Disclaimer: I was hosted by Aman Resorts, but as I've said, I'll try to be as honest as possible in the FT reviews. Another point to note is that this is actually my first Aman. Overall, I was excited going into it and came out fairly impressed.

You can read my full review here: http://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/201...angzhou-china/

Right, down to it then...

Pros:

Location and setting:
It's a stunning location, away from the masses. Traffic can be bad in the city on holidays, so if you are hoping to get places, you have to work around that. But the setting itself is incredibly peaceful, even with the public access.

Architecture, design, rooms:
I like the village-style dwellings. We were in a Village Room.

It certainly gives you a 'sense of place' and it's an interesting authentic experience rather than staying at your run-of-the-mill luxury hotel. I love the interiors as well, save for the TV which actually felt a little out of place - we didn't watch it anyway.

Most of the structures are old, save for "The Restaurant", but if you weren't told that you probably wouldn't guess it.

The Fayun Pathway:
I may be in the minority, but I like it. It shows that the resort does not exist in some bubble, without compromising on luxury. Watching the monks walking through a few times a day is a nice sight. It gets a little more crowded on weekends with the public, but not too bad while we were there at least.

Service: 
From the moment we arrived at the resort to the moment we left, service was mostly nothing short of exceptional - especially from the GMs Mr. and Mrs. Prendke, as well as our butler Danielle who was very thoughtful and anticipated everything throughout and was her suggestions were spot on.

Fayun Place and Spa:
So, so peaceful...!


Improvements/points to note:

Service: 
Confused? They just need a little tweak here. Understand this may partly be a language issue - I wish I could speak more Mandarin!!! As stated, service from GMs, Butler, Business Manager and most staff was spot on, and nearly perfect. However, chauffeurs couldn't speak a word of English. I do hear they have had problems finding English-speaking staff, and a large majority of their clients are locals (especially from nearby cities, or Hangzhou and Shanghai) anyway. Let's see how that changes in a few years.

Food: 
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad at all...it was actually decent to good, with some highlights. However, for some reason, I expected more. Perhaps I expected a bit of a 'food extravaganza' which was a misled expectation. It's hearty, simple food all around the resort...from the two resort-managed and the three independently managed restaurants too.

Privacy in the room:
This probably only applies to the Village Room. While I love the wooden lattice screen that separates the living space from the bathroom, it also affords very little privacy. I think the sliding holed door for the toilet was a little much as it affords no privacy at all (or the other person cannot use any aspect of the bathroom or even come near it). 

Lighting:
The rooms do get really dark at times. There needs to be better lighting within the room. 

Some photos, taken by me:

Hangzhou House at Fayun Pathway:


Village Room ext:


Village Room int: 


Not your average tea/coffee/minibar:


Stream at Amanfayun:


All my photos are available on my Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chinmoy.lad/...2435375&type=3

Enjoy