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.

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 toAmantaka. 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.)

Resort Grounds / Common Space

A large lawn separates the main building ofAmantakafrom 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.

Accomodations

The four of us were in two truly wonderful abodes atAmantaka, 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.

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.

Dining

There are two adjoining dining rooms in the main building atAmantaka, 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.

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.

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.

Excursions/Activities

Amantakahas 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.

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

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: