Jun 25, 2017, 9:20 am
Last edit by: SanDiego1K
https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanoi
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/amanoi/
https://www.instagram.com/joy_vietnam.gm/ - Joy, Amanoi GM
#amanoi - hashtag used by guests
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/amanoi/
https://www.instagram.com/joy_vietnam.gm/ - Joy, Amanoi GM
#amanoi - hashtag used by guests
Amanoi (Vietnam)
Feb 16, 2018, 3:49 am
#541
formerly known as deathscar
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: Virtuoso | Four Seasons Preferred Partner | Rosewood Elite | Hyatt Prive - and more
Posts: 2,096
What was the recovery for the missed turndown?
Upper House shockingly just missed turndown service on my recent staycation (Marcel wasn't on site and apologised after, but still shocked it happened) but:
1. They turned it around very well and genuinely
2. It was turned around on the spot, not day after, not 2 days after etc.
Upper House shockingly just missed turndown service on my recent staycation (Marcel wasn't on site and apologised after, but still shocked it happened) but:
1. They turned it around very well and genuinely
2. It was turned around on the spot, not day after, not 2 days after etc.
Feb 16, 2018, 4:42 am
#542
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,600
Well...
My Noi experience is rather limited so far with only two stays, but I never saw anyone at the Cliff pool, team or guest, so it was unattended indeed. That said, enjoyed the pool greatly and stunning location for a private dinner for example.
Aman has fewer SOPs compared to, let’s say, FS — and you’d be surprised that many outlets are not always staffed the way one would think, but Aman service is incredibly intuitive so if they notice you are going to use the Cliff pool you mostly receive stellar service, as they adapt and even intuitively anticipate your needs. I would mention it to Joy when she is doing her rounds.
I felt Amanoi was amongst the best Aman̶r̶̶e̶̶s̶̶o̶̶r̶̶t̶̶s̶ when I last stayed, with incredible service and care, although they certainly had challenges with some team members (I myself had a major incident I did not tell management), but I would never say they are not trained well or do not care.
Aman usually does not nickel and dime, but a 40 USD fish main course is in line with luxury resort pricing in remote locations, they are now considered one of the world top resorts (see 2017 Gallivanter’s Guide Awards for Excellence) and see fit to make that revenue for their owners.
I don’t want to question your experience as I think it is perfectly adequate to make these comments, but I feel we’re missing part of the story. I would really love to know if Joy, Nicolas, Richard were on property and what they reaction was. Reading your assessment gives the impression you were disappointed, sure they must have noticed as I don’t know of any team being closer to their guests. What did Nicolas say when you felt his response was lacking/fake?
My Noi experience is rather limited so far with only two stays, but I never saw anyone at the Cliff pool, team or guest, so it was unattended indeed. That said, enjoyed the pool greatly and stunning location for a private dinner for example.
Aman has fewer SOPs compared to, let’s say, FS — and you’d be surprised that many outlets are not always staffed the way one would think, but Aman service is incredibly intuitive so if they notice you are going to use the Cliff pool you mostly receive stellar service, as they adapt and even intuitively anticipate your needs. I would mention it to Joy when she is doing her rounds.
I felt Amanoi was amongst the best Aman̶r̶̶e̶̶s̶̶o̶̶r̶̶t̶̶s̶ when I last stayed, with incredible service and care, although they certainly had challenges with some team members (I myself had a major incident I did not tell management), but I would never say they are not trained well or do not care.
Aman usually does not nickel and dime, but a 40 USD fish main course is in line with luxury resort pricing in remote locations, they are now considered one of the world top resorts (see 2017 Gallivanter’s Guide Awards for Excellence) and see fit to make that revenue for their owners.
I don’t want to question your experience as I think it is perfectly adequate to make these comments, but I feel we’re missing part of the story. I would really love to know if Joy, Nicolas, Richard were on property and what they reaction was. Reading your assessment gives the impression you were disappointed, sure they must have noticed as I don’t know of any team being closer to their guests. What did Nicolas say when you felt his response was lacking/fake?
Feb 16, 2018, 4:42 am
#543
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: N/A
Programs: N/A
Posts: 823
Joy was there on arrival, but did not see her again for the rest of the stay. Did meet Richard, but a lot of activities were wind restricted during the stay. When I say it was windy, in certain places it was blow you over windy for the last three full days of the stay. Obviously not the staff fault, but made it tough to enjoy the property and surroundings.
The "recovery" for turndown was just "sorry, it won't happen again", which technically it didn't but it felt like my feedback/complaint was taken in a way that was sort of "this stuff happens, sorry". Then the next day they completed turn down at 4pm, the following day at 5pm. I didn't say anything, but I wanted to be like that's still not right, I just wanted it to be done at the correct time, while at dinner. Just odd.
The "recovery" for turndown was just "sorry, it won't happen again", which technically it didn't but it felt like my feedback/complaint was taken in a way that was sort of "this stuff happens, sorry". Then the next day they completed turn down at 4pm, the following day at 5pm. I didn't say anything, but I wanted to be like that's still not right, I just wanted it to be done at the correct time, while at dinner. Just odd.
Last edited by A4K; Feb 16, 2018 at 5:24 am
Feb 16, 2018, 4:53 am
#544
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: N/A
Programs: N/A
Posts: 823
Well...
My Noi experience is rather limited so far with only two stays, but I never saw anyone at the Cliff pool, team or guest, so it was unattended indeed. That said, enjoyed the pool greatly and stunning location for a private dinner for example.
Aman has fewer SOPs compared to, let’s say, FS — and you’d be surprised that many outlets are not always staffed the way one would think, but Aman service is incredibly intuitive so if they notice you are going to use the Cliff pool you mostly receive stellar service, as they adapt and even intuitively anticipate your needs. I would mention it to Joy when she is doing her rounds.
I felt Amanoi was amongst the best Aman̶r̶̶e̶̶s̶̶o̶̶r̶̶t̶̶s̶ when I last stayed, with incredible service and care, although they certainly had challenges with some team members (I myself had a major incident I did not tell management), but I would never say they are not trained well or do not care.
Aman usually does not nickel and dime, but a 40 USD fish main course is in line with luxury resort pricing in remote locations, they are now considered one of the world top resorts (see 2017 Gallivanter’s Guide Awards for Excellence) and see fit to make that revenue for their owners.
I don’t want to question your experience as I think it is perfectly adequate to make these comments, but I feel we’re missing part of the story. I would really love to know if Joy, Nicolas, Richard were on property and what they reaction was. Reading your assessment gives the impression you were disappointed, sure they must have noticed as I don’t know of any team being closer to their guests. What did Nicolas say when you felt his response was lacking/fake?
My Noi experience is rather limited so far with only two stays, but I never saw anyone at the Cliff pool, team or guest, so it was unattended indeed. That said, enjoyed the pool greatly and stunning location for a private dinner for example.
Aman has fewer SOPs compared to, let’s say, FS — and you’d be surprised that many outlets are not always staffed the way one would think, but Aman service is incredibly intuitive so if they notice you are going to use the Cliff pool you mostly receive stellar service, as they adapt and even intuitively anticipate your needs. I would mention it to Joy when she is doing her rounds.
I felt Amanoi was amongst the best Aman̶r̶̶e̶̶s̶̶o̶̶r̶̶t̶̶s̶ when I last stayed, with incredible service and care, although they certainly had challenges with some team members (I myself had a major incident I did not tell management), but I would never say they are not trained well or do not care.
Aman usually does not nickel and dime, but a 40 USD fish main course is in line with luxury resort pricing in remote locations, they are now considered one of the world top resorts (see 2017 Gallivanter’s Guide Awards for Excellence) and see fit to make that revenue for their owners.
I don’t want to question your experience as I think it is perfectly adequate to make these comments, but I feel we’re missing part of the story. I would really love to know if Joy, Nicolas, Richard were on property and what they reaction was. Reading your assessment gives the impression you were disappointed, sure they must have noticed as I don’t know of any team being closer to their guests. What did Nicolas say when you felt his response was lacking/fake?
The overall feeling I received throughout the stay from Nicolas made me feel as if I was not one of his "high value" guests (which I admittedly am not) and I am not worth his time or attention. I did not feel welcomed or that he made any effort to make my stay more enjoyable. That is just the feeling I got and have never felt that way at any other Aman property. Joy gets great feedback on here, but outside of arrival I did not have any interaction with her, it is possible she was gone for a few days.
I posted my review based on my experience, I am not "hiding" anything and only posted this to provide feedback to this community. Like I said I have never left an Aman saying I will not return here (usually I am trying to figure out how I am get back), so trust me when I say this was not a great stay. We were not made to feel that it was our "Aman Family" as I truly have felt at other properties.
I made a comment on an Amankila thread that I didn't have a great stay there last month. Ernst was gone and staff just weren't sharp like I am used to in Indonesia. That being said even an "off week" for Kila made Noi look terrible and made me realized just how much the staff in Indonesia are pros.
Last edited by A4K; Feb 16, 2018 at 5:25 am
Feb 16, 2018, 5:43 am
#545
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,600
Thanks for the details...
I really wonder what went on during your stay. Back when Sean was GM he was off for a few days as well, but Joy filled in gracefully and Sean emailed me to say he was going to miss me, so I wonder if Joy just had some well deserved days off as well, but surely after meeting you on arrival she should have mentioned! It’s not like her, as she is exemplary and only gets the best feedback with everything.
The feeling that you were not a ‘big spender’ should not matter, ever — this is Aman. Utterly inexcusable. They get their fair share of (U)HNWI these days, but come on, Noi is not designed to be all about the Villa business at all, unlike Puri, and many like to stay in Pavilions. I am familiar with the villas but as I said a while ago, Noi is not a resort I want a villa, despite Gathy and despite how beautiful they are, again, unlike Puri.
I cannot help but think you caught them off guard entirely and they did not notice or care to notice, which is unlike them.
Nicolas P is Social Media conscious, so I wonder if he follows this thread and connects with you.
After the details you provided I get the feeling that the mishaps were not the main problem, but they rather failed to make things right for you eventually.
I really wonder what went on during your stay. Back when Sean was GM he was off for a few days as well, but Joy filled in gracefully and Sean emailed me to say he was going to miss me, so I wonder if Joy just had some well deserved days off as well, but surely after meeting you on arrival she should have mentioned! It’s not like her, as she is exemplary and only gets the best feedback with everything.
The feeling that you were not a ‘big spender’ should not matter, ever — this is Aman. Utterly inexcusable. They get their fair share of (U)HNWI these days, but come on, Noi is not designed to be all about the Villa business at all, unlike Puri, and many like to stay in Pavilions. I am familiar with the villas but as I said a while ago, Noi is not a resort I want a villa, despite Gathy and despite how beautiful they are, again, unlike Puri.
I cannot help but think you caught them off guard entirely and they did not notice or care to notice, which is unlike them.
Nicolas P is Social Media conscious, so I wonder if he follows this thread and connects with you.
After the details you provided I get the feeling that the mishaps were not the main problem, but they rather failed to make things right for you eventually.
Feb 16, 2018, 6:39 am
#546
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: N/A
Programs: N/A
Posts: 823
Thanks for the details...
I really wonder what went on during your stay. Back when Sean was GM he was off for a few days as well, but Joy filled in gracefully and Sean emailed me to say he was going to miss me, so I wonder if Joy just had some well deserved days off as well, but surely after meeting you on arrival she should have mentioned! It’s not like her, as she is exemplary and only gets the best feedback with everything.
The feeling that you were not a ‘big spender’ should not matter, ever — this is Aman. Utterly inexcusable. They get their fair share of (U)HNWI these days, but come on, Noi is not designed to be all about the Villa business at all, unlike Puri, and many like to stay in Pavilions. I am familiar with the villas but as I said a while ago, Noi is not a resort I want a villa, despite Gathy and despite how beautiful they are, again, unlike Puri.
I cannot help but think you caught them off guard entirely and they did not notice or care to notice, which is unlike them.
Nicolas P is Social Media conscious, so I wonder if he follows this thread and connects with you.
After the details you provided I get the feeling that the mishaps were not the main problem, but they rather failed to make things right for you eventually.
I really wonder what went on during your stay. Back when Sean was GM he was off for a few days as well, but Joy filled in gracefully and Sean emailed me to say he was going to miss me, so I wonder if Joy just had some well deserved days off as well, but surely after meeting you on arrival she should have mentioned! It’s not like her, as she is exemplary and only gets the best feedback with everything.
The feeling that you were not a ‘big spender’ should not matter, ever — this is Aman. Utterly inexcusable. They get their fair share of (U)HNWI these days, but come on, Noi is not designed to be all about the Villa business at all, unlike Puri, and many like to stay in Pavilions. I am familiar with the villas but as I said a while ago, Noi is not a resort I want a villa, despite Gathy and despite how beautiful they are, again, unlike Puri.
I cannot help but think you caught them off guard entirely and they did not notice or care to notice, which is unlike them.
Nicolas P is Social Media conscious, so I wonder if he follows this thread and connects with you.
After the details you provided I get the feeling that the mishaps were not the main problem, but they rather failed to make things right for you eventually.
To be honest I have never complained to management about anything at an Aman (never had a reason to), so I wouldn't even know what to expect to "make things right". It seemed to me that their "make things right" was just to make sure housekeeping was sent to the room, but housekeeping is supposed to come into my room multiple times a day. So this just turns into just making sure they meet basic service expectations which sort of just makes me want to explain things with an eye roll emoji.
We don't need to keep harping on things here, I just wanted to provide my feedback on the stay as I always appreciate stay reports on here both good and bad.
Last edited by A4K; Feb 16, 2018 at 7:01 am
Feb 16, 2018, 7:58 am
#547
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Enroute to ? & likely flying in ' A ':)
Programs: TPPS, UA, EK ...; Marriott BONVOY , HH, GP, GC..
Posts: 4,217
My past post responds to some of this. On the pool staff that is fine if they don't want to staff it, but they should know when someone is there - They have cameras, ect. I shouldn't have to go search for staff. I agree with you that they should adapt to your needs and that level of detail and attention is what makes an Aman special, the issue I had during this stay is that we experienced none of this and that is what lead me to give the comment that the staff isn't trained correctly.
The overall feeling I received throughout the stay from Nicolas made me feel as if I was not one of his "high value" guests (which I admittedly am not) and I am not worth his time or attention. I did not feel welcomed or that he made any effort to make my stay more enjoyable. That is just the feeling I got and have never felt that way at any other Aman property. Joy gets great feedback on here, but outside of arrival I did not have any interaction with her, it is possible she was gone for a few days.
I posted my review based on my experience, I am not "hiding" anything and only posted this to provide feedback to this community. Like I said I have never left an Aman saying I will not return here (usually I am trying to figure out how I am get back), so trust me when I say this was not a great stay. We were not made to feel that it was our "Aman Family" as I truly have felt at other properties.
I made a comment on an Amankila thread that I didn't have a great stay there last month. Ernst was gone and staff just weren't sharp like I am used to in Indonesia. That being said even an "off week" for Kila made Noi look terrible and made me realized just how much the staff in Indonesia are pros.
The overall feeling I received throughout the stay from Nicolas made me feel as if I was not one of his "high value" guests (which I admittedly am not) and I am not worth his time or attention. I did not feel welcomed or that he made any effort to make my stay more enjoyable. That is just the feeling I got and have never felt that way at any other Aman property. Joy gets great feedback on here, but outside of arrival I did not have any interaction with her, it is possible she was gone for a few days.
I posted my review based on my experience, I am not "hiding" anything and only posted this to provide feedback to this community. Like I said I have never left an Aman saying I will not return here (usually I am trying to figure out how I am get back), so trust me when I say this was not a great stay. We were not made to feel that it was our "Aman Family" as I truly have felt at other properties.
I made a comment on an Amankila thread that I didn't have a great stay there last month. Ernst was gone and staff just weren't sharp like I am used to in Indonesia. That being said even an "off week" for Kila made Noi look terrible and made me realized just how much the staff in Indonesia are pros.
Perhaps Joy was away to prepare for Tet too .
Yes , the winds can be quite something , along with sand ‘ storms ‘ that come with it
As for Kila , it was definitely an “ off week “ as there were some emergencies & the staff were probably affected by that besides the Agung situation . Should look for post in the other thread .
Last edited by FlyerEC; Feb 16, 2018 at 8:28 am
Feb 16, 2018, 3:38 pm
#549
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
re cliff pool, has aman ever had resort pools that are only staffed on request?
is amanoi cheaper F&B compared to FS vietnam? in past was true on bali
unfortunate to hear re GM (external hire) and GM may reflect in staff as well.
opening GM had some amazing reports, basically certainly under sean too.
aman is like independent properties - absolutely dependent on GM.
aman could not deliver aman if it was chain standard operating procedures.
how can external hires understand aman.. but opening noi GM (noonan) did..
can always hope communication is at least minor factor in such cases.
some veteran aman GMs had mixed reviews here, 2 of them were promoted.
upselling could be new aman corp ownership, owner of noi, new external GM
noi location, like several other amans, will vary in terms of preferences
(different reports are good because there are different preferences here)
is amanoi cheaper F&B compared to FS vietnam? in past was true on bali
unfortunate to hear re GM (external hire) and GM may reflect in staff as well.
opening GM had some amazing reports, basically certainly under sean too.
aman is like independent properties - absolutely dependent on GM.
aman could not deliver aman if it was chain standard operating procedures.
how can external hires understand aman.. but opening noi GM (noonan) did..
can always hope communication is at least minor factor in such cases.
some veteran aman GMs had mixed reviews here, 2 of them were promoted.
upselling could be new aman corp ownership, owner of noi, new external GM
noi location, like several other amans, will vary in terms of preferences
(different reports are good because there are different preferences here)
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Feb 16, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Feb 16, 2018, 7:55 pm
#550
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
We did the Amanoi Streetfood Tour to Phang Rang city - and it was amazing!
A brillant host from the Amanoi service team who is living in Phang Rang was guiding us through the four best foodstands all over the city. She was bringing clean cuttlery and plates from the Aman kitchen for our use, she was asking us about our preferences, recommending and discussing each course. And also showing us around in the city, making us experience and understand live there!
This tour was highly good-tasting, inspiring and knowledgeable. I highly recommend it!
A brillant host from the Amanoi service team who is living in Phang Rang was guiding us through the four best foodstands all over the city. She was bringing clean cuttlery and plates from the Aman kitchen for our use, she was asking us about our preferences, recommending and discussing each course. And also showing us around in the city, making us experience and understand live there!
This tour was highly good-tasting, inspiring and knowledgeable. I highly recommend it!
We went to have lunch at the local floating restaurant when we were there a couple of years ago. It was a real highlight. The fish and seafood was so fresh, there was actually a person diving into the water tanks to get our choice for us. The food was then prepared in a very basic open kitchen over open fire. It was absolutely delicious and we truly enjoyed the food and the setting. It was, however, definitely not the style of a normal restaurant. For example there was nowhere to get rid of the bones and shells, you were supposed to just throw it at the floor which was cleaned after the meal. All the locals did and it looked like a complete mess by the end of the meal, but was part of the local experience. Our Aman guide brought drinks and napkins etc. for us so that our meal was a tiny bit more Aman like compared to the restaurant style, but still very very basic, but soooo good an memorable.
FDW
Feb 17, 2018, 9:30 pm
#551
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
This was my 13th Aman stay at 11 different properties over the past 2 years, so I do have some experience and rarely complain about anything Aman related, but this was by far my worst overall Aman stay and would be a property I would never return to. I would not say that about any of the previous 10 properties I have visited.
The resort lacks a “sense of place” in my opinion and it isn’t integrated in any way to the local culture like other more remote Amans that I have visited such as Bagh and Jiwo. You wouldn’t really know you were in Vietnam while on the property.
I had a slightly different opinion on this. Generally speaking I find the "cultural experience" at a lot of these resorts to be pretty superficial and artificial. On the other hand, my impression was that Amanoi had spent of lot of time working with the local community, focused on local hires, and had a very positive effect on the local economy. I learned a lot more about Vietnamese culture and lifestyle talking to the Amanoi staff then I ever got from the "cultural experiences" offered at resorts.
Apr 15, 2018, 5:02 pm
#552
Join Date: May 1999
Location: New York,NY USA
Posts: 1,481
Any thoughts on the weather at the end of December? We are thinking about this for my family and also wondering if we will be able to swim off the beach. We are debating between this and the new Rosewood opening at Luang Prabang if anyone has any thoughts.
Apr 15, 2018, 5:35 pm
#553
formerly htang333
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Wi-Fi
Programs: Virtuoso, Top Ranked: Four Seasons (Top 25 Advisor), AMAN (Top 50), Rosewood, Hyatt Prive, etc.
Posts: 1,455
I would absolutely suggest avoiding Dec/Jan...Most likely, the weather will be against you. The wind will be too strong and you won't be able to properly enjoy Amanoi's fantastic exterior space. Will likely be difficult to swim off the beach in Dec/Jan. Doable but not fun. Speaking from having had clients visit in both Dec and Jan (didn't have flexibility) with weather being an issue. GM Nicholas and Joy also would suggest the same to guests.
However, if you can push it till another time, I'd highly suggest it as this is one of my favorite Amans! The new Amanoi Pool Villas are stunning and great for families as well.
Rosewood looks interesting and may have some intro offers to public or Elite Advisors.
Apr 15, 2018, 7:45 pm
#554
formerly known as deathscar
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: Virtuoso | Four Seasons Preferred Partner | Rosewood Elite | Hyatt Prive - and more
Posts: 2,096
I would absolutely suggest avoiding Dec/Jan...Most likely, the weather will be against you. The wind will be too strong and you won't be able to properly enjoy Amanoi's fantastic exterior space. Will likely be difficult to swim off the beach in Dec/Jan. Doable but not fun. Speaking from having had clients visit in both Dec and Jan (didn't have flexibility) with weather being an issue. GM Nicholas and Joy also would suggest the same to guests.
However, if you can push it till another time, I'd highly suggest it as this is one of my favorite Amans! The new Amanoi Pool Villas are stunning and great for families as well.
Rosewood looks interesting and may have some intro offers to public or Elite Advisors.
However, if you can push it till another time, I'd highly suggest it as this is one of my favorite Amans! The new Amanoi Pool Villas are stunning and great for families as well.
Rosewood looks interesting and may have some intro offers to public or Elite Advisors.
My pics are on Instagram: www.instagram.com/chinmoylad
While I'm here, will do a quick report with a full report and photos + videos etc to follow.
Some of the best Aman hardware - or just resort hardware in general. Absolutely stunning design and rooms etc (also new).
Location is stunning, spread across the cliffs. Views are fabulous.
Beach is a bit rough and gets very hot - not soft on the feet at all (lots of washed up coral too), wear slippers. However, the water is very, very nice.
Food was really, really good. Some of the best I've had at the Amans - having said that, we mostly ate Vietnamese. I only had anything non-Vietnamese on the last day for lunch before departure (burger - and it was very average, but the chips were good).
Service was very warm and friendly - the Vietnamese are very nice people. However, it lacks the polish of Indonesia Amans at its very finest - generally speaking, our preferences were taken care of, but they did slip up a few more times than I would have liked, but always rectified very quickly. Not all staff speak English (most do but there are some that don't - but they will always find someone who does very quickly). There were a few instances when they did shine.
There's not too much to do in the area so it really is a come and sit here (or trek/other similar 'active' excursions) kind of place. We were guinea pigs for a new excursion called "Twilight Lounge" although I believe Nicolas is still refining the name. It's Kawayan Bar for Amanoi (minus floating in the middle of the sea part). Very nicely done. I'd liken it somewhat to Goga Peak breakfast if you've tried that out.
Lots of intriguing private dinner places.
Lots of wild animals and little critters about including curious looking (and very brightly coloured) reptiles. I'd suggest not getting too close and being on alert.
Last edited by chinmoylad; Apr 16, 2018 at 8:27 am
Jun 11, 2018, 12:58 pm
#555
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,052
This was the most un-Aman like stay I've ever had.
A very gorgeously designed resort but lacks a certain warm feeling to it. It's become really clear to me that the owners and Aman really want to monetize the heck out of this property for wellness, diet programs, spa houses, residences and who knows what else.
The good:
Spectacular hardware. One of Gathy's finest designs and it helps that everything is pretty much brand new.
Joy. She wasn't there for most of our stay but she immediately made us feel that Aman sense of family and familiarity. She would be the only reason we would even consider going back.
The bad:
"Crowded"
The bad weather combined with a high occupancy of guests and an influencer entourage made this Aman seem crowded. Breakfast and afternoon tea were crowded. I saw more people on this trip than we ever did at Jiwo or my wife at Sara. I think the culmination of this was when we had to share our buggy with another guest who was also departing from the spa. This shouldn't have happened. Doubling up seems very un-Aman like and that's how this trip was.
Housekeeping
This Aman's Housekeeping seems to have lost their ninja-like powers. They knocked twice when we were clearly in the room. Housekeeping also doesn't really clean very well. It's more like they rearrange your stuff and fold clothes around the room than an actual cleaning. Twice black flies died in the room and twice they were there where they had dropped. We also had an attack by some May flies from the sudden downpour that decided they wanted to make the shower into their death spot. My partner freaked out in the morning when their dead bodies crowded the shower booth. Housekeeping didn't clean the shower when we went to breakfast and I ended up just spraying them down with the showerhead. GM's response was the standard "we're surrounded by nature and these kinds of things happen".
Lack of amenities or toiletries upon request
We were both really surprised that this Aman didn't have a disposable nail file or dental floss. It's not like you can just zip down to a Walgreens or 7-11 to get an item you're missing. They did end up bringing my wife a metal one from the nail shop part of the spa but she would have preferred the disposable one-use kind. Mandapa was much better equipped for guests in personal hygiene. My wife was also disappointed that they didn't have any new tennis balls when she wanted to do a tennis ball massage in the villa. They just gave us some very used ones.
I'm okay with food being expensive because it is Aman and you're very isolated. I just wish they made certain dishes better. Like the beef burger tastes like the patty was previously frozen and their off-menu Vietnamese items could have been done better. I prefer my buncha to be separate rather than mixed together like bibimbap.
English
It can be frustrating to communicate over the phone at times and you really do feel isolated in your villa when you think the receptionist just doesn't get what you want. Explaining food preferences was excruciating. They would do better with a whatsapp IM concierge or something like that.
Spa
Very exciting programs from Corporate but the on-ground execution needs buy-in from the therapists and probably more time to iron out the kinks. First spa treatment. they told us that we could only pick a Vietnamese or Amanoi message because they were "training" for the rituals. We went along with it and it was a bad treatment. They cut the time short and massaged pretty badly for 220 dollars each. Told Nicolas and he probably tore the spa team a new one for pretending the entire menu was out of order and not wanting to work. A second makeup treatment was comped. It was slightly better but still nothing compared to Thailand or Tokyo in terms of technique and refinement.
You need top-notch therapists if you want to be a wellness and spa resort like Noi is trying to be. They won AsiaSpa awards but these treatments made me wonder how?!
A very gorgeously designed resort but lacks a certain warm feeling to it. It's become really clear to me that the owners and Aman really want to monetize the heck out of this property for wellness, diet programs, spa houses, residences and who knows what else.
The good:
Spectacular hardware. One of Gathy's finest designs and it helps that everything is pretty much brand new.
Joy. She wasn't there for most of our stay but she immediately made us feel that Aman sense of family and familiarity. She would be the only reason we would even consider going back.
The bad:
"Crowded"
The bad weather combined with a high occupancy of guests and an influencer entourage made this Aman seem crowded. Breakfast and afternoon tea were crowded. I saw more people on this trip than we ever did at Jiwo or my wife at Sara. I think the culmination of this was when we had to share our buggy with another guest who was also departing from the spa. This shouldn't have happened. Doubling up seems very un-Aman like and that's how this trip was.
Housekeeping
This Aman's Housekeeping seems to have lost their ninja-like powers. They knocked twice when we were clearly in the room. Housekeeping also doesn't really clean very well. It's more like they rearrange your stuff and fold clothes around the room than an actual cleaning. Twice black flies died in the room and twice they were there where they had dropped. We also had an attack by some May flies from the sudden downpour that decided they wanted to make the shower into their death spot. My partner freaked out in the morning when their dead bodies crowded the shower booth. Housekeeping didn't clean the shower when we went to breakfast and I ended up just spraying them down with the showerhead. GM's response was the standard "we're surrounded by nature and these kinds of things happen".
Lack of amenities or toiletries upon request
We were both really surprised that this Aman didn't have a disposable nail file or dental floss. It's not like you can just zip down to a Walgreens or 7-11 to get an item you're missing. They did end up bringing my wife a metal one from the nail shop part of the spa but she would have preferred the disposable one-use kind. Mandapa was much better equipped for guests in personal hygiene. My wife was also disappointed that they didn't have any new tennis balls when she wanted to do a tennis ball massage in the villa. They just gave us some very used ones.
I'm okay with food being expensive because it is Aman and you're very isolated. I just wish they made certain dishes better. Like the beef burger tastes like the patty was previously frozen and their off-menu Vietnamese items could have been done better. I prefer my buncha to be separate rather than mixed together like bibimbap.
English
It can be frustrating to communicate over the phone at times and you really do feel isolated in your villa when you think the receptionist just doesn't get what you want. Explaining food preferences was excruciating. They would do better with a whatsapp IM concierge or something like that.
Spa
Very exciting programs from Corporate but the on-ground execution needs buy-in from the therapists and probably more time to iron out the kinks. First spa treatment. they told us that we could only pick a Vietnamese or Amanoi message because they were "training" for the rituals. We went along with it and it was a bad treatment. They cut the time short and massaged pretty badly for 220 dollars each. Told Nicolas and he probably tore the spa team a new one for pretending the entire menu was out of order and not wanting to work. A second makeup treatment was comped. It was slightly better but still nothing compared to Thailand or Tokyo in terms of technique and refinement.
You need top-notch therapists if you want to be a wellness and spa resort like Noi is trying to be. They won AsiaSpa awards but these treatments made me wonder how?!
Last edited by Aventine; Jun 11, 2018 at 1:05 pm