Feb 12, 2018, 5:37 pm
Amanresorts Thread 2018
Apr 6, 2018, 10:54 am
#181
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
Reading this, it sounds as though a lot of people think that Aman le Mélézin is new! It opened in 1992, but was renovated last year.
Apr 7, 2018, 12:43 am
#182
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Europe
Posts: 82
Amanwella
Just finishing our 4day stay at Amanwella and leaving in some hours. We have some mixed feeling about our stay since we know Aman can do better. In terms of hospitality Sri Lanka is definetly not Asia but I thought service cant be that different. The first 2 days it was fully booked and generally it got better with less occupancy. Food was OK but not outstanding so no positive or negative feedback. I wouldnt recommand it to someone visiting Amanwella as a first Aman but being in Sri Lanka and looking for a beautiful Beach destination you can have a great time here.
Negative:
- Transfer expensive. Driver Seat in car was damaged and in bad condition. Was no KIA which they confirmed when I booked it. Maybe theyre new? Will find out later today after leaving.
- Empty fruit basket when we arrived, no welcome letter. Both was after dinner in our room.
- Weve booked the beach experience with a tour and massage which I had to asked for after day 2 since no one told us at check in.
- First 3 days asked permanently for room number.
- No special Beach service, except for towels and water, a fruit juice on two days.
- Wrong Invoice with 3x lunches we didnt have.
- Turndown last day after Dinner. Room service today last day after noon.
- No gym.
Positive:
- Beautiful empty Beach. Much better than expected.
- Great pool. Always perfect to start the day with early morning swimming.
- Friendly staff.
- Very relaxing.
Negative:
- Transfer expensive. Driver Seat in car was damaged and in bad condition. Was no KIA which they confirmed when I booked it. Maybe theyre new? Will find out later today after leaving.
- Empty fruit basket when we arrived, no welcome letter. Both was after dinner in our room.
- Weve booked the beach experience with a tour and massage which I had to asked for after day 2 since no one told us at check in.
- First 3 days asked permanently for room number.
- No special Beach service, except for towels and water, a fruit juice on two days.
- Wrong Invoice with 3x lunches we didnt have.
- Turndown last day after Dinner. Room service today last day after noon.
- No gym.
Positive:
- Beautiful empty Beach. Much better than expected.
- Great pool. Always perfect to start the day with early morning swimming.
- Friendly staff.
- Very relaxing.
Apr 7, 2018, 1:25 am
#183
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,602
I too would expect better from Aman and I actually thought by now that service levels should be great, also considering Sean is now in charge of both properties.
Who was your management contact during your stay to touch base and have chats?
Apr 7, 2018, 2:17 am
#184
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Europe
Posts: 82
Actually we didnt talk a lot to management this time. Second day Philipe talked to us and since then not anymore. We had some contact to one local staff but to be honest I dont know his name. When we arrived he was greeting us but then sending us to the lobby alone while he was talking to some other guest. Like you mentioned arriving vibe was very bad.
We had no in room dinner. It seems like theyre just slowly in cleaning our room.
Were now on the way to Amangalle for lunch then CMB.
We had no in room dinner. It seems like theyre just slowly in cleaning our room.
Were now on the way to Amangalle for lunch then CMB.
Apr 7, 2018, 2:58 am
#185
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Enroute to ? & likely flying in ' A ':)
Programs: TPPS, UA, EK ...; Marriott BONVOY , HH, GP, GC..
Posts: 4,217
Sloppy... shouldn't have happened and very un-Aman, unwelcome vibe.
Really odd...
I too would expect better from Aman and I actually thought by now that service levels should be great, also considering Sean is now in charge of both properties.
Who was your management contact during your stay to touch base and have chats?
Did you order room service for lunch? Did it take too long after you ordered?
Really odd...
I too would expect better from Aman and I actually thought by now that service levels should be great, also considering Sean is now in charge of both properties.
Who was your management contact during your stay to touch base and have chats?
Did you order room service for lunch? Did it take too long after you ordered?
Actually we didnt talk a lot to management this time. Second day Philipe talked to us and since then not anymore. We had some contact to one local staff but to be honest I dont know his name. When we arrived he was greeting us but then sending us to the lobby alone while he was talking to some other guest. Like you mentioned arriving vibe was very bad.
We had no in room dinner. It seems like theyre just slowly in cleaning our room.
Were now on the way to Amangalle for lunch then CMB.
We had no in room dinner. It seems like theyre just slowly in cleaning our room.
Were now on the way to Amangalle for lunch then CMB.
Hope you get to speak with Sean at Galla .
Safe travels
Apr 7, 2018, 3:50 am
#186
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: here and there
Programs: some
Posts: 3,381
oh wow, that sounds very different from our experience. Wella and Galle were both excellent when I was there - top notch in fact. But that was 4 years ago.
Apr 7, 2018, 6:57 am
#187
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
I remind people all the time that its imperative to speak with a manager about a poor start to any luxury hotel stay, even Aman. If you want the stay to get better, theres no better way than to set proper expectations up front and let the property have the opportunity to recover from the poor start.
Waiting and and hoping isnt going to get the job done, Im afraid. Even with Aman. Aman properties also are not as accustomed to offering tip top service when at full occupancy IME (except for Amnagiri, which so often is at full occupancy), so it is helpful to remind them of any shortcomings that may occur.
Waiting and and hoping isnt going to get the job done, Im afraid. Even with Aman. Aman properties also are not as accustomed to offering tip top service when at full occupancy IME (except for Amnagiri, which so often is at full occupancy), so it is helpful to remind them of any shortcomings that may occur.
Apr 7, 2018, 10:13 pm
#188
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: NYC, SEA, TPE
Programs: BR Diamond, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 436
We just completed a week trip trip to Amangalla and Amanwella (bookmarked by two Andre Fu hotels in Andaz SG before and TUH HK after). I was hesitant to post anything about the Amans because I know it was out of the ordinary to be so full (because of Easter) and could tell they tried their best. But, alas, it's about the final product and not the effort.
The hard product was fine and as expected, but the service left much to be desired. For example:
- At Amangalla, every single meal had a mistake. Ie, Ordered Sri Lanka omelette w/o Chilis for the baby and it came with Chilis. Or, Grilled Fish and it came as Fried Fish, etc. The strange thing is that they repeated the order to me correctly each time, so it might have been a miscommunication between the order taker and the cooks. (Annoying, but not a deal-breaker).
- Asked for ice 3 times over a 2 hour period and it never came. After a while, we just gave up. (Very annoying, but not a deal-breaker)
- Went to the restaurant at Amangalla at 18:15 for dinner and told them we needed to finish up soon in order to get back before the babysitter left. They said that dinner would not be served until 19:00. I told them I can eat from any menu--lunch, room service, kids, etc--but they said it wouldn't happen. I became very upset and after talking to 4+ people, they finally let us order and gave us food. (Quite serious to us and potentially a deal-breaker).
- Diaper request: We had multiple emails prior to our visit to ask them to provide diapers for us and they agreed to it. When we got there, they weren't presented to us and had to ask a few times. It wasn't until we spoke to the manager that we got them.
- Felt like we were being asked for money everywhere. This might be the main reason we won't go back. I understand this is something that Amans can control, but we were steered towards certain shops during our fort tour in Galle by our butler/tourguide. For the safari arranged by Wella, the guide immediately told us that he's a volunteer and expects a tip at the end of the trip. These were the first Amans (out of around a dozen that we've been to) where we actually gave tips to the staff because we felt that's what they were expecting. For those planning on flying into CMB, make sure you don't let anyone snatch your luggage from you because they'll put it on a trolley and demand money to get it back.
- Billing. There are always issues with the bill and we always get charged for things that shouldn't be there. But, this happens at every single Aman, so I'm used to it. (comical and expected). I am still waiting for a refund from 3+ weeks ago when they charged my CC though I paid by wire transfer. If this drags on much longer, I'll be really annoyed
- Drivers/car rides. The roads aren't great, but that doesn't mean that our baby should throw up 3 times and my wife needs to stop to get fresh air. There is no need to tailgate all of the tuk-tuks and play chicken with the oncoming buses when trying to pass those who are going the speed limit. And then, they have the nerve to ask me if I enjoyed their driving! We made it clear that we wanted to take it slow and we get car sick. This might be another reason we hesitate to go back.
We did speak to Sean a few days into the stay and then they were very attentive afterwards. Because of Easter, the common areas felt more like Ritz-Carltons with all the people, but I suppose that's not their fault. We are happy we went and appreciate the experience, but it is not high on priority to return.
TL;DR - Staff at Amanwella/Amangalla tried hard but there were service issues. Would recommend if Sri Lanka is on your bucket list or if you're an Amanjunkie; otherwise, stick to the Indonesia Amans.
The hard product was fine and as expected, but the service left much to be desired. For example:
- At Amangalla, every single meal had a mistake. Ie, Ordered Sri Lanka omelette w/o Chilis for the baby and it came with Chilis. Or, Grilled Fish and it came as Fried Fish, etc. The strange thing is that they repeated the order to me correctly each time, so it might have been a miscommunication between the order taker and the cooks. (Annoying, but not a deal-breaker).
- Asked for ice 3 times over a 2 hour period and it never came. After a while, we just gave up. (Very annoying, but not a deal-breaker)
- Went to the restaurant at Amangalla at 18:15 for dinner and told them we needed to finish up soon in order to get back before the babysitter left. They said that dinner would not be served until 19:00. I told them I can eat from any menu--lunch, room service, kids, etc--but they said it wouldn't happen. I became very upset and after talking to 4+ people, they finally let us order and gave us food. (Quite serious to us and potentially a deal-breaker).
- Diaper request: We had multiple emails prior to our visit to ask them to provide diapers for us and they agreed to it. When we got there, they weren't presented to us and had to ask a few times. It wasn't until we spoke to the manager that we got them.
- Felt like we were being asked for money everywhere. This might be the main reason we won't go back. I understand this is something that Amans can control, but we were steered towards certain shops during our fort tour in Galle by our butler/tourguide. For the safari arranged by Wella, the guide immediately told us that he's a volunteer and expects a tip at the end of the trip. These were the first Amans (out of around a dozen that we've been to) where we actually gave tips to the staff because we felt that's what they were expecting. For those planning on flying into CMB, make sure you don't let anyone snatch your luggage from you because they'll put it on a trolley and demand money to get it back.
- Billing. There are always issues with the bill and we always get charged for things that shouldn't be there. But, this happens at every single Aman, so I'm used to it. (comical and expected). I am still waiting for a refund from 3+ weeks ago when they charged my CC though I paid by wire transfer. If this drags on much longer, I'll be really annoyed
- Drivers/car rides. The roads aren't great, but that doesn't mean that our baby should throw up 3 times and my wife needs to stop to get fresh air. There is no need to tailgate all of the tuk-tuks and play chicken with the oncoming buses when trying to pass those who are going the speed limit. And then, they have the nerve to ask me if I enjoyed their driving! We made it clear that we wanted to take it slow and we get car sick. This might be another reason we hesitate to go back.
We did speak to Sean a few days into the stay and then they were very attentive afterwards. Because of Easter, the common areas felt more like Ritz-Carltons with all the people, but I suppose that's not their fault. We are happy we went and appreciate the experience, but it is not high on priority to return.
TL;DR - Staff at Amanwella/Amangalla tried hard but there were service issues. Would recommend if Sri Lanka is on your bucket list or if you're an Amanjunkie; otherwise, stick to the Indonesia Amans.
Apr 8, 2018, 6:13 am
#189
formerly known as deathscar
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: Virtuoso | Four Seasons Preferred Partner | Rosewood Elite | Hyatt Prive - and more
Posts: 2,096
- Billing. There are always issues with the bill and we always get charged for things that shouldn't be there. But, this happens at every single Aman, so I'm used to it. (comical and expected). I am still waiting for a refund from 3+ weeks ago when they charged my CC though I paid by wire transfer. If this drags on much longer, I'll be really annoyed
On that note, the point above - if Aman's hallmark is never requiring a signature, they should be expected to get this right, or do away with it altogether.
Having said that, have you had that issue at other Amans judging by your comment? Because I've never once run into an erroneous billing across my stays.
Apr 8, 2018, 7:02 am
#190
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: NYC, SEA, TPE
Programs: BR Diamond, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 436
Issues ranged from Pulo adding a 0 to the price of the bottle of champagne to getting charged for breakfast at Tokyo when it was included to not having the 4th night free reflected on the bill in Kila, etc. Everything got resolved and it's kind of just part of the check-out process now.
Apr 8, 2018, 9:06 am
#191
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 751
Issues ranged from Pulo adding a 0 to the price of the bottle of champagne to getting charged for breakfast at Tokyo when it was included to not having the 4th night free reflected on the bill in Kila, etc. Everything got resolved and it's kind of just part of the check-out process now.
Apr 8, 2018, 11:01 am
#192
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,068
I have had several Aman billing mistakes. Agree with the commentary above about Aman Sri Lanka. Amanwella is just not good enough. I was at Amanpuri last month at 100 percent capacity and service was still good.
Apr 8, 2018, 12:36 pm
#193
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,145
We experienced a number of negative issues at Amanwella last Easter and I would not recommend it. We talked to management and were compensated generously, so I chose not to go into details here and other places.
Apr 9, 2018, 8:14 am
#194
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: Ronin - churn and burn
Posts: 701
Stopped into Galla for lunch and drinks, during a day trip from CMB a week ago.
Food was ok but nothing special.
Cocktails took an inordinate amount of time to produce and were quite poorly executed.
Espresso martinis were thin and insipid. Singapore sling was 50% soda water.
Interesting to note that people on IG were telling me not to expect much better from F&B at other Aman properties.
I have stays at Noi and SS booked over the next few months, I'm hoping Galla is not the high watermark...
Food was ok but nothing special.
Cocktails took an inordinate amount of time to produce and were quite poorly executed.
Espresso martinis were thin and insipid. Singapore sling was 50% soda water.
Interesting to note that people on IG were telling me not to expect much better from F&B at other Aman properties.
I have stays at Noi and SS booked over the next few months, I'm hoping Galla is not the high watermark...
Apr 9, 2018, 9:00 am
#195
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,068
Stopped into Galla for lunch and drinks, during a day trip from CMB a week ago.
Food was ok but nothing special.
Cocktails took an inordinate amount of time to produce and were quite poorly executed.
Espresso martinis were thin and insipid. Singapore sling was 50% soda water.
Interesting to note that people on IG were telling me not to expect much better from F&B at other Aman properties.
I have stays at Noi and SS booked over the next few months, I'm hoping Galla is not the high watermark...
Food was ok but nothing special.
Cocktails took an inordinate amount of time to produce and were quite poorly executed.
Espresso martinis were thin and insipid. Singapore sling was 50% soda water.
Interesting to note that people on IG were telling me not to expect much better from F&B at other Aman properties.
I have stays at Noi and SS booked over the next few months, I'm hoping Galla is not the high watermark...