This was the great surprise of the trip, a truly world-class resort that leaped immediately into my “Top 10” favorite hotels/resorts list. To think I’d almost excluded it from our itinerary, given how little I’ve heard about it in comparison to Amandari, Amankila, and Amanjiwo.

Room

We were in Pool Suite #26, a room that I recommend without any reservation, so perfect it is in design and layout, with the pool terrace virtually (but not quite) private. Everything here is so refined and polished—yet still redolent of Bali. Black detailing provides a very elegant unifying theme—black straw baskets, hats, and flip flops in the room—black mats upon which your toiletries are places—black containers for the water bottles. The sunken bathtub in the bathroom is surrounded by glass walls with a lily pond beyond, in my mind a preferable option to an outdoor bathtub such as Amandari and Amanjiwo have. On one side of the bathroom, there’s an outdoor shower, and a rack for drying swimsuits. Lots of outdoor living space—a small entrance courtyard and dining area, and then in back a two-level terrace, with a bale on one level and a pool with lounge chairs (and a pitcher of ice water and dispensers of sunscreen) on the lower level. The room was pristine, as if it had been built and decorated last year.

Location

There’s so much attention to detail throughout the resort—at the main swimming pool the pool boy brings a sort of hat stand to you and hangs your excess clothing on it while you sunbathe or swim in that astounding, massive pool. Individual frangipani blossoms are arranged in artful patterns on the entrance wall of honeymooners’ pavilions. Small clip-on lights are brought with your menus at dinner so that you don’t have to awkwardly strain your menus toward the candlelight.

Beach

The beach experience is supremely comfortable and civilized—each individual bale nestled in surrounding foliage—which you’d think would make them hot and humid but instead somehow creates a sort of natural air conditioning, a wonderful place to read or nap after the heat and sun of the lounge chairs. The beach is yellow sand, raked and cleaned to perfection by Aman. Not the most photogenic of views, as many small fishing boats are bobbing just off shore. Mild waves, and some current, so you stay within the flags they’ve marked. We had a private beach BBQ one night, and it was of course a very Aman-ized experience: Balinese flags, candles in translucent bags, personalized menus.

Excursion

The only excursion we scheduled was a trip to view the sunset at the cliff-top Uluwatu temple. In retrospect, I wish we’d skipped this for more time at the nirvana that is Amanusa. Uluwatu temple is very photogenically situated on a cliff high above the breakers, but it is so overwhelmed at sunset by hundreds of sightseers, that it’s not an especially pleasant experience, and the monkeys that run rampant there are a real menace, having learned to steal objects from tourists and to then break them unless food is provided. (We saw them steal a young boy’s glasses.)

Overall

Everything they do at Amanusa is perfect – and it seems to be the sort of place where they are constantly identifying new ways to make the experience even better. Hats off.