Rate your favourite Amans
May 21, 2018, 8:21 am
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: En Route
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,798
of the ones I have visited, in order from best to worst:
Amanbagh (Rajasthan)
Amansara (Siem Reap)
Amanruya (Bodrum)
Aman New Delhi (RIP)
Amanjena (Marrakech)
Amandari (Bali)
Amanusa (Bali)
Aman Summer Palace (Beijing)
Visiting Aman Sveti Stefan in July, and have tentative plans to visit Amantaka and Amanpulo in Oct/Nov
Amanbagh (Rajasthan)
Amansara (Siem Reap)
Amanruya (Bodrum)
Aman New Delhi (RIP)
Amanjena (Marrakech)
Amandari (Bali)
Amanusa (Bali)
Aman Summer Palace (Beijing)
Visiting Aman Sveti Stefan in July, and have tentative plans to visit Amantaka and Amanpulo in Oct/Nov
May 21, 2018, 8:25 am
#17
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
I find it interesting how polarizing Amankila is. Reading the forums you would think that it's the best property on earth, but this shows a slightly different picture, with @MacMyDay, @Altocumulus, and @Pausanias suggesting it was disappointing (at least relatively to other properties). Curious about the disparity in opinion there.
We have only visited a small handful of Aman properties, but find this exercise very difficult and somewhat irrelevant just given the uniqueness of each property/location/experience.
Amangiri > Aman Sveti Stefan = Amanoi > Amanfayun >>> Amantaka
This is despite the fact that Amangiri was our worst Aman service and F&B experience ever, and that Amanfayun blew us away on all accounts. The locale of Amangiri is just that special and is the one property I want to return to the most. I would also add that the gap between Amangiri and Amanfayun is relatively small, while the gap from Amanfayun to Amantaka is quite large. Amantaka was perfect on paper (F&B, service, hard product, excursions) but I found the property lifeless and quite depressing.
We have only visited a small handful of Aman properties, but find this exercise very difficult and somewhat irrelevant just given the uniqueness of each property/location/experience.
Amangiri > Aman Sveti Stefan = Amanoi > Amanfayun >>> Amantaka
This is despite the fact that Amangiri was our worst Aman service and F&B experience ever, and that Amanfayun blew us away on all accounts. The locale of Amangiri is just that special and is the one property I want to return to the most. I would also add that the gap between Amangiri and Amanfayun is relatively small, while the gap from Amanfayun to Amantaka is quite large. Amantaka was perfect on paper (F&B, service, hard product, excursions) but I found the property lifeless and quite depressing.
May 21, 2018, 9:40 am
#18
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
When they were Amans I would rate the
Hotel Bora Bora, French Polynesia
and the
Chateau de Bagnols, France
as the best, higher than any of the others that I have been to which are, in order -
Amansara, Cambodia (the hotel and sightseeing as a single experience)
Amantaka, Laos (the hotel and sightseeing as a single experience)
Amanpulo, Philippines
Amanpuri, Thailand
Amandari, Indonesia
Amankila, Indonesia
Amangani, USA
Hotel Bora Bora, French Polynesia
and the
Chateau de Bagnols, France
as the best, higher than any of the others that I have been to which are, in order -
Amansara, Cambodia (the hotel and sightseeing as a single experience)
Amantaka, Laos (the hotel and sightseeing as a single experience)
Amanpulo, Philippines
Amanpuri, Thailand
Amandari, Indonesia
Amankila, Indonesia
Amangani, USA
May 21, 2018, 9:42 am
#19
Join Date: Feb 2003
Programs: UA1K, *G & Wife of UA1K MM
Posts: 3,432
This is like picking your favorite child! They’re all special in their own way. :-)
Great
Amandari, Indonesia
Amankila, Indonesia
Amanjiwo, Indonesia
Amanwana, Indonesia
Amanbagh, India
Aman-i-Khas, India
Amanpulo, Philippines
Amanzoe, Greece
Amanjena, Morocco
Amanruya, Turkey
Amanyara, Turks & Caicos
Amangiri, USA
Hotel Bora Bora (RIP)
Good
Amansara, Cambodia
Amanusa, Indonesia
Amangani, USA
Great
Amandari, Indonesia
Amankila, Indonesia
Amanjiwo, Indonesia
Amanwana, Indonesia
Amanbagh, India
Aman-i-Khas, India
Amanpulo, Philippines
Amanzoe, Greece
Amanjena, Morocco
Amanruya, Turkey
Amanyara, Turks & Caicos
Amangiri, USA
Hotel Bora Bora (RIP)
Good
Amansara, Cambodia
Amanusa, Indonesia
Amangani, USA
May 21, 2018, 9:58 am
#20
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,644
Good heavens, just looked it up, and it was nearly 20 years ago. We had Ed Tuttle's villa which was fun. I think I'd still prefer Amanpuri to Amankila as it has a proper beach, once you have managed the stairs. However, Thailand is off my radar these days. No interest in going back there. Or back to Bali for that matter. I'd go back to Laos and Cambodia in a heartbeat. And probably Amanpulo. I do quite fancy Amanoi.
May 21, 2018, 1:42 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,048
Of the six I have been to so far, below is my list with best overall experience on top:
Aman-i-khas - This was our best overall experience, but I could see how it would not be at the top for many people (especially if compared to Africa safaris). We had a great tiger safari and fort visit
Amanjiwo - Our first Aman. Unique location, great service
Aman Tokyo - We had great service here and the excursion to the buddhist temples out of town was fantastic. Such a calming place to come home to after sightseeing all day
Amanbagh - Loved the excursions and the grounds; Room was having issues and service was a let down
Amanoi - Great hard product and enjoyed the food; found housekeeping to be a letdown and not much to do
Amangalla - Enjoyed the stay and it is an interesting experience, but not necessarily an Aman-type stay. Reminds me of Riads in Marrakesh or refurbished Cartagena boutiques we have stayed in
Aman-i-khas - This was our best overall experience, but I could see how it would not be at the top for many people (especially if compared to Africa safaris). We had a great tiger safari and fort visit
Amanjiwo - Our first Aman. Unique location, great service
Aman Tokyo - We had great service here and the excursion to the buddhist temples out of town was fantastic. Such a calming place to come home to after sightseeing all day
Amanbagh - Loved the excursions and the grounds; Room was having issues and service was a let down
Amanoi - Great hard product and enjoyed the food; found housekeeping to be a letdown and not much to do
Amangalla - Enjoyed the stay and it is an interesting experience, but not necessarily an Aman-type stay. Reminds me of Riads in Marrakesh or refurbished Cartagena boutiques we have stayed in
Last edited by uclabruin82; May 23, 2018 at 1:59 pm
May 21, 2018, 2:47 pm
#22
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: Amex Plat, FHR, SPG
Posts: 107
Here's my list from best to not quite best... but on any given day the top ten of these could be reordered.
Amanzoe
Amanbagh
Amankila
Amandari
Amangani
Amanikhas
Amanwana
Aman Venice
Amanjiwo
Amanjena
Amanruya
Sveti Stefan
Summer Palace
Amangari
Amanusa
Amanyara
Aman Dehli
Amanzoe
Amanbagh
Amankila
Amandari
Amangani
Amanikhas
Amanwana
Aman Venice
Amanjiwo
Amanjena
Amanruya
Sveti Stefan
Summer Palace
Amangari
Amanusa
Amanyara
Aman Dehli
Last edited by cjthekid; May 21, 2018 at 2:49 pm Reason: Changed my mind
May 21, 2018, 7:26 pm
#23
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: MPC DM / UA *A Gold / Hyatt Glob / SPG Gold
Posts: 62
My list from best to worst
Amanusa (hosted my wedding there)
Amanzoe (honeymooned there)
Amanjena (got engaged there)
Amanjiwo (my first)
Amanpulo
Amanwana
Amansara
Amantaka
Amangalla
Amandari
Amanwella
Amanfayun
Will be in Sveti Stefan next week
Amanusa (hosted my wedding there)
Amanzoe (honeymooned there)
Amanjena (got engaged there)
Amanjiwo (my first)
Amanpulo
Amanwana
Amansara
Amantaka
Amangalla
Amandari
Amanwella
Amanfayun
Will be in Sveti Stefan next week
May 21, 2018, 11:27 pm
#24
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Our best to worst:
The best:
Amanjiwo (first Aman stay, still the one against which we measure all others, amazing cultural and religious visit with Borobudur Temple and Prambadan Temple, local village tour was incredibly memorable and different, unique and spectacular Borobudur pool villa accommodation with almost perfect service, great F/B, and amazing air con, husband loved the spa, dying to return)
Amankila (one of our favorite pool villas of all time, with wonderful and serene views in a remote and rural location, access to Ubud and rural and local temples for interesting day trips, excellent Liberty scuba dive, good F/B, excellent air con, rarely left our pool villa when on premises and loved every second, would return again if ever on Bali)
Amangiri (most incredible location, very comfortable accommodation with serene views and amazing air con, excellent F/B with very good service, some of the most amazing local excursions and day trips of all time, excellent air con, wonderful experiences despite being at 100% occupancy, dying to return)
The rest:
Amansara (with Sally, Audrey, and Molly, best staff interactions at any hotel ever, loved our unusual accommodations and extremely good and personalized F/B, incredibly good service, loved being able to personalize our excursion itinerary to our own needs whenever we wanted, extremely interesting excursions of massive cultural religious and historic interest, expensive but worth every penny,excellent air con)
Amanbagh (wonderful remote location offering wonderful excursions, Pratapgar castle excursion one of our all time favorites, excellent air con, excellent service, weak F/B options but decent food)
Amandari (lunch only, loved the authenticity, good air con, incredibly good F/B, excellent service, didn’t love Ubud at all, glad we didn’t pick over Amankila, but loved the serenity offered at this property)
Amangani (our favorite hotel in Jackson, one of our favorite places already in the USA, excellent F/B, good air con, wonderful remote location and views despite being just 10-15 min from town, not so convenient for us for skiing, good service)
Aman Grand Canal Venice (lunch only, beautiful restored property with wonderful public spaces, some tiny rooms, excellent F/B, overpriced based on competition, no water view bar, not convinced Aman works in a city for my cost/benefit, especially with the Gritti Palace)
Aman Tokyo (tea only, language issues, spectacular hard product, amazing views, overpriced based on too many local luxury hotel competitors, not enough serenity to make me bother, good F/B, not convinced that Aman works in a city for my cost/benefit)
Aman Summer Palace Beijing (lovely accommodation, weak air con, mixed bag on F/B and service, excellent service recovery, pleasant but imperfect location, never felt Aman enough to us, good spa for my husband, wouldn’t stay here again)
Amanusa (wonderful hard product, excellent F&B, great air con, boring and totally uninteresting location, no direct beach access, bad value for the spend)
Amanwana (decent hard product but terrible air con, average F/B, no pool. Solid but unremarkable service, good service recovery allowed us to escape early, very poor dive quality during visit, even poorer dive staff qualify, would return only for the private live aboard scuba dive experience)
The best:
Amanjiwo (first Aman stay, still the one against which we measure all others, amazing cultural and religious visit with Borobudur Temple and Prambadan Temple, local village tour was incredibly memorable and different, unique and spectacular Borobudur pool villa accommodation with almost perfect service, great F/B, and amazing air con, husband loved the spa, dying to return)
Amankila (one of our favorite pool villas of all time, with wonderful and serene views in a remote and rural location, access to Ubud and rural and local temples for interesting day trips, excellent Liberty scuba dive, good F/B, excellent air con, rarely left our pool villa when on premises and loved every second, would return again if ever on Bali)
Amangiri (most incredible location, very comfortable accommodation with serene views and amazing air con, excellent F/B with very good service, some of the most amazing local excursions and day trips of all time, excellent air con, wonderful experiences despite being at 100% occupancy, dying to return)
The rest:
Amansara (with Sally, Audrey, and Molly, best staff interactions at any hotel ever, loved our unusual accommodations and extremely good and personalized F/B, incredibly good service, loved being able to personalize our excursion itinerary to our own needs whenever we wanted, extremely interesting excursions of massive cultural religious and historic interest, expensive but worth every penny,excellent air con)
Amanbagh (wonderful remote location offering wonderful excursions, Pratapgar castle excursion one of our all time favorites, excellent air con, excellent service, weak F/B options but decent food)
Amandari (lunch only, loved the authenticity, good air con, incredibly good F/B, excellent service, didn’t love Ubud at all, glad we didn’t pick over Amankila, but loved the serenity offered at this property)
Amangani (our favorite hotel in Jackson, one of our favorite places already in the USA, excellent F/B, good air con, wonderful remote location and views despite being just 10-15 min from town, not so convenient for us for skiing, good service)
Aman Grand Canal Venice (lunch only, beautiful restored property with wonderful public spaces, some tiny rooms, excellent F/B, overpriced based on competition, no water view bar, not convinced Aman works in a city for my cost/benefit, especially with the Gritti Palace)
Aman Tokyo (tea only, language issues, spectacular hard product, amazing views, overpriced based on too many local luxury hotel competitors, not enough serenity to make me bother, good F/B, not convinced that Aman works in a city for my cost/benefit)
Aman Summer Palace Beijing (lovely accommodation, weak air con, mixed bag on F/B and service, excellent service recovery, pleasant but imperfect location, never felt Aman enough to us, good spa for my husband, wouldn’t stay here again)
Amanusa (wonderful hard product, excellent F&B, great air con, boring and totally uninteresting location, no direct beach access, bad value for the spend)
Amanwana (decent hard product but terrible air con, average F/B, no pool. Solid but unremarkable service, good service recovery allowed us to escape early, very poor dive quality during visit, even poorer dive staff qualify, would return only for the private live aboard scuba dive experience)
Last edited by bhrubin; May 26, 2018 at 8:48 am
May 22, 2018, 8:13 am
#26
formerly htang333
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Wi-Fi
Programs: Virtuoso, Top Ranked: Four Seasons (Top 25 Advisor), AMAN (Top 50), Rosewood, Hyatt Prive, etc.
Posts: 1,455
Great to good:
Amanpulo
Amankila
Amanoi
Amanera
Aman Tokyo
Amanyara
Amangani
Soon/June and July:
Amanjena - expecting to be good
Amanfayun - expecting to be great
Aman Tokyo - hoping to change from good to great
Amanpulo
Amankila
Amanoi
Amanera
Aman Tokyo
Amanyara
Amangani
Soon/June and July:
Amanjena - expecting to be good
Amanfayun - expecting to be great
Aman Tokyo - hoping to change from good to great
May 22, 2018, 10:04 am
#27
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
amankila - great service, solid food. Loved the pool. Just a great stay.
Amanoi- one of the best villas. Very relaxing. Great spa. Some uneven service at breakfast just keeps it out of the top spot.
amansara- pretty much flawless. Only knock is incredibly expensive, even by Aman standards. Amazing cultural experience.
amanjiwo- also an amazing cultural experience. Just so unique of a location. GM at time was awesome (Mark Swinton) Food here is probably a notch or two below rest of INdon Amans
Amanjena- very very good service. One of my favorite Aman GMs. Hiccup on last day but adequate servixe recovery. Kind of a small property and private pools are all located around same area. Food is a bit weak. Private pool though is perfectly heated.
amanera- great hard product. Solid service. Food better than say Amanyara. Ocean is a little rough. Ranked just above Amanzoe because of proximity to beach.
amanzoe- nice hard product but some flaws (step down to bath tub is just waiting for someone to trip)
Amandari- our first Aman. Solid Hard product Great service. I just find Ubud to be disappointing.
Amangiri- beautiful locale. Absolutely gorgeous. Service very disappointing. Food merely ok.
Amanyara- last on my list. Locale absolutely gorgeous. Worst service from an Aman. Food very disappointing. Pavilions starting to show age. Poor management presence. . But beach and ocean absolutely gorgeous.
Amanoi- one of the best villas. Very relaxing. Great spa. Some uneven service at breakfast just keeps it out of the top spot.
amansara- pretty much flawless. Only knock is incredibly expensive, even by Aman standards. Amazing cultural experience.
amanjiwo- also an amazing cultural experience. Just so unique of a location. GM at time was awesome (Mark Swinton) Food here is probably a notch or two below rest of INdon Amans
Amanjena- very very good service. One of my favorite Aman GMs. Hiccup on last day but adequate servixe recovery. Kind of a small property and private pools are all located around same area. Food is a bit weak. Private pool though is perfectly heated.
amanera- great hard product. Solid service. Food better than say Amanyara. Ocean is a little rough. Ranked just above Amanzoe because of proximity to beach.
amanzoe- nice hard product but some flaws (step down to bath tub is just waiting for someone to trip)
Amandari- our first Aman. Solid Hard product Great service. I just find Ubud to be disappointing.
Amangiri- beautiful locale. Absolutely gorgeous. Service very disappointing. Food merely ok.
Amanyara- last on my list. Locale absolutely gorgeous. Worst service from an Aman. Food very disappointing. Pavilions starting to show age. Poor management presence. . But beach and ocean absolutely gorgeous.
May 23, 2018, 3:35 am
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: here and there
Programs: some
Posts: 3,381
I find it interesting how polarizing Amankila is. Reading the forums you would think that it's the best property on earth, but this shows a slightly different picture, with @MacMyDay, @Altocumulus, andAmantaka was perfect on paper (F&B, service, hard product, excursions) but I found the property lifeless and quite depressing.
May 23, 2018, 3:39 am
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: here and there
Programs: some
Posts: 3,381
May 23, 2018, 4:12 am
#30
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,068
Best to worst:
Aman Sveti Stefan - a location that is entirely unique. So much space and varied dining options
Amanoi - best hard product, amazing views, unique location
Amanpuri - the best beach and food in Phuket by far (just don't take anything below partial sea view pavilion)
Amankila - views, the best pools and now much better food - oil tankers are getting really bad though
Amanjiwo - amazing location and views. Pavilions now feel dated and dining could be better
Amanbagh - such an incredible experience of rural India. Average food and awful wine list
Amandari - very nice, but Ubud now not the best area
Amanjena - liked most things apart from the lack of views, which is a shame
Amanusa - not thrilled with the location, but the beach club was nice
Amangalla - interesting to see the historic property restored, but feels expensive for what is offered - I could spend no more than a couple of days there
Amanwella - great beach but nothing else good to say
Aman Sveti Stefan - a location that is entirely unique. So much space and varied dining options
Amanoi - best hard product, amazing views, unique location
Amanpuri - the best beach and food in Phuket by far (just don't take anything below partial sea view pavilion)
Amankila - views, the best pools and now much better food - oil tankers are getting really bad though
Amanjiwo - amazing location and views. Pavilions now feel dated and dining could be better
Amanbagh - such an incredible experience of rural India. Average food and awful wine list
Amandari - very nice, but Ubud now not the best area
Amanjena - liked most things apart from the lack of views, which is a shame
Amanusa - not thrilled with the location, but the beach club was nice
Amangalla - interesting to see the historic property restored, but feels expensive for what is offered - I could spend no more than a couple of days there
Amanwella - great beach but nothing else good to say