Amanfayun

This one was the most "rustic" of the 20 Amans I've stayed at. The concept is genius. Aman takes over an ancient village, maintains the existing paths and waterways, leaves the center path where outside people can walk thru. Ancient dwellings restored with great sensitivity by the legendary Jaya Ibrahim. A bit of a culture shock if you are expecting the typical level of luxury at Aman resorts, but most definitely an experience for design and historical buffs. And the staff was always helpful and made us feel welcome throughout. Many thanks to all!

Rather simple old houses positioned amidst bamboo forest and tea plantages. Go for the calm and serenity. Rooms are simple but beautiful. Service amazing, super friendly with very good English. Visit the Hanghzou House which is a one star Michelin on the property but not part of the Aman, beautiful place with excellent food. The western restaurant of the Aman is also excellent. General manager extremely friendly and very helpful and flexible. For your excursions ask for Tony as a guide, he is a bit talkative but has his own opinion on everything which is very refreshing. Again what stands out here and at par with the Amandayan is the quality of the people: friendly, proud to serve, competent. A place well run and joy to visit.

Very ordinary experience which would probably not even suit a decent three star hotel. Yes it is a restored village converted to a hotel, but it is still an "Aman" and priced like one. Very poor on details of things in room and restaurants. A person came to knock on our room past midnight just to ask for the car number of our pick up the next morning which was not even an early hours check our. Lizard lounging on a the room sofa freaked my wife out, hand to close luggage and avoid sitting on furniture. No hand lotion in common bathrooms. No signage to reach one's rooms at night. Most people Very poor on language, which should be in a luxury hotel charging over a thousand dollars a night for a room!

It was a stay that left me wanting to stay longer. First location that really helped me to relax my active mind. Simply ZEN on earth. The sound of waterways and the michelin restaurants near by activities made sure this was a magical stay. Property is simply heaven on earth.

An Average—Perhaps Slightly Below-Average—Experience by Aman Standards This is another property we felt genuinely conflicted about reviewing. While many elements of the stay resonated with us, we ultimately left feeling that this was among the weaker Aman experiences we have encountered to date. That said, by broader hospitality standards—and particularly within China—it remains a top-tier offering. To begin, minor lapses can and do occur at Aman properties; this is simply a fact of life, and we are generally very forgiving of them. Our stay began with a few such issues—namely a mix-up with restaurant reservations and initial room expectations not being fully met. These were promptly addressed, and we appreciated the team’s responsiveness. Where the property truly shines is in its profound connection to place. The setting, with direct and unlimited access to Lingyin Temple and the Fei Lai Feng Scenic Area, is exceptional and deeply evocative. The food offerings are also among the strongest within Aman China. Both Hangzhou House and the vegetarian restaurant deliver a level of culinary quality that is genuinely difficult to surpass elsewhere. The principal disappointment, however, lay in the curation of experiences—traditionally one of Aman’s greatest strengths. While the seven-temple tour was outstanding and thoughtfully executed, the West Lake boat tour on our final day fell noticeably short. Communication was minimal; the boatman spoke little English (and while we do speak some Mandarin), there was no meaningful effort to share the rich history or cultural context of West Lake. The experience also ended earlier than expected, without clear explanation. We understand that this activity is operated by a third party. Still, at this level—and especially under Aman—stronger vendor curation and quality control are essential. In the end, the experience offered very limited added value and felt like something we could have arranged independently at a significantly lower cost. In summary, Amanfayun remains a beautiful property with undeniable strengths in location, cuisine, and atmosphere. Yet for a brand defined by exceptional storytelling, immersion, and experience design, it fell a bit short!