Amanwana

Fans of Amanwana no doubt praise the way the resort is able to pull off what it does in such a remote location. And I agree: the food is very good, (particularly the honeycomb ice cream made from local honeycomb) and the chef so accommodating, repeatedly offering to make whatever possible. GM Kevin Brooke is among the very best GMs I’ve ever met, showing sincere interest and concern for his guests, without ever seeming obsequious or fake. And he has created a world-class staff on Moyo Island. It’s clear that in their morning employee meetings they must review each guest’s itinerary for the day, because no matter whom we met among the staff, we were asked how we’d enjoyed whatever activity had been on our slate that day.

We loved the water activities—the snorkeling is superb, both in Amanwana bay and at nearby Labuan Aji. Night snorkeling didn’t yield much of interest in the way of sea life, but the sparkling of the myriad stars above and the sparkling of the myriad plankton in the sea made for a magical and hushed experience. The waterfall excursion was also enjoyable—less for the waterfall itself, and more for the exposure to the village and the ride in the Japanese WWII open-air jeep that carries one inland.

So there’s much to like about Amanwana. But the physical property itself, I’m sad to say, is in really poor condition, such that I’d be hard pressed to compare it favorably to 3-star hotels, let alone 5-star ones at this price. The tents are in desperate need of an updating, as the stone of the sinks, bathroom and shower stall is in very poor condition, stained and corroded, the woodwork damaged and chipped away, the furniture used almost to the breaking point. (Photos below.) This state of disrepair seemed to extend across the property. “Can we use a Hobie Cat?” “No, our only one is broken.” We were in Ocean Tents #3 and #4, and I think it's worth the extra $100/night to not be tucked back in the Jungle Tents. I don't think the views from #3 and #4 as nearly as good as the views from tents that are farther from the dining room (i.e. higher tent numbers), where the tents actually sit on a small bluff such that the views from the deck chairs are more expansive. The freshwater pool alongside the dock is murky and smelly, completely unappealing.

The main dining area with its soaring ceiling is a great space, but the surroundings are scruffy and poorly maintained, striking an uncomfortable median between trying to cultivate the island and simply letting it have its way, whereas either extreme would have been preferable. The Jungle Cove Spa seemed to be unusable—we were steered toward having our spa treatments in a tent that’s being used for that purpose, and when I went to look at the Jungle Cove Spa, I could see why—the bathtubs are chipped and insalubrious in appearance, and it had an overall air of decrepitude and abandonment, as did the “Music Pavilion,” which never seems to be used. I can’t recommend Amanwana until the accommodations and physical structures match the quality of the service and activities on hand.

Here are some images that I think convey why I felt the property is in desperate need of a refurbishing:

Finally, we were very surprised by the number of children here. It seems to have become a destination of choice for Japanese families with young children, which comprised 80% of the guests. Amanwana seems a strange choice for kids given that the beach is not swimmable. Accordingly, the children, a good dozen of them, were omnipresent, chasing sand crabs and each other up and down the beach in front of the tents, laid down for naps along the sofas in the one real public space of the resort, playing noisy games in the small freshwater pool and claiming the sun deck's space for the day. Hard to blame them, as they were too young for swimming in the ocean, snorkeling, diving. But I do blame their parents, for bringing them to such an inappropriate place, and for allowing them to be such irritants to the other guests. Maybe it was just the time of year. We were so surprised by the number of children that we asked if it was a company party of a large family reunion but no, they were all separate families, unrelated to each other.