quitecontrary

Actually I would revise that to stay at Trisara - I've just been reading reviews of both hotels on Tripadvisor and based on the reviews there Trisara definitely seems to deliver consistently. In fact Trisara is no 2 hotel on Phuket and Amanpuri is No 97!!

MikeFromTokyo

This shows how useful trip advisor ratings are

IMO Amanpuri is the better resort overall, but an argument can certainly be made for the ocean front pool villas at Trisara. Depending on one's priorities, Trisara arguably provides better value for one bedroom accommodation. Sea views and private pools in all suites/villas are real selling points.

quitecontrary

I know that TA is not well regarded on this board but I do use it selectively looking for reviews of those who are used to staying in the same sort of hotel I like to stay at - here are some recent reviews from some who've stayed at other Aman hotels which are less than glowing -


�Nice, but not perfect�
Reviewed 3 weeks ago
We liked the fantastic setting and were more than happy with our upgrade to a pool villa. Very nice architeture and a private Pool larger than many Main pool. Unfortunatly the food and some members of the staff were not that Good like we expected. The first evening we sat in the Bar area ( nice place indeed) . It came to midnight and the ladies made us feel uncomfortable because they to close. A simple polite Last order call would have been nicer. We disliked the food in the italien restaurant. I had baby lobster and the meat was stuck in the shell. Hard to get it out. The kitchen should have prepared it better.
The rest was close to perfection, but the whole Atmosphere in Amanpulo Phillipines is better.

Stayed March 2014, travelled as a couple

And

�Overrated and overpriced!�
Reviewed 18 February 2014
We have been regular guests at Aman resorts for several years. However it has become gradually clear to us that as Aman continue to expand, the quality and standard of their services seems to have started to deteriorate. Amanpuri is the case in point. We stayed 4 nights at Amanpuri having already stayed another 4 nights at the new Como�s Point Yamu Hotel in Phuket, at a price of almost 4 times cheaper! Even ignoring the price differential, Point Yamu compared quite favorably against Amanpuri. Although Amanpuri benefits from a classic design and has its own beautiful beach, Point Yamu provided similar standard of luxury and comfortable accommodation, and much better quality food including a fantastic breakfast. Above all though point Yamu far exceeded Amanpuri in the quality of staff service. There was an air of complacency at Amanpuri with staff service being �official� and �formal�, but lacking warmth and not feeling �real�. At the time of the check out we asked whether the hotel would seek out our feedback and the answer to that was that we do not!. I guess this proves the �complacency� point. We will not return to Amanpuri and would avoid other Aman hotels where we can find a good alternative.

Stayed February 2014, travelled as a couple

And

Maybe my expectations were too high, but i found Amanpuri a disappointment;
The pavillions are outdated, on the small size, too close to eachother, nothing to compare with nicer/newer Aman properties.
As hotel was full, I had to book a Garden view one, which i would not know how to describe any different than parking pavillion.
Similarly for the food venues, nothing striking or particularly nice.
What i found really surprising is that this is the only Aman where i experienced average service: a mix of sometime snobish, sometime don't care, sometime genuinly good.
While i had never experienced anithing else then perfect in terms of service during my other Aman properties stays.

Stayed May 2012, travelled as a couple

MikeFromTokyo

I also use trip advisor selectively. It is often easy to pick out more reliable information from certain reviewers. Also, it can be a good source of photographs taken by staying guests.

If Amanpuri is ranked #97 in Phuket, something's certainly wrong...

quitecontrary

Oh - I know it's not as bad as no 97th in Phuket - hence the in my post! I'm just saying that maybe Trisara or elsewhere could be a better choice - especially given blueline7's experience there as well.

5khours

TripAdvisor ratings on luxury hotels are completely worthless. I've stayed at both Puri and Trisara at least 10 times each including as recently as the last couple of months. Trisara is a great resort (particularly the pool villas) but Puri is better overall especially if the beach is important to you.

nestafaria

We did our honeymoon this past January in Thailand and Cambodia. After flip flopping where to stay in Phuket we decided to stay a week at Trisara. It was by FAR our favorite destination and resort. The villas are AMAZING, and a private pool villa was considerably less than one at Amanpuri. We were upgraded to an ocean front, number 204(i think) and it was spectacular. The food and service were also exquisite, a step up from FS Chaing Mai.

Have dinner at Siam Supper club, really cool spot!

We also had a lot of people tell us that Phuket was crowded and to avoid it, but never understood why. We went to places like Laguna, Surin Beach, the gibbons reserve, and pearl factory. Never did go to old town, maybe that's where everyone else goes.

detroit1010

nestafaria, can you tell me where else you went/stayed in Thailand and your thoughts?

Also, a general question about the rates at Amanpuri. People have mentioned better value, stating that once there, the costs are minimal. Are day tours arranged by the hotel included? While there, we'd (obviously) love to explore the surrounding islands/beaches and take part in activities (Railay Beach, Hong Island, kayaking, hiking, etc).

MikeFromTokyo

If those are your priorities, it really seems you would be better off at Rayavadee or Phulay Bay. Krabi is much better suited for those activities, and Rayavadee as you know has direct access to Phranang and Railay beaches.

Excursions are not included in the rates at Amanpuri. You will pay more if you stay there or at Trisara. These resorts really add value in terms of service, as well as the sheer quality of accommodation, f&b, excursions, etc.. Unless you are a seasoned Aman guest, however, you probably wouldn't feel the difference if you stayed elsewhere.

5khours

This is actually a really good point. Also if you end up spending more than your comfortable with, you will end up stressing about budget, the cost of meals and trips, etc., during your stay. Posters on this board are not really mainstream, and for the vast majority of travelers, there are a lot of fantastic hotels where you will have a great time and spend a lot less than at Amanpuri or Trisara.

MikeFromTokyo

If the OP has seven nights, I would suggest splitting Rayavadee and Phulay Bay. Perhaps four nights at Rayavadee and three at Phulay. Otherwise, just pick one of these for the entire stay.

If budget allows, take a premium pavilion cataeogry at Rayavadee to get a prime location within the resort (e.g. Spa, hydro pool, or terrace pavilion). Also, a reserve Villa at Phulay Bay would wow most people. The reserve villa sea view (such as #20), or the Royal Beach Villas are even better.

Krabi is the place to be if the OP wants to go kyaking, hike, and take excursions to the Phi Phi islands, etc...

Musken

As others have said, it is the quality of accommodation and service that makes Trisara and Amanpuri better. You might get a complimentary bottle of champagne (but not always, we did not get at these two resorts but have gotten at other Amanresorts) plus small goodnight presents, cookies and fruit in your room, refreshments at beach/pool plus beautiful flowers, but nothing is included in terms of food, excursions etc. It is the way they do things, that makes it special to stay there. If you go on an excursion, you have the best guides/cars/boats and your picnics and beatifully prepared, everything really private etc., but you definitely pay for this as well, and quite a premium compared to other resorts. You can write to the resorts to get their activities lists with costs and also menus in restaurants to get an idea of the extra costs.

Having read the last posts, I tend to agree with others saying that you might want to stay somewhere else. It is not nice if you have to think about costs all the time.

nestafaria

We stayed at the Peninsula in BKK. Amazing pick up service, pretty decent breakfast, great river views and our favorite spa. Definitely stay on the river. It's so much easier to get around. We'd probably try the MO next time.

Four Seasons in Chaing Mai. Absolutely stunning property -- we stayed in a pool villa which was also fantastic. If we had to do it again, we would have stayed downtown in the Anantara for a few nights and then moved out here. We took advantage of the free shuttle one day but it's just too far from the city. FS also seems to shutdown after sunset, very few people having dinner, nobody at the bar, no live music. A little boring for us.

I don't think the word value should ever be used in combination with Trisara or Amanpuri. Lunch will run at least $100, and maybe $250 for dinner everday. The excursions they recommend and mostly book cater to people looking for the very best.

We also went to Siem Reap, which was a huge highlight of the trip.

pushpitha

I second the suggestion for Anantara Golden Triangle, it's lovely around that time of year, and you will enjoy playing around with the elephants. The rooms are amazing too, spacious and tasteful, characteristic of the Anantara chain.

detroit1010

Glad to hear this. On the other hand, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about Chiang Rai. It seems that Chiang Mai is a far more popular destination and the activities that can be done from both locations are similar (cooking classes, elephants). Does anyone have an opinion as to visiting one as opposed to the other?

Also, I've recently come across Khao Yai National Park and two resorts that look great - Muthi Maya and Kirimaya. I'm wondering if a stop there (which is only a few hours outside of BKK) might be easier in a 10ish night trip to Thailand. I searched the board and didn't come across very much about this site or these lodges. Anyone been?