Review: Upper House, Amanoi, and Amantaka
Aug 8, 2016, 3:43 pm
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Review: Upper House, Amanoi, and Amantaka
After getting accepted late last year to a MBA program for Fall 2016 matriculation, I decided a celebration was in order. So, I quit my job at the end of June, and my significant other and I took a (relatively) quick 10-day trip across Hong Kong, Amanoi, and Amantaka. Summer isn't the best time to generally visit Southeast Asia, but we work with the schedules we have, and the weather cooperated nearly the entire time we were there. I had also been working closely with Amanoi to plan my proposal to my girlfriend, who I'm happy to now call my fiance! More on that below.
I wanted to share my thoughts on the Upper House, Amanoi, and Amantaka. Keep in mind these were our first Aman properties, for whatever its worth. I'm limiting my commentary to the hotels themselves per the spirit of this forum, rather than the destination itself (as much as possible). This ended up much longer than I had intended, but I hope its helpful for others looking at these properties.
UPPER HOUSE
We stayed at the Upper House for just one night as a quick stopover on the way to Vietnam, with the goal to minimize jetlag and briefly visit one of our favorite cities. This review will be relatively brief, as was our stay.
Prior to our arrival, due in entirety to the help of our travel agent, the UH was able to guarantee us a early check-in (5:15AM!), considering we were leaving at 6AM the following day to catch our 8AM flight to HCMC.
We arrived into HKG at around 4:45am, and the hotel driver was waiting for us with a beautiful S350L to bring us to the UH. I will note that the Wifi was not working (the driver had forgotten the hotspot), though the driver was very apologetic. Upon arrival, a number of people were waiting to greet us at the front entrance, and one associate then escorted us to our room for check-in. We brought our own bags, as we travel extremely light - just one carry-on bag per person.
UPPER HOUSE - ROOM
The hotel very graciously upgraded us to an Upper Suite (we booked a Studio 70 Harbor View), which was a spectacular room spanning 1,200 square feet and offered floor-to-ceiling wraparound views of Hong Kong. The living room was perfect for having a much-needed cup of coffee, while the bedroom offered a setting for an incredibly relaxing night of sleep. I loved having every control I would ever need right next to both pillows, in an clearly laid-out fashion (e.g., simple buttons to turn on/off a nightlight, control blinds, etc. - no touchscreen confusion!). Blinds were also controlled with a remote control that was relatively simple to operate.
The highlight of the room was certainly the bathroom. While we never used it, the tub was beautiful enough just to look at to enjoy, and the shower was larger than any I've ever come across in my travels. Essential to me was having both a rain and standard shower head, both with ample pressure. I will note that the shower temperature did seem to fluctuate during the shower between warm and hot, which my fiance confirmed.
I also greatly appreciated the extensive minibar, with complementary snacks and beverages (including beer, but not wine). It's always nice to be able to grab a Diet Coke without feeling the shame of paying $8 for the privilege.
UPPER HOUSE - SERVICE / F&B
We did enjoy breakfast at the hotel shortly after check-in. The food itself was fantastic, with excellent portion sizes (aka - not giant!), healthy options, and high-quality ingredients. The service, however, left quite a bad taste in our mouth (no pun intended). Our waiter was particularly difficult to get the attention of, and when we were able to, was extremely dismissive. One example: I ordered a "set" breakfast, which came with a standard juice. I wanted a "premium" juice, which costs ~$5 extra on the a la carte menu, and was willing to pay the difference to get it (as in, pay an additional $5 on top of the set breakfast menu). The waiter insisted over and over again that it was not possible. It was more than a language barrier - rather, the waiter just didn't want to be accommodating. Not a huge deal on its own, but it highlights a clear lapse in service that I was a bit surprised to see.
The rest of our encounters with the hotel staff was flawless, including a very friendly concierge. That said, since we were only there for 24 hours, the majority of our time was spent outside of the hotel, so I can't comment too much here. The hotel did proactively reach out to us the night prior to our departure to inquire about transportation, and set up a 6AM standard taxi to take us to the airport.
Upon checkout, we made our way down to the lobby and sure enough, a taxi was outside waiting at 5:58AM. The front desk staff already had the folio prepared, which was certainly appreciated. We were able to use our $100 Virtuoso credit on the hotel transfer, which was appreciated, as we chose to dine outside of the hotel since we only had one night.
UPPER HOUSE - CONCLUSION
For those debating on location of the Upper House, I would say that while it is not in the most ideal location when compared with other hotels on the HK side, taxis were plentiful and it was always easy to get where we wanted to go. For me, the quality of the property was enough to forego the convenience that some other properties offer, especially for when the rates are significantly (20%) lower, as was the case for this stay.
The hard product is absolutely gorgeous, both in public areas and in the rooms. The service was outstanding, outside of a particularly unpleasant waiter at breakfast. I would not hesitate to return here again. The fact that the property frequently offers 3rd and 4th night free promotions certainly does not hurt.
AMANOI
We stayed at Amanoi for four nights in early July. As a disclaimer, this was our first Aman property. Much has been said about Amanoi, so I will try to keep this relatively brief and primarily highlight things more relevant to our stay.
This trip was especially important to us, as it is where I proposed to my now-fiance. To make "preparations", I was in extensive communication with both Joy and Sean during the months leading up to our stay. I have to hand it to Joy, who was able to help create one of the most memorable nights in our lives. She was so friendly yet professional, and executed perfectly on my wishes. More on that below!
After a relatively easy transfer from Hong Kong via Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived at Nha Trang at around 1PM, and the Amanoi driver was waiting for us in the arrivals area. He didn't speak a lick of English, but that wasn't a problem. Waiting in the (very large) van for us was an iPad with a ton of information on the property, including a map, as well as snacks and cold drinks. A note with a phone number to call if we needed to get in touch with the property prior to arrival was also in the van.
The drive, as has been mentioned time and time again, is very scenic, with the latter half being the highlight. It took about an hour, maybe a bit less, and we hit zero traffic. In fact, the majority of the drive was basically empty roads. The entire drive was well-paved and very smooth.
On arrival, we were greeted by Joy (F&B manager) and Christie (front office manager), who were both very excited to welcome us to the property. Sean was away on business for the first 3 nights of our stay. Christie brought us to room, a Ocean Pavilion, which was beautiful and offered stunning views. However, after a bit of debate, we actually asked to see some Pool Pavilions. Unfortunately all the Ocean Pool Pavilions were occupied, but we were able to choose between #2 and #29, which couldn't have been more different.
AMANOI - ROOM
Room #2 actually offers beautiful ocean views from the pool, but the pool is actually to the left of the room, so you can't see it from the room itself. You need to walk outside and past your back porch and turn left. From the room itself, the primary view is two large boulders. Not sure why they are there, but if you want to enjoy a cup of coffee or a drink from your patio, the majority of your view will be of two boulders. I suppose this is the trade-off one receives when they pay for a non-ocean view, but get an ocean view from the pool. I unfortunately don't have any pictures of room #2.
We didn't like this compromise, so we chose #29, which was absolutely perfect, and we actually liked more than the Ocean view. The pool overlooks the beautiful lake in the middle of the property, and is surrounded by incredibly lush vegetation and beautiful wildlife. I saw some of the most amazing butterflies and dragonflies while swimming in our pool. I was initially concerned about privacy, but it simply isn't a issue. You can see the lake (hard to see in the pictures), but there is no chance anyone can see you, from either nearby Pavilions or from the other side of the lake.
The view from the back patio / pool is truly spectacular, and managed to nearly take my breath away every single time I looked outside, even by day four. This is truly the most beautiful place I've ever been, and is so unique from a landscape / vegetation / climate perspective that it is absolutely magical. I cannot say enough good things about the location of this property.
The rooms' interior is also quite spectacular, and #29 gets a great amount of sun. The flow works fantastically between the bedroom, sitting area, and bathroom, and the ceilings are breath-taking. The TV does get in the way of the flow a bit, but not enough to warrant complaining about it. The property has put a nice cover on the back of the TV, so you can't see any wires, which makes it a bit more palatable. The sitting area wasn't particularly comfortable, but that's fine - we nearly never used this area. The blinds are very, very cool - it's a set of curtains that are on tracks, making it very easy to open / close. The one downside is that these curtains cover the desk and minibar areas, which can be a bit annoying, but worth it in terms of the convenience factor overall. I should add that the air conditioning is excellent, and it got downright frigid in the room if we wanted it to (I can't live without very powerful AC - it's 100% mandatory for me).
The bathroom was excellent. Tons of closet space, a great shower and shower products, and ample sink space, with beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows of the greenery outside. I would say that the lighting, while beautiful, was not enough at night, especially for my SO trying to apply makeup, but it did the job for me. I loved the door from the shower directly to the back patio / pool, making it easy to get from the pool to the shower without making a mess throughout the room.
However, not all was so great. I don't know if it was because of the lake proximity or not, but we had a pretty annoying gnat / bug problem throughout our stay. It made it very difficult to enjoy sitting / laying outside without feeling like little flies were landing on you constantly. The citronella candle we found in the room did not help. We actually mentioned this to the property, and they said that others were complaining as well, and came to our room to "spray it down" with insecticide. This didn't work, so they actually tried again. This too didn't work. We ended up just dealing with it - luckily it wasn't an issue when one was actually in the water.
I loved Pavilion #29 and can't recommend it enough, barring the gnat problem (which I don't know is lake-specific or not - if it is, then lake rooms need to be avoided). I loved being able to walk to the common areas for meals without having to call a buggy - any further and that would have been required.
AMANOI - PROPERTY / BEACH & ACTIVITIES
Amanoi's general location is stunning, with a phenomenal mix of mountains, beach, foliage, wildlife, and sun. We've been to Vietnam a couple of times now, and this just doesn't feel like the Vietnam we knew. It's magical. I've never seen so many butterflies in my life - everywhere you look! Same with dragonflies, but luckily, not many bees. It was definitely hot while we were there - 85-90 degrees, but as someone who hates heat, I'm happy to report that the breeze is really a game-changer. Between the breeze, the ocean, and the fantastic AC in the rooms, I never really felt too hot.
The central pavilion is incredibly beautiful, with primarily open-air spaces that despite the outdoor heat, remain cool with large fans and a lot of shade. We chose to eat here every night rather than in our room, as it was just so gorgeous at night, with the fishing boats lighting up the sea. Truly spectacular. The bar was also at the central pavilion, and it too was very welcoming, with beautiful lighting and very comfortable seating. We actually never used the Cliff Pool, but it certainly was beautiful.
I'm starting to sound redundant, but the Beach Club was also a highlight. A phenomenal pool that we used quite a bit despite having our own pool, which was always a perfect temperature and never too crowded (but also not isolate, which we loved). The beach itself was excellent. Not the Maldives, for sure, but great nonetheless.
The beach was constantly serviced, with delicious ginger beer drinks brought out us to us regularly. As a lover of ginger and ginger beer, this was probably the best non-alcoholic drink I've ever had in my life. I believe Joy brought this recipe from Amanjiwo, but I can't remember for sure. Wherever it's from, it's phenomenal, and we still talk about it today (and would go back just for this). The attendants would often move the umbrellas to optimize shade, etc., and were changing towels just as frequently, which was great.
At the beach, we did hobie cat sailing one day with Richard, the activities manager from Amanpulo, who is a major asset to this property. Richard was awesome every day we saw him, and was always a blast to chat with. Unfortunately, the hobie cat sailing was probably the worst 30 minutes of my life, as we made it out quite far, and then the wind just cut out entirely. The bobbing up and down was beyond nauseating, and Richard didn't really get the hint that both me and the fiance were having a miserable time until I finally asked him to get us back ASAP. By the time we were on land again, I was literally green in the face, something which has never happened to me before. Looking back it was funny more than anything, but at the time it was really miserable. My suggestion - don't go out on a hobie cat unless there's some good wind going! We were trying to go all day but there was no wind, and when there was finally a slight pickup, Richard took us out, and when it disappeared a few minutes later, it was just not good!
Outside of the property, we also took a tour of the nearby town, which was actually offered complementary (we were just going to walk around on our own with a complementary ride to the town). However, Aman surprised us by sending along one of the villa butlers as our tour guide, who was delightful and very sweet. She also took us to a local doctors' house, who invited us into his home for homemade wine and the most delicious mangoes I've ever had in my life and were grown from a tree that we were sitting under, which was pretty neat. I believe Aman charges $300++ for dinner at this house with the doctor and his family, so being able to get a similar experience was nice, though I wouldn't have paid the asking price for it.
Other than this, we didn't partake in any activities. We intended to hike a few days, but never got around to it, as the beach and pool were just too tempting to skip.
AMANOI - FOOD & BEVERAGE
Overall food was good, but not great. Lack of consistency was noticeable. For example, the ricotta pancakes were stupendous our first morning, but the third morning, were so dense that they were basically inedible. That said, there were definitely standout meals, including our private dinner (see below), which was amazing from start to finish, as well as the Western options. The Vietnamese options just weren't great compared to what we've had in previous trips to Vietnam - overly salty comes to mind. Again, there were definitely standouts, but we came away relatively neutral about food at Amanoi.
Menu selection was quite impressive, and there was certainly enough to eat for four days, although after a week I might have gotten bored.
Some of the desserts are worth ordering time and time again - the pineapple cheesecake was amazing. The desserts were probably a highlight here, and were perfectly sized and not too heavy or overly sweet. Other standout items include the smoothies, Vietnamese coffee, granola with homemade yogurt, snapper in banana leaf, and the Western tapas served at the bar.
The Beach Club was a great place to have lunch, and we enjoyed all the meals we had here quite a bit. The environment didn't hurt, either!
Perhaps the biggest issue we had with Amanoi was out of their control entirely - the distinct lack of people everywhere we went, especially during meal times. Nearly every meal, we were one of two or three tables, max (and frequently the only table). While privacy is great, it was almost eerie and actually a bit lonely by the end of the trip. I recognize many are looking for this type of privacy, and hence seem to be eating in their rooms, but for us it was a bit too much. We spent every night at the bar for about an hour or two after dinner, enjoying a cocktail or a glass of wine. All four nights we did not see a single person at the bar with us. We were pretty shocked - not a single person for four nights?
On that note, the cocktails at the bar and beach club were very good and they adhered to our request of "not too sweet", which is rarer than you may imagine. Again, the ginger beer served at the beach club became my obsession during our time at the property, and by day 2, the bartender knew to always have it ready for me!
F&B service was consistently good. We were never asked for our room numbers, and none of our orders were ever messed up, which is a welcome change. A couple of the times we went to the bar we had to wait 10 minutes or so for a bartender to show up, which was a bit annoying, but not that surprising considering no one was ever at the bar!
One relatively serious mix-up with F&B service did occur, when on the first morning they brought out a fruit salad with jackfruit, which I am allergic to. I informed the staff, and they apologized and sent out a new salad. However, no one ever took note of this for future orders - the next morning, jackfruit was in our fruit salad (and on days 3 and 4, as well).
AMANOI - SERVICE
As a whole, the service at Amanoi was fantastic. Everyone is extremely friendly and well-intentioned, which goes a long way. A language barrier definitely still exists, but it's minor enough that we could communicate the majority of our requests (though not all of them - sometimes had to get a manager involved for "translation"). Not a big deal.
We only saw housekeeping once in four days, and the room was always cleaned by the time we returned. The ice bucket was always full, etc. The little touches were always taken care of, which we loved.
Because the property requires taking a buggy nearly everywhere you go, it was important for buggies to be quick. Luckily they were - 90% of the time, they were either available right away or within 2 minutes. A couple of times we had to wait 5-10 minutes, but we survived
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Whenever we had an activity (e.g., town tour, spa, etc.) someone was at our door at exactly the right time - not early, not late - and would wait until we were ready, which was appreciated.
Overall, this wasn't Bali service (not quite as "soulful", if that makes sense), but I don't think Vietnam is particularly known for their hospitality relative to places like Indonesia. With that in mind, service was really fantastic, and we couldn't have asked for much more. There was a big gap related to our engagement, however, which I will address below.
AMANOI - GYM & SPA
The gym was very well equipped and modern, in a beautiful setting. The large windows made it very sunny, but the room was beyond hot, to the point where it was impossible to actually work out. No way to adjust the temperature besides the ceiling fans, which basically did nothing. It was like this both times we went, but we never did ask them to turn on the AC, so this may be on us.
I treated myself with an Aman massage and body scrub, both of which were excellent. I also took advantage of the private steam room suites, which was very nice conceptually and quite beautiful, but the steam room never got hot enough to be worth my while. The room also had a hot and cold plunge pool, shower, and massage table. Like I said, great in concept, but the steam room simply didn't get very steamy.
I would add, unfortunately, that while I did find the spa manager to be a very friendly guy, we did find him to be somewhat pushy with trying to sell us private yoga classes, spa packages, etc., during meals that by the end of the trip, we were borderline annoyed (I was very much in the annoyed camp; my more forgiving SO, not so much). On the other hand, Richard, the activities manager, was stupendous - very friendly and engaging but never made us feel pressured into buying anything. Like I said, a real asset to the property.
AMANOI - ENGAGEMENT
As I mentioned, I used Amanoi as the venue for me to propose to my now-fiance. When I saw a photo of the Yoga Pavilion on the website, I immediately emailed my travel agent to book this property. I then worked very closely with Joy, Sean, and Danny (the head chef) to come up with the perfect setup for an engagement that went very smoothly and we will remember forever. I had insisted over and over again that I wanted this to be a non-elaborate affair - elegant and simple - and Joy executed perfectly.
Joy and I came up with a story to tell my SO - that we would having dinner with Sean and his wife on our second night at the property. Prior to dinner, I would have a drink with Sean to chat about hospitality (as I'm very interested in the space from a professional standpoint), and then a buggy would pick up Vanessa to join us at his house for dinner. Instead, the buggy would take her to the Yoga Pavilion, where I would be waiting on one knee at the bottom of the stairs, with a private dinner inside the pavilion waiting for us.
The entire property played along amazingly. I left at 6PM for "drinks", and Vanessa was to be picked up at 6:30 to meet us for "dinner", to time with the sunset. At 6PM, I headed over to the Yoga Pavilion, which was set up exactly as I had imagined - simple white tablecloth, a few candles in each corner, and that's it - simple and elegant.
At 6:30, a buggy picked up Vanessa, and the driver even chatted along with her, asking if she was looking forward to having dinner with the GM and his wife. She was 100% convinced. When she got to the Yoga Pavilion, she was beyond shocked and was at a loss for words - she didn't even realize she was brought to the spa and not the GM's house until she saw me at the Pavilion!
Thankfully, she did say yes! - and we enjoyed a delicious multi-course dinner in the pavilion. Perhaps we were just too happy to notice any shortcomings, but the food was phenomenal - every single dish was an absolute hit, which I can't say was the case for other meals at the property. Those damn gnats were driving us nuts during dinner (see picture below - look at tablecloth), but we were too busy being happy to care. Joy came out to congratulate both of us as well, and provided us with a customized copy of the menu with the date and our names on it to keep as a memento. The whole affair was priced extremely reasonably - shockingly so, to be honest - which was refreshing. It's really nice to not be nickel-and-dimed while on vacation.
However, as I alluded to earlier, a couple of strange things happened after the engagement dinner. Although the entire property was aware of what was happening, not a single employee said congratulations to us besides Joy. Not at the bar that same night after dinner, not at breakfast the next morning, etc. It was just never brought up. Even at checkout, Sean mentioned our engagement, but offered no congratulations (more like - "so when's the wedding"). I found it quite peculiar that no one said a simple "congratulations" - it doesn't really bother me, but it was a bit puzzling.
Even stranger was on our fourth night (we got engaged on our second night), we got back to the room after dinner and the room appeared to be somewhat decorated? The tub was half full with a couple of rose petals (literally, a couple), the lights were set dimly, and a couple of hanging lights that were in the Yoga Pavilion during our dinner were now hanging outside over our patio table. It literally felt like someone started to decorate for a romantic setting, and then changed their mind 5 minutes in, and left. It was completely bizarre.
On the flipside, a couple of days later we saw a beautiful photograph of the Yoga Pavilion that a past guest had taken. We called Christie and asked if there was any way we could have a copy so we could print it at home to frame. She said she would see what she could do, and she surprised us at checkout with a beautiful print of the exact photograph, which is now hanging in our home. No charge, etc., and executed perfectly.
AMANOI - CONCLUSION
As a whole, this was an incredibly special four days for us, not just because Vanessa agreed to make me the luckiest guy in the world, but because Amanoi was really a tranquil place to relax and unwind. This property definitely has a number of drawbacks (e.g., the food is good but not great, service is well-intentioned but a bit spotty, gnats ruined our private pool), but as a whole, this was a fantastic stay and I would love to return again. I do wish it was a bit easier to get to, but I can see that changing as the Nha Trang area continues to develop and more flights are added (e.g., SIN-CXR service is supposed to start soon).
I think four nights was perfect here. Any less wouldn't have been enough, and I tend to get very bored in one spot for too long. Five nights may have been better, but four was just enough to enjoy our time, while creating that feeling of sadness when leaving, which I think adds to the overall memory (aka - we didn't get sick of it, and we were longing for more).
Rates are so freaking competitive here that I have to think this is one of the best deals in the Aman portfolio. I can't begin to describe how beautiful this property is, and I can't recommend it enough. I won't return again in low season (not because of weather - it only rained once, for two hours), but simply because it was so isolated and quiet that it was almost eerie. I can't blame Aman for that, and can't wait to see what this property is like when occupancy is a little higher. Maybe we'll bring a couple friends along next time!
AMANTAKA
We stayed at Amantaka following Amanoi for four nights. Getting to Luang Prabang from Amanoi was actually pretty easy - we left Amanoi at 2PM and with a one hour layover in Hanoi, made it to Luang Prabang by 8PM. The Amantaka representative was waiting for us literally three feet away from the customs / immigration desk. We did not have enough cash on-hand to pay customs (I had misread and thought we needed less!), so I did have to use an ATM nearby. It would have been nice if the Amantaka representative could have helped out here, but that certainly was not expected.
After a short 15 minute ride, waiting for us at Amantaka's lobby was Livio (GM) and the front office manager, whose name unfortunately escapes me. Both were very welcoming, and we were brought to our room, a Pool Suite located at the far end of the property.
Continuing the theme from Amanoi, no one congratulated us on our engagement during the entire stay (though Livio made a comment about it, so clearly the property was "aware").
AMANTAKA - ROOM
The room itself was at least a five minute walk away from the main part of the hotel (restaurant, library, front desk). I wished we were a little closer, especially considering occupancy was less than 20%, but we were upgraded from the base Suite so I have no room to complain here. My understanding is that the higher category rooms are largely very similar to the Pool Suite, with slightly extra space. We did tour an Amantaka Suite (largest on the property), which are stand-alone units, and I was unimpressed relative to the Pool Suite we had, especially for twice the price.
That said, the room was very well-appointed, in a very different way to Amanoi, given the obvious dissimilarities in style. While I preferred the Amanoi style on a stand-alone basis, the decor really worked considering the overall property and location, and by the end of our trip, I agreed with Vanessa that it was extremely cozy and welcoming - it really felt more like a "home" than Amanoi did, at least from a hard product perspective. Definitely more of a colonial style, with shaded porches, smaller windows, and shutters, which added a lot of privacy, but was definitely very different than Amanoi.
There is a pool in the back outdoor area, but we didn't use it even once, both because of the weather and because it just wasn't very appealing. The pool is surrounded by big white walls, and felt very enclosed. Some greenery would really go a long way to make this a more inviting place. We didn't use the back area more than once (to have a drink and sit with our feet in the pool).
The bathroom was also very well-appointed, with nice his/her sinks, though I wish there was a bit more counter-top space. The shower was excellent (I particularly liked the lighting), and the bathtub was beautiful, though we did not use it.
Lighting across the room was a bit frustrating, as there were no central controls and every light had to be switched on/off manually. While I liked the "customization" this offered, it was also very tedious - there must have been 6 switches in the bedroom alone, with an equal number in the bathroom.
A fruit basket was waiting for us in the room, with the type of fruit rotating daily. Unfortunately, the first and last night was some sort of hard-shelled variety, and although there was a note instructing how to eat it, there was no knife to actually cut the fruit! Peeling didn't do much, either. I did like how there were little cups next to the fruit to dip / wash your hands in after eating.
Perhaps my favorite activity at Amantaka was simply opening the doors to allow for a nice breeze or the sound of rain, and reading a book in bed. It was just so home-y and cozy. No TV at Amantaka, which doesn't bother me (we didn't use the TV once at Amanoi), though because it rains quite a bit during the summer months in Laos, it would have been nice for the couple of times we were basically stuck in our room.
AMANTAKA - PROPERTY & ACTIVITIES
The Amantaka property does not photograph well enough to showcase how beautiful it is in person. This is definitely true for my photos, but also the ones on Aman's website - this place just needs to be seen. The main pool is absolutely stunning, and it's actually quite remarkable how simply walking through the courtyard can make one feel at peace. The library was a favorite spot of mine, and loved the two locals who would play music between the library and the main building during each afternoon.
The pool was relatively infrequently used, but we took advantage a couple of times, and the water temperature was great. Pool service was also excellent, with frequent drink offerings, constant movement of the umbrella to optimize shade, etc. - everything one would expect they delivered on. One day we went to the pool to find all the cushions put away because of earlier rain. As soon as I went to grab a cushion, someone came running over and made up the entire pool area, not just our seats.
Amantaka is located just a five minute walk from "downtown" Luang Prabang, which is incredibly convenient for sightseeing. It was very nice to be able to just walk out of the front doors of the hotel (or use the hotel tuk-tuk) and walk around town without needing to set up some elaborate transfer. I will say that both Vanessa and I were a bit let down by Luang Prabang. Culturally, it was beautiful to see the temples, monks, and "peaceful" nature of the village. However, the rest of the town was just rather forgettable. Hostel after hostel, average-looking restaurant after average-looking restaurant, and crappy shop after crappy shop. The night market didn't have much of quality to offer, though was fun to walk in. The boutique stores with quality goods (that Amantaka had recommended) were outrageously overpriced. We didn't even bother negotiating, because the starting prices were just so high. Think $50 for a kitchen plate, etc. Maybe we were just looking in the wrong places, as we didn't spend much time shopping since that wasn't a goal of this trip (and I hate shopping, to be honest).
We took part in a few activities during our four-night stay. My personal favorite was visiting the bear sanctuary about an hour away, which Amantaka has a special relationship with. Off-limits to other visitors, we were able to actually take a behind-the-scenes tour of the sanctuary, including feeding the bears (this is less scary than it sounds - while the bears are in cages, we "hid" food all around their enclosure, for them to "hunt" later). It was really a special activity that I enjoyed quite a bit, and would have been unlikely to arrange something similar without Amantaka's connections. While at the bear sanctuary, we also visited the famous Kuang Si waterfalls, as well as a nearby butterfly garden, which was Vanessa's favorite.
We also did the morning alms ceremony, which was quite nice, despite the early hour in which we had to wake up. Just in case it matters to anyone, this is not a "private" activity - we did alms with four other guests (and as such, they are in all of our pictures our "guide" took for us!). We didn't mind at all, but some may.
Lastly, we did the boat cruise on the Mekong. We opted not to stop anywhere (e.g., the whiskey village), based on recommendations from this forum, and I'm glad for that. Unfortunately the weather was very overcast during the cruise, but we still had a very nice time. It was about a 1.5 hour ride, and we enjoyed a cocktail, a bottle of wine, and some bar snacks during the trip. The scenery would certainly have been much more photogenic had it been a bit less cloudy out. The boat found an optimal location during sunset and stayed still for about 15 minutes for us to "enjoy", prior to heading back to the dock.
We were going to do a cooking class as well, but unfortunately Vanessa was feeling quite ill on the day it was scheduled. The property had no problems with us canceling the activity, and even called a doctor to come to the hotel for a very reasonable rate. The doctor was extremely professional and friendly - in case anyone is faced with a similar situation in the future, do not hesitate to call her!
AMANTAKA - FOOD & BEVERAGE
We were booked on a half-board rate, and we enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the hotel each night. Breakfast was excellent all four nights, and I would say better than Amanoi. The french toast is to die for, and we also enjoyed the pastry basket quite a bit. The banana smoothie became a daily morning tradition for me as well. Dinner was also quite good, though not as good as breakfast. You are able to choose from a Western or Laotian menu, which rotates daily, and has 2-3 options on each. There was definitely something that sounded appetizing to us on both menus, every day. The food was generally good, but not great, with the exception of a few standout meals. The pasta was phenomenal, which I'm attributing to Livio's influence (I was told he was a chef prior to taking more of a management path). The Laotian food was also quite good, though occasionally too salty for our taste.
The indoor dining room is very beautiful, and has a great "air-y" feel to it, but I particularly loved eating dinner outside by the pool, when weather allowed. Either way, the environment for meals was excellent, although like Amanoi I did feel like having so few guests made it very eerie - we often were the only ones dining in the entire restaurant.
F&B service was excellent - nothing to complain about at all. This area was certainly better than Amanoi, and the restaurant staff was "on-point" with everything. Literally nothing to comment on here.
There is no bar at Amantaka, which was a bit disappointing. We are not big drinkers but like to have a drink at the hotel bar before bed every night. While we could definitely have sat at a table outside, it's not quite the same. Instead, we did venture out to a couple of nearby local bars that Amantaka recommended - we particularly loved "525", which was only a couple of blocks away, and was run by a British ex-pat and offered a great selection of spirits.
All things equal, I would have preferred the option for a non-half board rate. It would have been nice to go out to eat dinner in town a couple of times, but we never did so because we felt guilty paying for something we weren't using. We could have had lunch at the hotel and then ate out for dinner, but because most of our time was spent exploring Luang Prabang, we were rarely at the hotel during lunchtime.
AMANTAKA - SERVICE
I can't comment much here, simply because service was really excellent at Amantaka, and was definitely better than Amanoi. Housekeeping was incredible - truly. We never saw them, and they must have spruced up the room 4-5 times a day. Really spectacular. Sometimes we would make bets on if they would have had a chance to make the bed if we were just going to grab a cup of coffee. Let's just say it wouldn't have been wise to be betting against Amantaka in this instance...
I can only think of two very minor service gaps. Firstly, each room has two glass containers of snacks - one of chips, and one of nuts. The nuts container was broken when we arrived, and would not open (and had a large crack in the glass). We left it out on the table all four days, and it was never replaced. The chips container, which we would snack on daily, was replaced daily.
And secondly, as I mentioned before, I found it very peculiar (though not exactly a "service flaw") that no one congratulated us on our engagement at Amanoi just a few nights earlier.
Lastly, as a whole, I would say service was warmer at Amanoi, but this is largely a function of the fact that we got to know the Amanoi staff better, since it is in such an isolated location. For example, at Amantaka we rarely saw the same staff members at dinner more than once or twice, while at Amanoi we got to know the bartender, etc.
AMANTAKA - GYM & SPA
I am happy to report that we spent 4 days without visiting the gym. I think we walked in once, and it looked nice enough, but I can't really comment here.
The spa has two absolutely stunning steam / sauna rooms that can be rented out at no charge. We did so for about an hour, and I can't recommend this enough. The facilities were absolutely gorgeous, with huge ceilings, a large hot tub, a plunge pool, a steam room, a sauna, and his/her bathrooms/showers. These were world-class, and while similar in functionality to the equivalent rooms at Amanoi, were far superior in terms of space and layout. The room itself must have been at least 700sqft, and we really enjoyed our time here. The fact that it is complementary is only the more reason to partake.
Unfortunately, we did do any other spa activities here. I would note that the spa menu is a bit more "abridged" than what I'm used to seeing, so if you're interested in the spa, I would suggest emailing the property and asking for the spa menu beforehand.
AMANTAKA - CONCLUSION
Let me first discuss the town of Luang Prabang. We did enjoy the Luang Prabang "slowness", and it was certainly relaxing, but I do not think I would return, simply because I didn't find it all that interesting at the end of the day. I'm all for tourism, but the town just felt run down by hostels and dive-y looking restaurants, but at the same time didn't have the same charm that Ubud does (even though Ubud has the same hostels and dive-y restaurants). I'm not sure what it was, but LP didn't really "click" for us. I'm glad we went, but while I can't wait for our next trip to Bali, I can't share the same sentiment about LP.
Amantaka, on the other hand, was an excellent property with very little to fault it on. Service was nearly flawless. I'm sitting at my keyboard struggling to find anything negative to say about it. The room was beautiful, if not a bit rustic, and the physical property is just so freaking relaxing that it requires being there to really understand. F&B was good - better than Amanoi - but not what I would consider outstanding.
However, I personally feel like there was something missing. I think this was largely due to the occupancy rate. At under 20%, it just always felt so empty and desolate. It's very strange to eat dinner in a restaurant with no other patrons - it's stranger to have that happen two or three days in a row. We traveled in low season, and I'm sure many people would love this privacy and isolation, but for us it was just too much.
I don't quite know what it is, but while Amanoi I would return to in a heartbeat, even though the hotel IS the destination, I can't say the same about Amantaka. Even ignoring our neutral feelings towards Luang Prabang, the hotel just didn't quite click with me, but I don't know why. I wish I could offer more logical feedback, but it just felt like the property didn't have much of a "soul". Ultimately, Vanessa and I look back on our time both at Amantaka and Amanoi very fondly, but we both agree that Amanoi was truly magical, while Amantaka was just a very well run hotel.
I wanted to share my thoughts on the Upper House, Amanoi, and Amantaka. Keep in mind these were our first Aman properties, for whatever its worth. I'm limiting my commentary to the hotels themselves per the spirit of this forum, rather than the destination itself (as much as possible). This ended up much longer than I had intended, but I hope its helpful for others looking at these properties.
UPPER HOUSE
We stayed at the Upper House for just one night as a quick stopover on the way to Vietnam, with the goal to minimize jetlag and briefly visit one of our favorite cities. This review will be relatively brief, as was our stay.
Prior to our arrival, due in entirety to the help of our travel agent, the UH was able to guarantee us a early check-in (5:15AM!), considering we were leaving at 6AM the following day to catch our 8AM flight to HCMC.
We arrived into HKG at around 4:45am, and the hotel driver was waiting for us with a beautiful S350L to bring us to the UH. I will note that the Wifi was not working (the driver had forgotten the hotspot), though the driver was very apologetic. Upon arrival, a number of people were waiting to greet us at the front entrance, and one associate then escorted us to our room for check-in. We brought our own bags, as we travel extremely light - just one carry-on bag per person.
UPPER HOUSE - ROOM
The hotel very graciously upgraded us to an Upper Suite (we booked a Studio 70 Harbor View), which was a spectacular room spanning 1,200 square feet and offered floor-to-ceiling wraparound views of Hong Kong. The living room was perfect for having a much-needed cup of coffee, while the bedroom offered a setting for an incredibly relaxing night of sleep. I loved having every control I would ever need right next to both pillows, in an clearly laid-out fashion (e.g., simple buttons to turn on/off a nightlight, control blinds, etc. - no touchscreen confusion!). Blinds were also controlled with a remote control that was relatively simple to operate.
The highlight of the room was certainly the bathroom. While we never used it, the tub was beautiful enough just to look at to enjoy, and the shower was larger than any I've ever come across in my travels. Essential to me was having both a rain and standard shower head, both with ample pressure. I will note that the shower temperature did seem to fluctuate during the shower between warm and hot, which my fiance confirmed.
I also greatly appreciated the extensive minibar, with complementary snacks and beverages (including beer, but not wine). It's always nice to be able to grab a Diet Coke without feeling the shame of paying $8 for the privilege.
UPPER HOUSE - SERVICE / F&B
We did enjoy breakfast at the hotel shortly after check-in. The food itself was fantastic, with excellent portion sizes (aka - not giant!), healthy options, and high-quality ingredients. The service, however, left quite a bad taste in our mouth (no pun intended). Our waiter was particularly difficult to get the attention of, and when we were able to, was extremely dismissive. One example: I ordered a "set" breakfast, which came with a standard juice. I wanted a "premium" juice, which costs ~$5 extra on the a la carte menu, and was willing to pay the difference to get it (as in, pay an additional $5 on top of the set breakfast menu). The waiter insisted over and over again that it was not possible. It was more than a language barrier - rather, the waiter just didn't want to be accommodating. Not a huge deal on its own, but it highlights a clear lapse in service that I was a bit surprised to see.
The rest of our encounters with the hotel staff was flawless, including a very friendly concierge. That said, since we were only there for 24 hours, the majority of our time was spent outside of the hotel, so I can't comment too much here. The hotel did proactively reach out to us the night prior to our departure to inquire about transportation, and set up a 6AM standard taxi to take us to the airport.
Upon checkout, we made our way down to the lobby and sure enough, a taxi was outside waiting at 5:58AM. The front desk staff already had the folio prepared, which was certainly appreciated. We were able to use our $100 Virtuoso credit on the hotel transfer, which was appreciated, as we chose to dine outside of the hotel since we only had one night.
UPPER HOUSE - CONCLUSION
For those debating on location of the Upper House, I would say that while it is not in the most ideal location when compared with other hotels on the HK side, taxis were plentiful and it was always easy to get where we wanted to go. For me, the quality of the property was enough to forego the convenience that some other properties offer, especially for when the rates are significantly (20%) lower, as was the case for this stay.
The hard product is absolutely gorgeous, both in public areas and in the rooms. The service was outstanding, outside of a particularly unpleasant waiter at breakfast. I would not hesitate to return here again. The fact that the property frequently offers 3rd and 4th night free promotions certainly does not hurt.
AMANOI
We stayed at Amanoi for four nights in early July. As a disclaimer, this was our first Aman property. Much has been said about Amanoi, so I will try to keep this relatively brief and primarily highlight things more relevant to our stay.
This trip was especially important to us, as it is where I proposed to my now-fiance. To make "preparations", I was in extensive communication with both Joy and Sean during the months leading up to our stay. I have to hand it to Joy, who was able to help create one of the most memorable nights in our lives. She was so friendly yet professional, and executed perfectly on my wishes. More on that below!
After a relatively easy transfer from Hong Kong via Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived at Nha Trang at around 1PM, and the Amanoi driver was waiting for us in the arrivals area. He didn't speak a lick of English, but that wasn't a problem. Waiting in the (very large) van for us was an iPad with a ton of information on the property, including a map, as well as snacks and cold drinks. A note with a phone number to call if we needed to get in touch with the property prior to arrival was also in the van.
The drive, as has been mentioned time and time again, is very scenic, with the latter half being the highlight. It took about an hour, maybe a bit less, and we hit zero traffic. In fact, the majority of the drive was basically empty roads. The entire drive was well-paved and very smooth.
On arrival, we were greeted by Joy (F&B manager) and Christie (front office manager), who were both very excited to welcome us to the property. Sean was away on business for the first 3 nights of our stay. Christie brought us to room, a Ocean Pavilion, which was beautiful and offered stunning views. However, after a bit of debate, we actually asked to see some Pool Pavilions. Unfortunately all the Ocean Pool Pavilions were occupied, but we were able to choose between #2 and #29, which couldn't have been more different.
AMANOI - ROOM
Room #2 actually offers beautiful ocean views from the pool, but the pool is actually to the left of the room, so you can't see it from the room itself. You need to walk outside and past your back porch and turn left. From the room itself, the primary view is two large boulders. Not sure why they are there, but if you want to enjoy a cup of coffee or a drink from your patio, the majority of your view will be of two boulders. I suppose this is the trade-off one receives when they pay for a non-ocean view, but get an ocean view from the pool. I unfortunately don't have any pictures of room #2.
We didn't like this compromise, so we chose #29, which was absolutely perfect, and we actually liked more than the Ocean view. The pool overlooks the beautiful lake in the middle of the property, and is surrounded by incredibly lush vegetation and beautiful wildlife. I saw some of the most amazing butterflies and dragonflies while swimming in our pool. I was initially concerned about privacy, but it simply isn't a issue. You can see the lake (hard to see in the pictures), but there is no chance anyone can see you, from either nearby Pavilions or from the other side of the lake.
The view from the back patio / pool is truly spectacular, and managed to nearly take my breath away every single time I looked outside, even by day four. This is truly the most beautiful place I've ever been, and is so unique from a landscape / vegetation / climate perspective that it is absolutely magical. I cannot say enough good things about the location of this property.
The rooms' interior is also quite spectacular, and #29 gets a great amount of sun. The flow works fantastically between the bedroom, sitting area, and bathroom, and the ceilings are breath-taking. The TV does get in the way of the flow a bit, but not enough to warrant complaining about it. The property has put a nice cover on the back of the TV, so you can't see any wires, which makes it a bit more palatable. The sitting area wasn't particularly comfortable, but that's fine - we nearly never used this area. The blinds are very, very cool - it's a set of curtains that are on tracks, making it very easy to open / close. The one downside is that these curtains cover the desk and minibar areas, which can be a bit annoying, but worth it in terms of the convenience factor overall. I should add that the air conditioning is excellent, and it got downright frigid in the room if we wanted it to (I can't live without very powerful AC - it's 100% mandatory for me).
The bathroom was excellent. Tons of closet space, a great shower and shower products, and ample sink space, with beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows of the greenery outside. I would say that the lighting, while beautiful, was not enough at night, especially for my SO trying to apply makeup, but it did the job for me. I loved the door from the shower directly to the back patio / pool, making it easy to get from the pool to the shower without making a mess throughout the room.
However, not all was so great. I don't know if it was because of the lake proximity or not, but we had a pretty annoying gnat / bug problem throughout our stay. It made it very difficult to enjoy sitting / laying outside without feeling like little flies were landing on you constantly. The citronella candle we found in the room did not help. We actually mentioned this to the property, and they said that others were complaining as well, and came to our room to "spray it down" with insecticide. This didn't work, so they actually tried again. This too didn't work. We ended up just dealing with it - luckily it wasn't an issue when one was actually in the water.
I loved Pavilion #29 and can't recommend it enough, barring the gnat problem (which I don't know is lake-specific or not - if it is, then lake rooms need to be avoided). I loved being able to walk to the common areas for meals without having to call a buggy - any further and that would have been required.
AMANOI - PROPERTY / BEACH & ACTIVITIES
Amanoi's general location is stunning, with a phenomenal mix of mountains, beach, foliage, wildlife, and sun. We've been to Vietnam a couple of times now, and this just doesn't feel like the Vietnam we knew. It's magical. I've never seen so many butterflies in my life - everywhere you look! Same with dragonflies, but luckily, not many bees. It was definitely hot while we were there - 85-90 degrees, but as someone who hates heat, I'm happy to report that the breeze is really a game-changer. Between the breeze, the ocean, and the fantastic AC in the rooms, I never really felt too hot.
The central pavilion is incredibly beautiful, with primarily open-air spaces that despite the outdoor heat, remain cool with large fans and a lot of shade. We chose to eat here every night rather than in our room, as it was just so gorgeous at night, with the fishing boats lighting up the sea. Truly spectacular. The bar was also at the central pavilion, and it too was very welcoming, with beautiful lighting and very comfortable seating. We actually never used the Cliff Pool, but it certainly was beautiful.
I'm starting to sound redundant, but the Beach Club was also a highlight. A phenomenal pool that we used quite a bit despite having our own pool, which was always a perfect temperature and never too crowded (but also not isolate, which we loved). The beach itself was excellent. Not the Maldives, for sure, but great nonetheless.
The beach was constantly serviced, with delicious ginger beer drinks brought out us to us regularly. As a lover of ginger and ginger beer, this was probably the best non-alcoholic drink I've ever had in my life. I believe Joy brought this recipe from Amanjiwo, but I can't remember for sure. Wherever it's from, it's phenomenal, and we still talk about it today (and would go back just for this). The attendants would often move the umbrellas to optimize shade, etc., and were changing towels just as frequently, which was great.
At the beach, we did hobie cat sailing one day with Richard, the activities manager from Amanpulo, who is a major asset to this property. Richard was awesome every day we saw him, and was always a blast to chat with. Unfortunately, the hobie cat sailing was probably the worst 30 minutes of my life, as we made it out quite far, and then the wind just cut out entirely. The bobbing up and down was beyond nauseating, and Richard didn't really get the hint that both me and the fiance were having a miserable time until I finally asked him to get us back ASAP. By the time we were on land again, I was literally green in the face, something which has never happened to me before. Looking back it was funny more than anything, but at the time it was really miserable. My suggestion - don't go out on a hobie cat unless there's some good wind going! We were trying to go all day but there was no wind, and when there was finally a slight pickup, Richard took us out, and when it disappeared a few minutes later, it was just not good!
Outside of the property, we also took a tour of the nearby town, which was actually offered complementary (we were just going to walk around on our own with a complementary ride to the town). However, Aman surprised us by sending along one of the villa butlers as our tour guide, who was delightful and very sweet. She also took us to a local doctors' house, who invited us into his home for homemade wine and the most delicious mangoes I've ever had in my life and were grown from a tree that we were sitting under, which was pretty neat. I believe Aman charges $300++ for dinner at this house with the doctor and his family, so being able to get a similar experience was nice, though I wouldn't have paid the asking price for it.
Other than this, we didn't partake in any activities. We intended to hike a few days, but never got around to it, as the beach and pool were just too tempting to skip.
AMANOI - FOOD & BEVERAGE
Overall food was good, but not great. Lack of consistency was noticeable. For example, the ricotta pancakes were stupendous our first morning, but the third morning, were so dense that they were basically inedible. That said, there were definitely standout meals, including our private dinner (see below), which was amazing from start to finish, as well as the Western options. The Vietnamese options just weren't great compared to what we've had in previous trips to Vietnam - overly salty comes to mind. Again, there were definitely standouts, but we came away relatively neutral about food at Amanoi.
Menu selection was quite impressive, and there was certainly enough to eat for four days, although after a week I might have gotten bored.
Some of the desserts are worth ordering time and time again - the pineapple cheesecake was amazing. The desserts were probably a highlight here, and were perfectly sized and not too heavy or overly sweet. Other standout items include the smoothies, Vietnamese coffee, granola with homemade yogurt, snapper in banana leaf, and the Western tapas served at the bar.
The Beach Club was a great place to have lunch, and we enjoyed all the meals we had here quite a bit. The environment didn't hurt, either!
Perhaps the biggest issue we had with Amanoi was out of their control entirely - the distinct lack of people everywhere we went, especially during meal times. Nearly every meal, we were one of two or three tables, max (and frequently the only table). While privacy is great, it was almost eerie and actually a bit lonely by the end of the trip. I recognize many are looking for this type of privacy, and hence seem to be eating in their rooms, but for us it was a bit too much. We spent every night at the bar for about an hour or two after dinner, enjoying a cocktail or a glass of wine. All four nights we did not see a single person at the bar with us. We were pretty shocked - not a single person for four nights?
On that note, the cocktails at the bar and beach club were very good and they adhered to our request of "not too sweet", which is rarer than you may imagine. Again, the ginger beer served at the beach club became my obsession during our time at the property, and by day 2, the bartender knew to always have it ready for me!
F&B service was consistently good. We were never asked for our room numbers, and none of our orders were ever messed up, which is a welcome change. A couple of the times we went to the bar we had to wait 10 minutes or so for a bartender to show up, which was a bit annoying, but not that surprising considering no one was ever at the bar!
One relatively serious mix-up with F&B service did occur, when on the first morning they brought out a fruit salad with jackfruit, which I am allergic to. I informed the staff, and they apologized and sent out a new salad. However, no one ever took note of this for future orders - the next morning, jackfruit was in our fruit salad (and on days 3 and 4, as well).
AMANOI - SERVICE
As a whole, the service at Amanoi was fantastic. Everyone is extremely friendly and well-intentioned, which goes a long way. A language barrier definitely still exists, but it's minor enough that we could communicate the majority of our requests (though not all of them - sometimes had to get a manager involved for "translation"). Not a big deal.
We only saw housekeeping once in four days, and the room was always cleaned by the time we returned. The ice bucket was always full, etc. The little touches were always taken care of, which we loved.
Because the property requires taking a buggy nearly everywhere you go, it was important for buggies to be quick. Luckily they were - 90% of the time, they were either available right away or within 2 minutes. A couple of times we had to wait 5-10 minutes, but we survived
. Whenever we had an activity (e.g., town tour, spa, etc.) someone was at our door at exactly the right time - not early, not late - and would wait until we were ready, which was appreciated.
Overall, this wasn't Bali service (not quite as "soulful", if that makes sense), but I don't think Vietnam is particularly known for their hospitality relative to places like Indonesia. With that in mind, service was really fantastic, and we couldn't have asked for much more. There was a big gap related to our engagement, however, which I will address below.
AMANOI - GYM & SPA
The gym was very well equipped and modern, in a beautiful setting. The large windows made it very sunny, but the room was beyond hot, to the point where it was impossible to actually work out. No way to adjust the temperature besides the ceiling fans, which basically did nothing. It was like this both times we went, but we never did ask them to turn on the AC, so this may be on us.
I treated myself with an Aman massage and body scrub, both of which were excellent. I also took advantage of the private steam room suites, which was very nice conceptually and quite beautiful, but the steam room never got hot enough to be worth my while. The room also had a hot and cold plunge pool, shower, and massage table. Like I said, great in concept, but the steam room simply didn't get very steamy.
I would add, unfortunately, that while I did find the spa manager to be a very friendly guy, we did find him to be somewhat pushy with trying to sell us private yoga classes, spa packages, etc., during meals that by the end of the trip, we were borderline annoyed (I was very much in the annoyed camp; my more forgiving SO, not so much). On the other hand, Richard, the activities manager, was stupendous - very friendly and engaging but never made us feel pressured into buying anything. Like I said, a real asset to the property.
AMANOI - ENGAGEMENT
As I mentioned, I used Amanoi as the venue for me to propose to my now-fiance. When I saw a photo of the Yoga Pavilion on the website, I immediately emailed my travel agent to book this property. I then worked very closely with Joy, Sean, and Danny (the head chef) to come up with the perfect setup for an engagement that went very smoothly and we will remember forever. I had insisted over and over again that I wanted this to be a non-elaborate affair - elegant and simple - and Joy executed perfectly.
Joy and I came up with a story to tell my SO - that we would having dinner with Sean and his wife on our second night at the property. Prior to dinner, I would have a drink with Sean to chat about hospitality (as I'm very interested in the space from a professional standpoint), and then a buggy would pick up Vanessa to join us at his house for dinner. Instead, the buggy would take her to the Yoga Pavilion, where I would be waiting on one knee at the bottom of the stairs, with a private dinner inside the pavilion waiting for us.
The entire property played along amazingly. I left at 6PM for "drinks", and Vanessa was to be picked up at 6:30 to meet us for "dinner", to time with the sunset. At 6PM, I headed over to the Yoga Pavilion, which was set up exactly as I had imagined - simple white tablecloth, a few candles in each corner, and that's it - simple and elegant.
At 6:30, a buggy picked up Vanessa, and the driver even chatted along with her, asking if she was looking forward to having dinner with the GM and his wife. She was 100% convinced. When she got to the Yoga Pavilion, she was beyond shocked and was at a loss for words - she didn't even realize she was brought to the spa and not the GM's house until she saw me at the Pavilion!
Thankfully, she did say yes! - and we enjoyed a delicious multi-course dinner in the pavilion. Perhaps we were just too happy to notice any shortcomings, but the food was phenomenal - every single dish was an absolute hit, which I can't say was the case for other meals at the property. Those damn gnats were driving us nuts during dinner (see picture below - look at tablecloth), but we were too busy being happy to care. Joy came out to congratulate both of us as well, and provided us with a customized copy of the menu with the date and our names on it to keep as a memento. The whole affair was priced extremely reasonably - shockingly so, to be honest - which was refreshing. It's really nice to not be nickel-and-dimed while on vacation.
However, as I alluded to earlier, a couple of strange things happened after the engagement dinner. Although the entire property was aware of what was happening, not a single employee said congratulations to us besides Joy. Not at the bar that same night after dinner, not at breakfast the next morning, etc. It was just never brought up. Even at checkout, Sean mentioned our engagement, but offered no congratulations (more like - "so when's the wedding"). I found it quite peculiar that no one said a simple "congratulations" - it doesn't really bother me, but it was a bit puzzling.
Even stranger was on our fourth night (we got engaged on our second night), we got back to the room after dinner and the room appeared to be somewhat decorated? The tub was half full with a couple of rose petals (literally, a couple), the lights were set dimly, and a couple of hanging lights that were in the Yoga Pavilion during our dinner were now hanging outside over our patio table. It literally felt like someone started to decorate for a romantic setting, and then changed their mind 5 minutes in, and left. It was completely bizarre.
On the flipside, a couple of days later we saw a beautiful photograph of the Yoga Pavilion that a past guest had taken. We called Christie and asked if there was any way we could have a copy so we could print it at home to frame. She said she would see what she could do, and she surprised us at checkout with a beautiful print of the exact photograph, which is now hanging in our home. No charge, etc., and executed perfectly.
AMANOI - CONCLUSION
As a whole, this was an incredibly special four days for us, not just because Vanessa agreed to make me the luckiest guy in the world, but because Amanoi was really a tranquil place to relax and unwind. This property definitely has a number of drawbacks (e.g., the food is good but not great, service is well-intentioned but a bit spotty, gnats ruined our private pool), but as a whole, this was a fantastic stay and I would love to return again. I do wish it was a bit easier to get to, but I can see that changing as the Nha Trang area continues to develop and more flights are added (e.g., SIN-CXR service is supposed to start soon).
I think four nights was perfect here. Any less wouldn't have been enough, and I tend to get very bored in one spot for too long. Five nights may have been better, but four was just enough to enjoy our time, while creating that feeling of sadness when leaving, which I think adds to the overall memory (aka - we didn't get sick of it, and we were longing for more).
Rates are so freaking competitive here that I have to think this is one of the best deals in the Aman portfolio. I can't begin to describe how beautiful this property is, and I can't recommend it enough. I won't return again in low season (not because of weather - it only rained once, for two hours), but simply because it was so isolated and quiet that it was almost eerie. I can't blame Aman for that, and can't wait to see what this property is like when occupancy is a little higher. Maybe we'll bring a couple friends along next time!
AMANTAKA
We stayed at Amantaka following Amanoi for four nights. Getting to Luang Prabang from Amanoi was actually pretty easy - we left Amanoi at 2PM and with a one hour layover in Hanoi, made it to Luang Prabang by 8PM. The Amantaka representative was waiting for us literally three feet away from the customs / immigration desk. We did not have enough cash on-hand to pay customs (I had misread and thought we needed less!), so I did have to use an ATM nearby. It would have been nice if the Amantaka representative could have helped out here, but that certainly was not expected.
After a short 15 minute ride, waiting for us at Amantaka's lobby was Livio (GM) and the front office manager, whose name unfortunately escapes me. Both were very welcoming, and we were brought to our room, a Pool Suite located at the far end of the property.
Continuing the theme from Amanoi, no one congratulated us on our engagement during the entire stay (though Livio made a comment about it, so clearly the property was "aware").
AMANTAKA - ROOM
The room itself was at least a five minute walk away from the main part of the hotel (restaurant, library, front desk). I wished we were a little closer, especially considering occupancy was less than 20%, but we were upgraded from the base Suite so I have no room to complain here. My understanding is that the higher category rooms are largely very similar to the Pool Suite, with slightly extra space. We did tour an Amantaka Suite (largest on the property), which are stand-alone units, and I was unimpressed relative to the Pool Suite we had, especially for twice the price.
That said, the room was very well-appointed, in a very different way to Amanoi, given the obvious dissimilarities in style. While I preferred the Amanoi style on a stand-alone basis, the decor really worked considering the overall property and location, and by the end of our trip, I agreed with Vanessa that it was extremely cozy and welcoming - it really felt more like a "home" than Amanoi did, at least from a hard product perspective. Definitely more of a colonial style, with shaded porches, smaller windows, and shutters, which added a lot of privacy, but was definitely very different than Amanoi.
There is a pool in the back outdoor area, but we didn't use it even once, both because of the weather and because it just wasn't very appealing. The pool is surrounded by big white walls, and felt very enclosed. Some greenery would really go a long way to make this a more inviting place. We didn't use the back area more than once (to have a drink and sit with our feet in the pool).
The bathroom was also very well-appointed, with nice his/her sinks, though I wish there was a bit more counter-top space. The shower was excellent (I particularly liked the lighting), and the bathtub was beautiful, though we did not use it.
Lighting across the room was a bit frustrating, as there were no central controls and every light had to be switched on/off manually. While I liked the "customization" this offered, it was also very tedious - there must have been 6 switches in the bedroom alone, with an equal number in the bathroom.
A fruit basket was waiting for us in the room, with the type of fruit rotating daily. Unfortunately, the first and last night was some sort of hard-shelled variety, and although there was a note instructing how to eat it, there was no knife to actually cut the fruit! Peeling didn't do much, either. I did like how there were little cups next to the fruit to dip / wash your hands in after eating.
Perhaps my favorite activity at Amantaka was simply opening the doors to allow for a nice breeze or the sound of rain, and reading a book in bed. It was just so home-y and cozy. No TV at Amantaka, which doesn't bother me (we didn't use the TV once at Amanoi), though because it rains quite a bit during the summer months in Laos, it would have been nice for the couple of times we were basically stuck in our room.
AMANTAKA - PROPERTY & ACTIVITIES
The Amantaka property does not photograph well enough to showcase how beautiful it is in person. This is definitely true for my photos, but also the ones on Aman's website - this place just needs to be seen. The main pool is absolutely stunning, and it's actually quite remarkable how simply walking through the courtyard can make one feel at peace. The library was a favorite spot of mine, and loved the two locals who would play music between the library and the main building during each afternoon.
The pool was relatively infrequently used, but we took advantage a couple of times, and the water temperature was great. Pool service was also excellent, with frequent drink offerings, constant movement of the umbrella to optimize shade, etc. - everything one would expect they delivered on. One day we went to the pool to find all the cushions put away because of earlier rain. As soon as I went to grab a cushion, someone came running over and made up the entire pool area, not just our seats.
Amantaka is located just a five minute walk from "downtown" Luang Prabang, which is incredibly convenient for sightseeing. It was very nice to be able to just walk out of the front doors of the hotel (or use the hotel tuk-tuk) and walk around town without needing to set up some elaborate transfer. I will say that both Vanessa and I were a bit let down by Luang Prabang. Culturally, it was beautiful to see the temples, monks, and "peaceful" nature of the village. However, the rest of the town was just rather forgettable. Hostel after hostel, average-looking restaurant after average-looking restaurant, and crappy shop after crappy shop. The night market didn't have much of quality to offer, though was fun to walk in. The boutique stores with quality goods (that Amantaka had recommended) were outrageously overpriced. We didn't even bother negotiating, because the starting prices were just so high. Think $50 for a kitchen plate, etc. Maybe we were just looking in the wrong places, as we didn't spend much time shopping since that wasn't a goal of this trip (and I hate shopping, to be honest).
We took part in a few activities during our four-night stay. My personal favorite was visiting the bear sanctuary about an hour away, which Amantaka has a special relationship with. Off-limits to other visitors, we were able to actually take a behind-the-scenes tour of the sanctuary, including feeding the bears (this is less scary than it sounds - while the bears are in cages, we "hid" food all around their enclosure, for them to "hunt" later). It was really a special activity that I enjoyed quite a bit, and would have been unlikely to arrange something similar without Amantaka's connections. While at the bear sanctuary, we also visited the famous Kuang Si waterfalls, as well as a nearby butterfly garden, which was Vanessa's favorite.
We also did the morning alms ceremony, which was quite nice, despite the early hour in which we had to wake up. Just in case it matters to anyone, this is not a "private" activity - we did alms with four other guests (and as such, they are in all of our pictures our "guide" took for us!). We didn't mind at all, but some may.
Lastly, we did the boat cruise on the Mekong. We opted not to stop anywhere (e.g., the whiskey village), based on recommendations from this forum, and I'm glad for that. Unfortunately the weather was very overcast during the cruise, but we still had a very nice time. It was about a 1.5 hour ride, and we enjoyed a cocktail, a bottle of wine, and some bar snacks during the trip. The scenery would certainly have been much more photogenic had it been a bit less cloudy out. The boat found an optimal location during sunset and stayed still for about 15 minutes for us to "enjoy", prior to heading back to the dock.
We were going to do a cooking class as well, but unfortunately Vanessa was feeling quite ill on the day it was scheduled. The property had no problems with us canceling the activity, and even called a doctor to come to the hotel for a very reasonable rate. The doctor was extremely professional and friendly - in case anyone is faced with a similar situation in the future, do not hesitate to call her!
AMANTAKA - FOOD & BEVERAGE
We were booked on a half-board rate, and we enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the hotel each night. Breakfast was excellent all four nights, and I would say better than Amanoi. The french toast is to die for, and we also enjoyed the pastry basket quite a bit. The banana smoothie became a daily morning tradition for me as well. Dinner was also quite good, though not as good as breakfast. You are able to choose from a Western or Laotian menu, which rotates daily, and has 2-3 options on each. There was definitely something that sounded appetizing to us on both menus, every day. The food was generally good, but not great, with the exception of a few standout meals. The pasta was phenomenal, which I'm attributing to Livio's influence (I was told he was a chef prior to taking more of a management path). The Laotian food was also quite good, though occasionally too salty for our taste.
The indoor dining room is very beautiful, and has a great "air-y" feel to it, but I particularly loved eating dinner outside by the pool, when weather allowed. Either way, the environment for meals was excellent, although like Amanoi I did feel like having so few guests made it very eerie - we often were the only ones dining in the entire restaurant.
F&B service was excellent - nothing to complain about at all. This area was certainly better than Amanoi, and the restaurant staff was "on-point" with everything. Literally nothing to comment on here.
There is no bar at Amantaka, which was a bit disappointing. We are not big drinkers but like to have a drink at the hotel bar before bed every night. While we could definitely have sat at a table outside, it's not quite the same. Instead, we did venture out to a couple of nearby local bars that Amantaka recommended - we particularly loved "525", which was only a couple of blocks away, and was run by a British ex-pat and offered a great selection of spirits.
All things equal, I would have preferred the option for a non-half board rate. It would have been nice to go out to eat dinner in town a couple of times, but we never did so because we felt guilty paying for something we weren't using. We could have had lunch at the hotel and then ate out for dinner, but because most of our time was spent exploring Luang Prabang, we were rarely at the hotel during lunchtime.
AMANTAKA - SERVICE
I can't comment much here, simply because service was really excellent at Amantaka, and was definitely better than Amanoi. Housekeeping was incredible - truly. We never saw them, and they must have spruced up the room 4-5 times a day. Really spectacular. Sometimes we would make bets on if they would have had a chance to make the bed if we were just going to grab a cup of coffee. Let's just say it wouldn't have been wise to be betting against Amantaka in this instance...
I can only think of two very minor service gaps. Firstly, each room has two glass containers of snacks - one of chips, and one of nuts. The nuts container was broken when we arrived, and would not open (and had a large crack in the glass). We left it out on the table all four days, and it was never replaced. The chips container, which we would snack on daily, was replaced daily.
And secondly, as I mentioned before, I found it very peculiar (though not exactly a "service flaw") that no one congratulated us on our engagement at Amanoi just a few nights earlier.
Lastly, as a whole, I would say service was warmer at Amanoi, but this is largely a function of the fact that we got to know the Amanoi staff better, since it is in such an isolated location. For example, at Amantaka we rarely saw the same staff members at dinner more than once or twice, while at Amanoi we got to know the bartender, etc.
AMANTAKA - GYM & SPA
I am happy to report that we spent 4 days without visiting the gym. I think we walked in once, and it looked nice enough, but I can't really comment here.
The spa has two absolutely stunning steam / sauna rooms that can be rented out at no charge. We did so for about an hour, and I can't recommend this enough. The facilities were absolutely gorgeous, with huge ceilings, a large hot tub, a plunge pool, a steam room, a sauna, and his/her bathrooms/showers. These were world-class, and while similar in functionality to the equivalent rooms at Amanoi, were far superior in terms of space and layout. The room itself must have been at least 700sqft, and we really enjoyed our time here. The fact that it is complementary is only the more reason to partake.
Unfortunately, we did do any other spa activities here. I would note that the spa menu is a bit more "abridged" than what I'm used to seeing, so if you're interested in the spa, I would suggest emailing the property and asking for the spa menu beforehand.
AMANTAKA - CONCLUSION
Let me first discuss the town of Luang Prabang. We did enjoy the Luang Prabang "slowness", and it was certainly relaxing, but I do not think I would return, simply because I didn't find it all that interesting at the end of the day. I'm all for tourism, but the town just felt run down by hostels and dive-y looking restaurants, but at the same time didn't have the same charm that Ubud does (even though Ubud has the same hostels and dive-y restaurants). I'm not sure what it was, but LP didn't really "click" for us. I'm glad we went, but while I can't wait for our next trip to Bali, I can't share the same sentiment about LP.
Amantaka, on the other hand, was an excellent property with very little to fault it on. Service was nearly flawless. I'm sitting at my keyboard struggling to find anything negative to say about it. The room was beautiful, if not a bit rustic, and the physical property is just so freaking relaxing that it requires being there to really understand. F&B was good - better than Amanoi - but not what I would consider outstanding.
However, I personally feel like there was something missing. I think this was largely due to the occupancy rate. At under 20%, it just always felt so empty and desolate. It's very strange to eat dinner in a restaurant with no other patrons - it's stranger to have that happen two or three days in a row. We traveled in low season, and I'm sure many people would love this privacy and isolation, but for us it was just too much.
I don't quite know what it is, but while Amanoi I would return to in a heartbeat, even though the hotel IS the destination, I can't say the same about Amantaka. Even ignoring our neutral feelings towards Luang Prabang, the hotel just didn't quite click with me, but I don't know why. I wish I could offer more logical feedback, but it just felt like the property didn't have much of a "soul". Ultimately, Vanessa and I look back on our time both at Amantaka and Amanoi very fondly, but we both agree that Amanoi was truly magical, while Amantaka was just a very well run hotel.
Last edited by callmedtop; Aug 8, 2016 at 10:53 pm
Aug 8, 2016, 4:14 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
Thank you for the time and effort spent in your review. Looks like three great destinations and great review... Congratulations on your engagement as well....
I will say that of all the Amans I've been to, i've never really ever seen more than a couple people at the bar. Amanyara was 100% occuppied when we were there and most nights there would be 8-10 people max... All the other Amans completely dead... being an Aman bartender must be incredibly boring....
We've loved it because we value the privacy and quiet atmosphere... not for everyone for sure...
FDW
I will say that of all the Amans I've been to, i've never really ever seen more than a couple people at the bar. Amanyara was 100% occuppied when we were there and most nights there would be 8-10 people max... All the other Amans completely dead... being an Aman bartender must be incredibly boring....
We've loved it because we value the privacy and quiet atmosphere... not for everyone for sure...
FDW
Aug 8, 2016, 4:36 pm
#3
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,742
Congratulations on your engagement. What a brilliant idea to have your proposal in the yoga pavilion. It's a stunning setting.
I wonder about the gnats. We were there in March and had an ocean view pavilion. We had no bugs at all.
I might be the reason that Amanoi is now offering ginger beer. We don't drink alcohol, and get bored with soft drinks. We had the ginger beer at Amanjiwo. I wrote to Sean before the trip, asking if they offered the same. They didn't, but he put Joy on it. Joy dusted off the recipe and made it specially for us (and only us). She chatted with us about the prep involved. It turns out to be non trivial and requires a several day start before serving. It's the perfect refreshing drink for us. I'm glad they have now made it available to everyone.
I wonder about the gnats. We were there in March and had an ocean view pavilion. We had no bugs at all.
I might be the reason that Amanoi is now offering ginger beer. We don't drink alcohol, and get bored with soft drinks. We had the ginger beer at Amanjiwo. I wrote to Sean before the trip, asking if they offered the same. They didn't, but he put Joy on it. Joy dusted off the recipe and made it specially for us (and only us). She chatted with us about the prep involved. It turns out to be non trivial and requires a several day start before serving. It's the perfect refreshing drink for us. I'm glad they have now made it available to everyone.
Aug 8, 2016, 5:48 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Enroute to ? & likely flying in ' A ':)
Programs: TPPS, UA, EK ...; Marriott BONVOY , HH, GP, GC..
Posts: 4,217
Congratulations on your engagement - how special to hold it at N'oi !!
Also on becoming an Amanjunkie
We have been having most anniversaries at Amans . Some Amanjunkies have had the privilege to be married at Amans too .
We also asked Sean about ginger beer ( besides other dishes , he being an Aman chef before ) since Joy came from Jiwo as well .
Now trying to reschedule our postponed trip earlier this year ( before the heat & gnats & now we are avoiding the winds ! )
Felt the same about Taka , perhaps it's because it has been extensively rebuilt , was originally an old hospital , with some new construction .
Also on becoming an Amanjunkie
We have been having most anniversaries at Amans
. Some Amanjunkies have had the privilege to be married at Amans too .We also asked Sean about ginger beer ( besides other dishes , he being an Aman chef before ) since Joy came from Jiwo as well .
Now trying to reschedule our postponed trip earlier this year ( before the heat & gnats & now we are avoiding the winds ! )
Felt the same about Taka , perhaps it's because it has been extensively rebuilt , was originally an old hospital , with some new construction .
Last edited by FlyerEC; Aug 8, 2016 at 5:58 pm
Aug 8, 2016, 5:50 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
Congratulations on your engagement. What a brilliant idea to have your proposal in the yoga pavilion. It's a stunning setting.
I wonder about the gnats. We were there in March and had an ocean view pavilion. We had no bugs at all.
I might be the reason that Amanoi is now offering ginger beer. We don't drink alcohol, and get bored with soft drinks. We had the ginger beer at Amanjiwo. I wrote to Sean before the trip, asking if they offered the same. They didn't, but he put Joy on it. Joy dusted off the recipe and made it specially for us (and only us). She chatted with us about the prep involved. It turns out to be non trivial and requires a several day start before serving. It's the perfect refreshing drink for us. I'm glad they have now made it available to everyone.
I wonder about the gnats. We were there in March and had an ocean view pavilion. We had no bugs at all.
I might be the reason that Amanoi is now offering ginger beer. We don't drink alcohol, and get bored with soft drinks. We had the ginger beer at Amanjiwo. I wrote to Sean before the trip, asking if they offered the same. They didn't, but he put Joy on it. Joy dusted off the recipe and made it specially for us (and only us). She chatted with us about the prep involved. It turns out to be non trivial and requires a several day start before serving. It's the perfect refreshing drink for us. I'm glad they have now made it available to everyone.
I owe you a big thanks, in that case - I am absolutely addicted to that ginger beer. Nothing here comes even close, including all the artisan brands that I've tried.
Aug 9, 2016, 12:47 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
Thank you for writing up such a detailed review, with such great photos. Congrats on the engagement.
If anyone is going to get bitten on holiday it's me, yet during our visit to Amanoi I came away without a scratch. We were there in December, so the insects had probably all given up on life due to the wind and rain.
If anyone is going to get bitten on holiday it's me, yet during our visit to Amanoi I came away without a scratch. We were there in December, so the insects had probably all given up on life due to the wind and rain.
Aug 9, 2016, 3:18 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Enroute to ? & likely flying in ' A ':)
Programs: TPPS, UA, EK ...; Marriott BONVOY , HH, GP, GC..
Posts: 4,217
Thank you for writing up such a detailed review, with such great photos. Congrats on the engagement.
If anyone is going to get bitten on holiday it's me, yet during our visit to Amanoi I came away without a scratch. We were there in December, so the insects had probably all given up on life due to the wind and rain.
If anyone is going to get bitten on holiday it's me, yet during our visit to Amanoi I came away without a scratch. We were there in December, so the insects had probably all given up on life due to the wind and rain.
Think the insects issue not evident the windier and / or cooler months .
Joy and Richard are real assets to the N'oi team .
The English proficiency ( forget using French either ) of the staff has improved markedly since opening year . Some of us here can attest to it , was extremely trying in the beginning .
Sean F ( & wife L ) has done a great job on this front too .
Service isn't in their nature ( think what the country underwent ) .. & the staff are mainly from the area - remote , isn't it in this park
Aug 9, 2016, 4:33 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: We love to Fly, Hotels and Discovery
Posts: 1,471
Thanks callmedtop for your detailed and insightful travel report posted here on FT incl. photos. It's good to hear that you overall enjoyed a most wonderful journey while staying in three superb hotels/resorts. I'm glad to hear/read about your experiences.
Congrats on your engagement, both of you. That's wonderful news.
Cheers & Safe Travels. ^
Congrats on your engagement, both of you. That's wonderful news.
Cheers & Safe Travels. ^
Aug 9, 2016, 8:24 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,644
Thanks for posting all that - beautifully detailed and lovely photos. You somehow managed to get half-a-man in the shot of the Amantaka library which was quite shocking. I think we've all felt we had Amans entirely to ourselves which can be a bit lonely and alienating, as you say. The only Amans I've been to where other guests were always about have been Amandari and Amansara.
I think, Callmedtop, you had 'our' room at Amantaka and we still regard that, along with Amansara, as the best Amans we've ever been to. I'm not sure about that Vietnam place - it looks a bit antiseptic for my taste, not 'tropical' enough and lacking a seriously great beach.
Thanks again and congratulations!
I think, Callmedtop, you had 'our' room at Amantaka and we still regard that, along with Amansara, as the best Amans we've ever been to. I'm not sure about that Vietnam place - it looks a bit antiseptic for my taste, not 'tropical' enough and lacking a seriously great beach.
Thanks again and congratulations!
Last edited by Pausanias; Aug 9, 2016 at 1:19 pm
Aug 9, 2016, 10:48 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
This is what you get when you're unemployed for two months prior to school - an overly-detailed report
. Hope those details prove helpful to at least one person considering travel to these properties.Regarding honeymoon - I'm glad you asked, Ericka. Since we loved our time in Bali so much (stayed at Chedi Club + Samaya), we've decided on some combination of the Bali Aman's + Amanjiwo. I've had to fight the urge to not go to Amanjiwo prior to the wedding, as it's definitely #1 on my hotel "target list". The wedding won't be until after school so we're looking at summer 2018, but it's never too early to plan.
Thanks again to all.
Aug 9, 2016, 10:50 am
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Congrats on your engagement and B-school, callmedtop! Thanks for the great reviews, too.
^^^
Hope your trip is going well, SeeingtheWorldfromIndy...and that you loved Amanajiwo?
Hope your trip is going well, SeeingtheWorldfromIndy...and that you loved Amanajiwo?
Last edited by bhrubin; Aug 9, 2016 at 4:02 pm