Amanruya

I recently stayed for 3 days at Amanruya in Bodrum, Turkey. The hotel was high on my bucket list, but somehow, I did not meet the very high expectations that I had (partly because of the rave reviews here on Flyertalk).

-I uploaded a lot of photos here: http://theluxurytravelexpert.com/2014/10/22/amanruya/
-I also made a Youtube clip with impressions of the resort: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6jJhAtEJ2M

PROS & THINGS I LIKED:
* Amanruya is set on a peaceful hillside, offering nice (but far from excellent) views of the Aegean sea.
* The architecture and design of the resort is phenomenal. Inspired by the regions traditional architecture and building methods, the resort ascends through a series of levels, offering a variety of courtyards and terraces. This creates the intimate ambience of an Ottoman village while still providing a sense of space and luxury.
* A winding pathway (15 minute by foot or 5 minute by buggy) leads to Amanyuras private Beach Club. Protected by a headland and curled around a number of well-established trees, this informal Beach Club consists of a series of terraces on which sun loungers overlook a small (almost non-existing) pebble beach and a wooden jetty. Refreshments and a range of water sports equipment are available.
* The accommodations 36 villas in total are fabulous. Each exquisite stone villa, first-rate in every sense, comes with a huge bedrooms, a four-poster bed, a glorious bathroom (with rain shower and a large bath tub), a private grey-green marble infinity pool, an outdoor table and bed. All villas offers a large degree of privacy, since they are very secluded and out of view from the other villas.
* Food at Amanruya is excellent, and served at several dining pavilions overlooking the main swimming pool. Breakfast is a la carte and served in the room (untill 11 am). In addition, there is an excellent restaurant at the Beach Club where light meals and refreshments can be enjoyed throughout the day.
* As you can expect from the worlds most exclusive hotel brand, service is exceptional. You show up in an empty dining pavilion or in one of the common lounges, and like magic the hotel staff appears to take your order for meals, a snack or a drink. The General Manager Nick and his wife Chris are very welcoming.
* Lined with green marble from Antalya in southern Turkey, Amanruyas 50-metre infinity swimming pool has a spectacular look and is surrounded by a number of sun loungers, dining and relaxation pavilions.
* In the shoulder season (April, October), the resort has some very good promotions, saving you hundreds of euros (reduced room rate, all-inclusive rate, airport transfers).
* Complimentary Turkish tea is offered every afternoon between 4-5 pm at an open air pavilion not much other than some pastries, tea and juice, but its still nice to refresh with something prior to dinner, and its included in the room price, so might as well take advantage if you can.
* There is good WiFi throughout the resort, including the beach club.
* Food and beverages are very affordable compared to the restaurants outside the resort of the same caliber.

CONS & THINGS THAT I DID NOT LIKE:
Amanruya is a stunningly beautiful and ber-chic resort. Yet, it was not perfect, despite being designed and managed by Aman Resorts. I felt there were a few shortcomings, or things that I wished I had known ahead of my stay (to lower expectations), so I may as well share them with you:
* The resort is oriented towards the east. Not the fault of the resort of course, but this means that it is in the shade about one hour before sunset, when the sun disappears behind the hills. The Beach Club is in the shade about 2 hours before sunset; in fact, only the sun loungers on the jetty will enjoy the sun in the afternoon, as the sun loungers on the shore are in the shade by then (which might be a good thing in the summer). Sunsets cannot be seen from the resort.
* Wasps were incredibly annoying during our stay, especially at the Beach Club where people were literally fighting against these insects. Having breakfast and lunch with all those wasps attacking the food was a challenge from time to time. I am not sure whether Amanyara has any natural wasp control in place, but if not, they should increase their efforts. I heard that wasps are less of a problem during the summer months.
* The resort is located hillside, offering good but not really excellents views of the water. There are pine trees and foliage sprouting up everywhere, often blocking the view of the water and making you feel being disconnected from the maritime environment. It is a mystery to me why the resort was not built closer to the sea.
* The resort has no adult-only corner, which can be problematic when a family with young (and loud) children is staying at Amanruya (which was the case during our stay), especially at the small and intimate Beach Club and pool. Since Aman Resorts in general cater to high-end clientele looking for some well-earned tranquility and peace of mind, this was a major shortcoming. I feel that Amanruya should not accept families with very young children or, alternatively, install an adult-only corner fo those in need of that.
* Unfortunately, the only dining menu is rather limited and does not change, which can be disappointing and gastronomically boring when you consider a stay longer than just a few days. Perhaps a couple of additional specials each day would solve this problem.
* On some nights, the incessant night-club beat from the resort across the bay could be heard from 10 pm to 2 am. But Amanruyas air conditioners create white noise that mostly covers up that beat.
* The water temperature of the main and private pools is very cold. This is not an issue in the heat of the summer, but it is in the colder months of April-May and September-October. A hot tub would have been a nice addition to an otherwise spectacular resort.
* The waiting time for a buggy exceeded twice 30 minutes during our stay, which was unacceptable for a resort of this caliber.
* The noise of the busy main road (that runs around the Bodrum peninsula) can be heard very well inside the resort, especially around the pool with the dining pavilions, prohibiting a truly relaxing and calming atmosphere that Aman Resorts identifies itself with.
* The hotel is 20-25 minutes from Bodrum and there is an approximately 40-50 euro charge (plus tax and service) for a hotel car and driver any time you want to leave the property.