5khours

By which other hotels ???

ridefar

Totally agree with all of this (budget part too, alas!). There are many tiny details that make an Aman so special, and service is first and foremost. But for me, the one component of the philosophy that really drives it home is food. The food is almost invariably very good to great. Some places you could argue deserve a Michelin star (Amanbagh would be one such for me). But food is never presented or served as if you are in a fancy restaurant, it is always as if you were visiting the home of the perfect wealthy hostess with impeccable and discreet manners. The food is presented simply. Alinea it is not. But it is delicious and easy to eat and doesn't feel like a creation. You don't have to put on a tie or dress up to enjoy it. It feels like home. Which is why, even if they are not inexpensive, they are worth every penny. There are individual properties which are certainly as good (Awasi, Fogo Island Inn, many safari lodges to name some I have visited). But no "chain" which is as consistently great in such private locales.

landing

Really looking forward for next month Amanbagh Chhatri birthday dinner. ^

FlyerEC

Sean F , now GM at No'i , tells me that 5 new villas are planned for ' 15 .
Looking from the ocean , they would be located towards the left of the main pavilion/ cliff pool .
These are for sale

FlyerEC

While Puri seems to be evolving ( not for the better during the change in ownership Colony C fiasco I might add ) - what with 2 F & B outlets opening this month , in Dec ; use of 3 types of new ' buggies ' including electric ones , service seems a bit stretched . Even at 100% capacity , this would not have been the case during ' the days of old ' . ( But Phuket is getting crowded & seasoned staff have to be appreciated by the owners as they keep the Aman family spirit going .)
Also new BMW 7Ls .
So while hardware is being worked on , ' software ' needs more rigorous practise including English comprehension for ' newer ' team members . Less service recovery required then , & even this can be way better .
Anticipatory hallmark of Aman ethos has to kept a priority along with sincere warmth .
Being the pioneer Aman , perhaps it is resting on its privileged laurels . I feel some others are now flying the Aman flag better . The older GMs understand & so do many newer ones who have the Aman spirit . Many Amanjunkies are thankful for this .
We shall see what happens over the CHRISTmas & NY peak period & beyond to our Puri home . But of course , we will be at our other Aman homes too to see how things are .
We are only comparing Aman with Aman
This is FT after all & jetting about is the norm .

Thoughts about any other Amans you have been at recently ?

bhrubin

We were at Amansara in January and will be at Amangiri in April. Amansara was exceptional. But Amansara's only true 5 star competition is the newly refurbished Park Hyatt Siem Reap. Not really competition there, if you ask me.

Amanpuri has far more competition in Phuket, and that means that Amanpuri doesn't necessarily offer the same exceptional difference to everyone for the price point. When Amanpuri was the only resort of its kind in Phuket, it stood out more; now, the sheer number of comparably excellent resorts in Phuket means that Amanpuri, while still outstanding, may not stand out in contrast as much as it once did. Amanpuri didn't change as much as the competition vastly increased and vastly improved to compete. (For the record, we've not been to Phuket, but we've heard about all of the top resorts there from numerous friends who've been, not to mention following reports here on FT.)

Aman properties that are often considered the best are also those in the more remote locations with virtually no direct competition. Amanpulo is the only true high-luxe resort in the Philippines; Amantake and Amansara are the only examples in their cities. Amangiri and Amangani are the same. Amanjiwo is the perfect example of this, as well, and is still my favorite Aman ever.

Amanyara in Turks & Caicos has the Parrot Cay COMO property competing with it. Amankora in Bhutan now has the COMO properties competing. Aman Grand Canal in Venice has numerous top properties competing with it (Gritti in particular IMO). Aman Summer Palace in Beijing is nice, but it has plenty of competition. Even Amandari and Amanusa have numerous properties competing with them, including the perhaps superior (by many accounts) COMO Shambala. Amankila is a bit more remote and has less competition, and is generally acknowledged as the best Aman in Bali--coincidence? I think not.

Aman is spectacular, but it is most worthy and considered the best most often when it has no or less competition IMO.

FlyerEC

^ +1

Well , you ' ll have to experience Amanpuri then !
How can you not visit the ' flagship ' ?

You ' ll still find it stellar ! The best in Phuket , just that I ' ve been since ' 89
Sandra W & team are doing a rather fine job keeping up , considering the environment .

And do go to No'i too to complete your Indochina Amans

bhrubin

I confess to being less excited about Phuket--partly because so many Americans go there (and Thailand) for holiday. We are more inclined to travel abroad to less American-prone destinations that offer the same types of environments, as we enjoy meeting people from other nationalities and in less popular and more out of the way/remote locales. Amano'i is definitely on our list, but we likely first will hit Amanpulo on that side of the world. (We've been to all of the Amans in Indonesia, as well as Aman Summer Palace and Amansara this past January, and have Amangiri coming up in April 2015.)

So it's less likely we'll hit Amanpuri but that has less to do with Amanpuri and more to do with that fact that we would opt for other luxe and remote beach destinations given the choice. But you can bet that we'd stay there if our travels left us time in Thailand for other reasons. And we're dying to go back to Amanjiwo.

FlyerEC

Well , most recently , I saw / spoke with Aussies , Indians , Singaporeans , think only a couple of Americans who are expats like in Tokyo & the region . Also some from the EU . There was , btw , an American GM taking a breather , on actually his first visit to Puri
So you should go , it really is an international bunch .
There was a photo shoot taking place with a global team ( mainly in a villa ) & on the beach when I think no one was around - with set up at 5 am ..

We ' re looking forward to Pulo & catching up with the Aman family in a few weeks

You be very pleased that Ian W is now at Jiwo , perhaps you met him in China .
When you visit N'oi & Sean F , you can perhaps swing by Puri along with Jiwo @:-)

Kagehitokiri

http://announce.ft.com/Detail/?DocKe...G9VR7A7NOO2CF0
http://announce.ft.com/Detail/?DocKe...130I9JE1I7BQ7M

uggboy

Ahn Luh Zhujiajiao Will Have 35 Chinese Villas in Shanghai

http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/20...as_in_Shanghai

deer

It's here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...5-edition.html

Kagehitokiri

in just one year, this thread received >
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