Aman Resorts
 

I will be travelling n a RTW ticket next year (spring and early summer). I have not finalized my trip yet and was considering making a stop at an Aman resort. However, while i am going to spend a decent money on this trip, money is a concern, especially since I will be travelling for so long. My question then is what are the cheaper Aman resorts, and do any of the hotels offer discounts off the rates I am seeing on their website. Anything below $500 would be great. Thanks

amanpuri = cheapest @ $525

i believe the only time aman ever discounted was after the tsunami.

its not unlike FS, which only has some discounted contract rates, and occasional "free 7th night" type things.

I strongly believe that Aman's can only truely be enjoyed when money is no object. I have often been disapointed as my expectations are always too high.

Any Aman in Asia is the best bet for a truely outstanding experience. But if money is any problem, you will not enjoy pre dinner drinks, and be chocking on your main cours, not to mention your sleepless last night as you convert the pre check out bill into $ or équivalent.

My first Aman was Amankila in Bali, toulk a helicopter flight arround the island, did the works and had a faboulous time. But for that kind of money you can do the most amazing things in life, so it's up to you realy, but if it is just to spend one night to be able to add it to your list, it is not worth it.

You can add an extra month to your RTW trip per night you would have spent in an Aman if not more, so depends what objectives you have set for your trip and the budget you have.

Have a great time

everything i have read here has suggested that aman F&B and other onsite costs are VERY low compared to say FS..

Thanks for the advice! I guess it will depend on if I am by myself or not. If I am by myself I dont think the beach resorts make much sense, but perhaps cambodia or sri lanka fit. But if my girlfriend joins me, then I think I am going to have to try to get to bali or the philipines. I know it is really expensive, but I can cash in my starwood points for later portions of the trip I guess. Thanks again for your time

definitely check out villa rentals in southeast asia. super cheap for very nice places.

I wouldn't say they are "low", especially in parts of Asia where one meal equals one person's monthly salary. But they were low enough that I didn't think twice about ordering whatever and/or going on excursions, getting massages, etc.

I think the magic is not knowing (or caring) how much anything costs (since you don't have to sign for anything) until check-out at which point you've had such an amazing stay you don't really care how much the entire bill is. Personal experience, of course :D

F&B and spa menus dont have prices on them?

If I remember rightly, they certainly do. Regarding prices - they're well below what I'd expect to pay at a top-end big-city hotel in Europe or the US, though still considerably above most other 5* properties in their markets. At Amanjiwo, for instance, a la carte breakfast went for about $35 per person; not quite the Gritti's 50 euro/person pricetag in Venice.

Now a week's worth of meals, spa treatments and excursions for a family of four, say, might mount up considerably - but I doubt many people would spend $700 or so for a room, and then try to get by on $50 a day for all other expenses. Or is that just me being bemused? I imagine adding 50% to the room rate might be a good rule of thumb for a party of two, to calculate the daily cost of three meals, drinks, plus whatever excursions, spa treatments and the like might appeal.

[QUOTE=Kagehitokiri;7935486]amanpuri = cheapest @ $525

QUOTE]

Rates are subject to 10% service charge plus 8.7% government tax.

I too have been planning an asia trip and wondered about these resorts. Have stayed at a lot of FS, but usually have been able to find relative "deals" of one kind or another that have often brought the rates down considerably. I think the advice is good that is given on this thread about just not bothering if it is too much of a stretch.

We may be the only ones here but that's exactly how we do it. I like to pay for intangibles (amazing location/service/experiences), not $35 (per person!!) for breakfast or $15 for some cocktail I can easily mix myself. At Amandari for example we had a couple of bottles of splendid Brunello with us and a bottle of Krug (not even available from the resort, of course) and had the most amazing local food (far better than in the resort) within a few minutes from the resort. Even if I could afford it (and I can't really), I would still do it this way.

I think your estimation of adding 50% to the room price would be fair if you went all out. On a 4 night stay that means I have a choice of either having the expensive food or staying an extra two nights. Considering we do have a budget, I'd always opt for the latter.

Different strokes for different folks. :)

My partner and I too. We stay in very nice hotels, but will not buy $15 beer and $25 cocktails from them...especially in Asia.

A good point indeed. I do think it's probably fair to say, though, that in a few of the 'middle of nowhere' Amans (Amanbagh and Amanjiwo, say - both of which are in rural areas and a fair distance from other dining and drinking options, if I remember rightly) it might be a little tricky to find alternative places to eat. Amanpuri, Amandari and such are, obviously much better positioned for this.

(Obviously, there are ways round the remoteness of some resorts. And I shall certainly remember the Krug-bringing idea from an earlier post - the best of plans, I think.)

I do find it interesting (conscious of wandering off-topic here...) how different people have very different triggers for the 'no, that's daft, I couldn't justify paying that' moment. Some would baulk at the $700 hotel room - some at the heavily marked-up wine - others at the three-thousand-pound airline ticket - others at the wallet-draining spa treatment; most at one of those - but few at all of those.

Since I started this post, I guess I will add my two cents. I think limelight has a great point. Everyone has those things they will pay for and those they don't care for. For me those things even change. For instance, if I am going on vacation to a resort, I generally won't pay for an upgraded ticket (will try to use miles, but not that big of a concern), but will spend a lot of money at my hotel since that is where I will be spending a lot of my time and where I want to do my relaxing, not just on a plane. Whereas if I am visiting a few cities, I will pay for the upgraded seats to be able to hit the ground running, but don't need a 5* hotel since I want to experience the city, not CNN International.
As far as food goes, I may be different since I love to eat, but one of the joys of travelling for me is eating foreign foods. I can still remember the first time I had a piece of mangosteen in thailand or paella and sangria in marbella (now of course there are plenty of basterdized versions all over the states). In fact, when I am thinking about where to visit, the first thing I think about is what can I eat there! Of course, I may have a problem.

I guess when I book my Aman resort I will have to find one that is close to a local village so I can enjoy the service and atmosphere of the resort and local food. Along those lines, any suggestions?

Same here! Have only been to the Bali Amans but finding food was easy at Amandari and not too difficult at Amankila. We didn't try at Amanusa (were only there for one night and had the driver stop on the way to Amandari for lunch), which they happily did.