Is that all the way at the tip looking towards the east? Sunrise there was amazing. The water and beach are simply stunning.

Just went there last month. Had a great time. I actually think the service has improved by a lot this time , or maybe it is just the low season. Food remains an issue (decent but nothing inspiring) but they just got a new Chef in August and hopefully he will make a positive change. The new Spa and Gym are great. I particularly like the lounge area with the steam room, cold plunge pool, and the outdoor deck. Just let the attendant know and she will put on the privacy sign so the whole area is exclusive yours to enjoy, totally Aman style.

Regarding the Casita, it really depends on the season. In the low season, deluxe hillside casita 40 is most ideal because of its sweeping view, privacy and the beach access (like the beach casita) on the lagoon side. In the high season, Casita 29 and 21 are nice. Another Casita I like is 17. The casita itself is slightly elevated with a good view and a patch of lawn in front. Unlike most other Casitas, its hammock is right on the beach. (picture can be seen on http://www.amanresorts.com/amanpulo/accommodation.aspx 17 is the first picture on the left) This time around the year the bushes grow so fast they actually offer to trim it down if the guest prefer a more open view.

Thanks for the tip. Just to clarify, you mean deluxe hillside casita 40 also has its own access to the beach just like any beachside casita? I always thought that the hillside casitas are on higher ground and that you will therefor need a buggy to get to the beach? Thanks

Yes but only " Deluxe hillside Casita 40" has the path leading down to the beach on the lagoon side with sun loungers. You do not need a buggy to go down the beach. The setting is very private as there are rarely guests walking on the lagoon side of the beach. So make sure you ask for No.40 when booking a deluxe hillside casita. During the low season the windy side is where the beach casitas are located, the lagoon side is very calm and peaceful. But the beach on the lagoon side isn't nearly as wide as the beach in front of the beach casitas and there are sea grass under the water. So as you can see there are pros and cons.

These winds might vary a bit though. We were in 40 in December and the private beach was so windy it was pretty much unusable.

What about the others?

Other beaches were OK, but the private beach dinner got pretty sandy due to the wind. I have a trip report on this forum if you'd like to read more. It's been a while so I barely remember.

I'm quite new on this forum, can you please post a link to your trip report. Thanks

Sorry. I'm on a new iPad right now and don't think I can handle the copy/paste. Just go to the search field above (or advanced search) and look for something with "trip report" and "amanpulo" in the title in the luxury forum. There might be other trip reports too that will be helpful.

Nice aerial pics can be found here: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/22839574

nature villa! wow.

Thanks Ericka, finally found your report and found it very useful. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...ip-report.html

I will be going there in mid October (not sure of the wind condition then though my friends did say expect a monsoon/strong wind in early November)

You seem to be a fan of the Deluxe Hillside 40 casita. I guess that must be for the view. I'm torn between easy access to the beach (beach side) and the fantastic view (deluxe hillside). Do you recommend I stick to beach side casita 21 or pay the small upgrade to get hillside Casita 40? Thanks again

Well.....there are many many people who believe the beach casitas are the best rooms there. I haven't stayed in one (hopefully will sometime next year) but I don't think you could go wrong with either choice. If you are at all concerned about wind I would stay in a beach casita as the deck on 40 can get unusable with wind. The beach casitas seem to be more sheltered. And the winds could come early.