests have become formulaic and rote, and need to be rethought and revised. For example, upon returning each evening from the late afternoon excursion, the bathtub would be filled with water that had become cold – a real waste of water in a gesture that became meaningless because it wasn’t performed to a level of quality that made it usable. A much nicer approach would be for the excursion manager to ask you, upon setting off for your excursion, whether you wanted a warm bath awaiting you upon return – and then for staff to focus their efforts accordingly – rather than filling every bathtub in the complex each evening. Another example: in principle, perhaps it is a nice idea to have a local, blind singer sit in the middle of the dining rom and sing to the guests during dinner. But when the repertoire consists of stuff like Celine Dion’s love theme from the movie Titanic, it starts to feel a bit odd – not at all “of the place.” But Sally will get this stuff righted soon (perhaps has already) and with very few exceptions, the staff are pitch perfect.

I don’t have much to say about the service at Amanpuri. They take good care of the guests, all requests are handled smoothly and proficiently, and there were no infelicities at all. There’s less warmth, less level of personal engagement, than at most other Aman resorts – perhaps there’s a higher level of staff turnover in a touristed destination like Phuket. No complaints, but no pleasant surprises, either.

1. Amantaka
2. Amansara
3. Amanpuri


Dining

There are two adjoining dining rooms in the main building at Amantaka, or one can eat al fresco next to the pool or at tables situated in the outdoor gallery that runs beneath the eaves of the main building. The Laotian desserts – to my great surprise – were simply wonderful, especially a sort of cold banana soup. And overall, the menu’s mix of Laotian and Western options provided for good meals.

One of the great surprises of Amansara is the assortment of cakes that are baked daily and made available to guests in the dining room at any point one feels peckish. You can eat in the dining room, or outdoors at tables around the pool, or you can have a Khmer barbecue on the roof. The food was consistently very good here, and while the menu options are very limited, we asked for specific entrees we were craving and the chef accommodated our requests wonderfully.

Amanpuri provided by far the largest number of dining options and by far the greatest diversity of menu items, and provided consistently satisfying meals. The Italian restaurant was the least impressive, with all of us rather underwhelmed by the meal. But the Thai food is terrific, and the breakfasts superb.

Very hard to rank the food at these three – we had good meals at each resort, and occasional wonderful courses. If forced, I would say:

1. Amansara
2. Amanpuri
3. Amantaka


Spa / Fitness

I have been consistently very, very impressed with the therapists selected and employed by Aman resorts. And I really love the spa products Aman commissioned Sodashi to create for them. So I would say that Aman consistently gets two of the three elements of a spa experience perfectly right.

But where the Aman spa experience consistently falls flat is at the very important end of the treatment, when, after having been nurtured and brought to a point of great relaxation or bliss or comfort, you are brought back to reality with a crashing thud by the way the exit experience is handled.

At each of these three resorts, the end of the spa treatment was unfortunately the same (and we had, collectively, 20+ treatments at these three resorts):

- The therapist abruptly turns on the lights and presses you into a sitting position, puts your bathrobe around you and helps you put it on, and ushers you out of the treatment room.

- At Amantaka, you are at least taken to an outdoor area with some rattan lounge chairs where you are given some tea.

- At Amansara, you are taken back to the reception area where you can have tea on a couch.

- At Amanpuri, you are taken back to the reception area where you are given a wooden, hard-backed chair to sit on outdoors under the eaves so that the rain only hits your feet.

Aman provides itself on not having locker rooms and on providing each spa guest with a treatment room in which they can change in privacy, shower if needs be, etc. But Aman doesn’t seem to be scheduling its treatments in a way that enables someone to really use that space for relaxation following the treatment.

I would much prefer that the spa therapist leave me in privacy for a few minutes at the end of the treatment, so that I can change back into my robe at a leisurely pace.

And if Aman cannot provide me with that spa treatment room in which to relax after the treatment, then they really do need to invest in a proper, indoor relaxation area for their guests to use following the treatment.

So while I do not yet believe the overall Aman spa experience is competitive with what I typically experience at other luxury hotels and resorts, I do love many of the treatments I have had at Aman resorts – and I guess that is what is ultimately most important.

The most skilled therapists and the best treatments were at Amanpuri, unsurprisingly. The Thai massages they give there are the best I have ever, ever experienced.

There is no fitness center at Amansara, there is a large and very decent one at Amantaka, and the one at Amanpuri is deservedly legendary -- its views, its design, its size.

1. Amanpuri
(big gap)
2. Amansara
3. Amantaka

Excursions/Activities

Amantaka has a wonderful roster of activities, but we only availed ourselves of two of them – a walking tour of Luang Prabang’s historic center, which was mildly interesting, but not as richly informative or engaging as we would have liked – and Aman’s Mekong River cruise, which is an absolutely wonderful experience. I’d urge you to inform them that you do not want to stop at the “Whiskey Village,” which is the sort of tourist trap that I usually count on Aman to help me avoid, and there’s not much of a need to walk up to the small cave, either. It is, instead, the fabulous topography of the Mekong River that you will love, and the life you will observe along its banks – monks washing their bright orange robes, children playing, etc. Aman’s boat is really beautiful – gorgeous wood and comfortable cushions and endless snacks and beverages. There were other activities, like a visit to Amantaka’s organic farm and a meal there, or a visit to a preserve for endangered bears, that sounded really terrific but only being there four nights, we valued the time spent at the resort so much that we couldn’t fit everything in.

Even expecting an amazing experience, we were deeply impressed by how superbly the Amansara team manages the logistics for the twice daily excursions. For some it is best to go by air-conditioned mini-van – for others by open-air jeep – but best of all are those for which you zip up and down shady jungle lanes in the comfort of the stylish Aman remorks. They’ve attempted to design their itineraries to minimize your intersections with the madding crowds that are swarming the various sites. So, for example, we were up and inside Angkor Wat well before its main gates were open to the masses. The drivers of the various remorks and jeeps take very, very good care of you – with ubiquitous cold towels, water, soda, etc. But Aman still has to work within the constraints of the Cambodian national park regulations, and so they must use external guides, rather than their own staff, for the Angkor excursions. I have confidence that Aman is picking the very best of the best, but we were still disappointed with the level of engagement and enthusiasm of the guides themselves, who did not succeed in bringing the sites to life or really helping us develop much of an understanding of what we were seeing. But again, that is more of a limitation of the guides themselves, than of Aman – I hate to think what the average guide to Angkor Wat is like, if these were the very best. Aman owns a charming little Khmer Village House near many of the ruins, and we stopped there one morning for a picnic breakfast. We wish we’d had time also to have a private dinner there, as it is a really lovely place, and would be even more so when lit by candles. One note is that the touts in Angkor Wat were more aggressive and relentless, by far, than any we have encountered anywhere in our travels (including Egypt, India, etc.)

We only did one excursion at Amanpuri, but it was a spectacular one. Each day, the Aman I takes interested guests on a cruise of Phang Nga bay, and as we happened to be the only interested guests that day, the four of us had that incredibly comfortable vessel and its wonderfully solicitous, caring crew all to ourselves. The lunch they provided on board was one of the most delicious meals of the entire trip.

Ideal number of days/nights at each resort:

In retrospect, spending 4 nights per resort would be right for travelers who prefer sightseeing over relaxation, but we prefer a blend of about 25% sightseeing and 75% relaxation, so we could easily have spent 6 nights at each resort and felt very, very relaxed by the end of our trip. We wanted to see all the major sites at Angkor and while doing it over 4 days provided some degree of leisure, we didn’t have time to avail ourselves of more off-the-beaten path Aman excursions near Siem Reap, nor to do as much relaxing poolside or in the spa as we would ultimately have liked. We spent no time shopping or exploring Siem Reap itself, at all – nor did we have time for a special Aman dinner at their Cambodian village house. In the middle of the day, the heat is fairly severe – and we were there in the cool season – and while the main pool gets a lot of sun, the lap pool is shaded and is likely an ideal option in the hotter season. We also would have scheduled more spa treatments at Amansara if we’d been there for more than 4 nights. I feel similarly about Amantaka – there are many possible excursions that all sounded wonderful, but we didn’t want to do more than one per day, so we could easily have spent another few nights there.

Photos in subsequent posts...

Groombridge

The pool at Amantaka:



The dining rooms at Amantaka:



Amantaka's fitness center:



The Amantaka Suite, exterior:



Amantaka Suite bedroom:



"Fruit of the Day" at Amantaka:



Amantaka Suite bathtub:



Amantaka Suite bathtub:



Amantaka Suite "Shower Room":



Amantaka Suite Pool:



Amantaka Suite Outdoor Covered Lounge:



Amantaka Mekong River Cruise:



Mekong River Topography on the Aman River Cruise:



Amantaka Mekong River Cruise:

Groombridge

Amansara's Period Mercedes for Airport Transfers:



Amansara's Main Pool and Courtyard:



The very smart courtyard for the Amansara pool suites:



The walkway to the spa and the excursion center at Amansara:



The Khmer Village House owned by Amansara:

Groombridge

The 2-Bedroom Pool Pavilion at Amanpuri:









Close-up of Amanpuri's stairs to the beach:



Amanpuri's beach:



Amanpuri's library:



Sunset from the 2-Bedroom Pool Pavilion at Amanpuri:

SanDiego1K

Brilliant report. This is one to read and then reread when I am actually planning a trip. Thank you.

blueline7

Many, many thanks for this extraordinarily informative report. I really enjoyed reading it and will read it over and over again, I am sure.

Having read your report, I am wondering (and please correct me if I am wrong), that Amantaka and Amansara are not as much 'destination resorts', but rather, the best places to stay when visiting Angkor Wat and Laos. Am I correct that these two resorts are indeed wonderful, but not "resorty" like Amanpuri? Not sure if I am getting myself across....

FlyerEC

Yes, indeed - thank you.
Feel the same way ..

Trying to decide when to return but likely back to Kila first

Larkin

Thank you so much for the terrific report! We just visited amantaka in January and loved it. Your photos are wonderful and comments echo my thoughts. We visited amansara when it first opened, and have been to Amanpuri a number of times over the years. It is wonderful to see the pool pavilions at Amanpuri. We have stayed at Trisara on our last to trips, but may have to go back to Amanpuri now given the new pavilions! It looks wonderful ampnd we do love the overall ambiance of Amanpuri! Thank you again for sharing!

5khours

Great report and great photos. Thanks so much. Was at FS Golden Triangle recently and was debating between a boat ride down the Mekong to Amantaka or a flight to Amanpuri. Couldn't decide until they day before departure and having been to Amanpuri many times could not resist the attraction. Sounds like maybe I should have tried Amantaka. Next trip maybe I'll fly to Chiang Rai, skip FS, and take the boat to Luang Prabong.

Anybody done the boat trip BTW?

SYDreamer

Fantastic report. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

Musken

Wow! Brilliant report and fantastic pictures. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I am still in the thinking box for my trip in March next year. Looking forward to showing my husband your report and go on making decisions.

Ericka

Gorgeous photos! Thanks, Groombridge.

Kagehitokiri

brilliant as always, and some new info ^

luang prabang - there is OE, and i seem to recall a second property

sara - good/top tour operators can afford to pay guides more than aman

so amans do free guests >
sara had a special guide in december, seem to recall others in past
http://www.amanresorts.com/exclusive...&LangType=1033
posted http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/17012313-post566.html

FlyerEC

I asked Gary about the boat trip between the 2, & he says there isn't one.
Was contemplating boating to Amantaka fr FS tented camp too..

The boats we saw plying between Chiang Rai & LB while cruising the Mekong on Amantaka boats , I 'd rather not go on.

Rather than flying - tight plane fr BKK but manageable , but after say MOBKK & Amantaka , embarking & disembarking from the rear of an aircraft - well ..
They've had a few private jetting from Amanpuri so that's another alternative

Groombridge

Well, if I were to place all Aman resorts on a spectrum from "nearly 100% cultural experience" to "nearly 100% beach resort w/very limited cultural attractions," I'd place Amankora on the far side of the "cultural" spectrum and Amanyara on the far side of the non-cultural/beach resort spectrum.

And yes, Amansara would be much closer to the Amankora end of the spectrum than the Amanyara end of the spectrum, and Amantaka closer to the middle, but still on the cultural side of the spectrum.

But the wonderful thing about Aman is that even the culture-focused Amans are really and truly resorts (think Amankora's wonderful spa building at their Paro lodge). Aman blurs boundaries between city resort and cultural resort and beach resort really beautifully.

I do think that folks tend to rally around the Amanresorts that are closer to the middle of the spectrum -- the Bali resorts in particular, that provide such a perfect balance between culture and resort.