jfkcnf

Anybody ever been able to get a "waiver" of the minimum night stay over peak periods? Is it worth e-mailing management or something along those lines?

Will be in the Philipines from Apr 3-9 and ideally wanted to split my time between Amanpulo and El Nido.

I have everything already booked (currently doing Shangrila Boracay and El Nido Pangulasian) but once I found out about amanpulo I was ready to ditch Boracay.

Thanks!

cadogan1

Certainly worth asking although it's Easter weekend so likely to be tricky. If they have the casitas available I suspect they would be flexible, but availability likely to be the issue.
PS Definitely the right decision to ditch SL Borocay for Amanpulo. They are incomparable. Personally i'd ditch El Nido too and spend the entire time at Amanpulo!!

FlyerEC

+1
The team there is very accommodating & reasonable

Rather than messing around with transfers , just stay at Amanpulo , if casitas are still available

Mickidon

Just left Amanpulo. The time between Chinese New Year and spring break/Easter seems to be a sweet spot of perfect weather and low guest count. We were concerned that this FT darling would not live up to its billing, but we were mistaken. It is a resort that can work for anyone -honeymoon, seniors, extended families, children.

Based on FT recs, we requested and received Beach Casita 21 and liked the location and fronting stretch of beach. We usually take suites or villas, but didn't like the separated room layout of the villas here and didn't want a dedicated butler as we are low key and can find that level of service hovering for two people. We'd pick a beach casita any day, but YMMV. Happy to answer any questions.

mike_la_jolla

Curious. What were you suspicious of?

Mickidon

Just of a bar set too high. Suspicious is probably not an accurate choice of words. I wondered if the service be as good as expected? Would it be as beautiful as the photos? The answer to these questions and others was a resounding yes.

Mickidon

And one more comment on this: some of the Amans we have visited have been
one notch too austere for my taste. Not so this one....

FlyingDoctorwu

I thought the same before my trip to the Bali Amans... was I building everything up too much in my head that my expectations would not be met... thankfully that was not the case.

FDW

FlyerEC

But of course , this is us FTers . Very pleased you have enjoyed your stays .
Now at N'oi , still needs time to ' mature ' but honestly , won ' t be better than Pulo or even the AmanIndos for awhile yet being so new ( owners included ) .

Londonjetsetter

Just booked my first stay at Amanpulo (along with Amansara) for next February on the back of these glowing reviews.

Pierre&Cédric

We just left Amanpulo, waiting for our next flight at Manila airport.

The resort was supposedly fully booked but none of the different public venues was too busy. At 9am it even happened that we were alone for breakfast.

Priori to our arrival, Amanpulo managed everything from transfers to the reservation of a 1-night stay at the Peninsula Manila at a special rate. We stayed in a premier suite which was nice even if very generic, and a view over the pool would have been better. We stayed roughly 14 hours so it didn't bother much.

After all your advice here we still chose a tree-top pool casita (#42) and it was exactly what we expected. It offers a small pool which is a fantastic addition to standard casitas. It is very private with a view over palm trees and lush vegetation towards the East / North-East of the island. The kids club is not far away but we never heard any noise from this side. The only noise you can hear (after the natural life) is the occasional plane bringing new guests and the tennis court but usually only after 5pm when the temperature and the sun go down. For us the private pool is more valuable than the location behind the beach. Moreover we were close to the gym & Spa which was a big advantage as we went there at least once a day.

We have many positive things to say:
- refurbished casitas design is beautiful and timeless. All possible sockets have been installed, and you can even send a movie from your iPad to the TV with additional special socket built-in the bedside table. You can hang your wet swimming bath in the shower, small detail but it shows that they thought about everything. Air con is extremely efficient and absolutely silent.
- we booked the Island Package including breakfast & dinner. Value is excellent as food & beverages prices tend to be stellar even compared to previous Aman where we stayed!
- the spa rooms are beautiful and treatments were excellent, provided by very professional therapists
- gym equipment from Technogym, the view from there is terrific. I also tried two activities with their on-site trainer Elmer who is a great person, able to precisely adjust to your capabilities => cardio circuit blast and beach bootcamp; I loved both.
- snorkelling is nice but we experienced better in the Maldives and in Malaysia. The huge benefit was the turtles. We tried both a complimentary group snorkelling trip at 10am and a private trip with one of their boats (Dolphin 4). It was amazing to see such a big turtle in the sea!

Still some flaws which were surprising to me:
- we were asked our casita number several times.
- the battery of our golf cart run out of power twice (solar panels are not powerful enough) and we had to inform the staff and request an exchange. They shall have noticed the low battery level before, as they park the golf carts.
- we came back from dinner twice before the turn down service was performed/finished.
- laundry service and minibar (even soft drinks) were not included, though it was the case in previous Amans we stayed at.

Overall we had a fabulous stay. But it was 'normally' perfect and we lacked these special extra little things we experienced in previous Amans (especially Amanbagh which was magical). The chain shall preserve its spirit and avoid bigger properties where their recipe work less, with the risk of slipping to 'standard' 5-star resorts, this is our common feeling.

FlyerEC

Glad you enjoyed your stay .
I really look out for those turtles too , still a thrill each time I see even one . That ' s a reason why I snorkel here . Have even seen them surfacing on rare occasions from the beach
Hmm , those slip ups , perhaps due to full occupancy & that these tree top pool casitas are newer in their housekeeping ' circuit ' ?? No excuse though .
We often have them buggy us , the older ones with batteries probably last longer .

Any sign of further extension on the beach club starting ?

Safe journey / flights .

blueline7

Thanks so much for your mini report on your stay! It was not clear to me what (little things) you felt were missing, particularly in comparison to Amanbagh. Maybe you can clarify if you have a moment.

In hindsight I miss Amanpulo more than any other Aman. I think it is because of the beach and water, primarily - which was astounding, rather than the hard or soft product itself per se (which was also fabulous). Being in a beach casita was perfect for me, but the tree top casita with pool also sounds very attractive.

Ericka

So glad you had a nice time.

I have to ask what you thought of the large monitor lizards. I assume you enjoyed them from afar and none got too close to your casita!

Pierre&Cédric

I have no issue with lizards Ericka, I guess you have CedricGerald story in mind at Amanusa We did see a snake close to the main pool but wildlife is ok for me except spiders

To reply to all questions:
- no work evidence of beach club extension for the moment (didn't even know it was planned)
- housekeeping issues may be consequent to the high occupancy rate indeed. It was not a real issue anyway, just something that I didn't expect at an Aman property.
- when comparing with Amanbagh the main difference is the size, meaning that in a small property it is always the same people who take care of you, and personalization is at its best. They set up a special dinner on top of the library once, they organized a special ceremony after another dinner, etc. At Pulo everything was more 'normal' and anticipations/expectations are more standard to any high end resort. It was still great, but may be I was expecting too much. Guests staying in villas have probably a different feeling.

The GM confirmed Aman Playa Grande would be open by November