FT,

I am considering visiting Amanjiwo for a couple of days in the near future, since I'm located closer by than usual.

I carry a number of passports (all with the same name), so I'm not worried, but Mrs. Pickles is a US citizen, and only a US citizen. With all the hoopla and brouhaha surrounding the area, what's your take on safety, and how would it affect the experience in a negative way?

Any thoughts?

Amanjiwo - hmmmmm. That's Java, right? Stunning property! My husband and I are going to Amankila in the fall (also Indonesia) but Bali is a mostly Hindu island rather than Muslim. I guess I would be hesitant, but I'd be more inclined to go to Java than to say, Amanpulo in the Phillipines. The idea of being kidnapped from a remote island is too much for me!

Whatever your decision, I hope you have a wonderful time! It's nice to hear from a fellow Aman junkie.

This is one of those things that is really hard to gauge. Central Java is not the safest area currently and is home to Laskar Jihad (Holy Warriors) militia
(Who are Laskar Jihad: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...c/770263.stm.)

Hotels and bars in Solo (the main city say about two hours away from the Resort) were subject to "sweeping" which quote:
". . . concerned the incursion into several hotels by dozens of militants seeking foreign guests to warn them to leave Indonesia due to the group's objection to US policy with Afghanistan."

http://baliwww.com/wtc_info/jateng.htm

Although this happened in September 2001, any action in Iraq could lead to possible further problems with some Indonesians holding a view that a war on Iraq is a war on Muslims. http://abc.net.au/asiapacific/news/G...BNA_775797.htm

I don't think you'd be in any real physical danger, but the possibility of armed militants demanding I leave the country wouldn't make for a great vacation.

Unless you are getting a once in a life time rate I'd postpone any travel. But that's just me and I have often been called a wimp

Personally, I say GO.

I was going to be going there in May of '98, but due to civil unrest in Indonesia I had to cancel (not because I was afriad, but because Garuda was cancelling flights left and right, Merpati was in trouble, etc.). The point: Be VERY certain to understand the cancellation policies. The US agent for Amanresorts at the time (and there was only one, then, and I can't recall which it was) had an "x-number-of-days-cancellation-or-you're-fined-one-night's stay" policy and I missed the number of days. When I had to cancel and explained that I had no way to get to Yojakarta or leave, they waived the penalty, but understand the penalties if you *do* choose to go.

I was in Surabaya last August, and believe me, the Mandarin Oriental and the locals were thrilled to have a visitor, American or not. If you *do* go, please post a trip report - I'm still eager to visit Borobodur. And from what I've read, the Amanjiwo is the way to go. I understand your trepidation, but I'm of the "you can't live life afraid" school (unless my mom is angry). I don't mean that condescendingly, it's just the way *I* view it, personally. I hope you go.

Will

Well, I've done it. I went to Amanjiwo for a couple of days this weekend, and this place is fantastic. The service levels are unbelievable, and the place is beautiful. The rooms aren't as opulent as those of the Amans in Bali, but the experience is better. Also, the Borobodur temple is more impressive than what most of Angkor has to offer (except Angkor Wat, I think), and the restoration work is better.

The hotel has 35 rooms, of which only 4 were occupied, which makes for a whopping 10% occupancy rate. I don't know what the economics of Aman are like, but they better be pretty good to support such occupancy rates for any extended period of time. Their policy of not discounting is an interesting one, and I wonder how well thought out it is. Even the Peninsula, MO, FS, and RC will have offers when things are slow (like now).

As for safety, I did not feel unsafe at any point in my travels, and the Javanese we encountered (not just at the hotel) were extremely friendly, and happy to see anybody come and visit. My work takes me to some pretty dodgy places, and I am pretty sensitive to the general environment. I did not sense any issues in Java, except for the usual chaos that comes from being in a poor country.

I cancelled my trip to the Amanpulo for safety reasons last December and went to the Amanjena in Morocco instead. It was terrific.

------------------
speedbird001

Not sure how they manage to do it in the current market(possibly the very high rates and very dedicated following), but their economics are terrific. I know someone who has access to their balance sheet and let's just say this person is laughing all the way to the bank.

[This message has been edited by jja34-1 (edited 08-04-2003).]

Cheap labor.

In Indonesia and Marrakech, yes. But not in Jackson Hole or Courchevel.

I am sure cheap labor is one of their advantages, but these places are clearly very fixed-cost intensive, and my guess is that a lot of the inputs to the construction and operation of the hotels are denominated in world prices.

Jackson Hole was their experiment into the U.S. If you read the reviews, most of them are negative. Tough to get transient employee's to conform to their standards. I am not 100% sure but I believe Courcheval was not built for them and that they get paid to manage it only...don't own it.

------------------
speedbird001