Amandari

This is a pleasant hotel in a beautiful setting, but it feels somewhat dated in places and falls short of the standards one would normally expect from an Aman property. Our villa was spacious, with a large living area, but the layout was rather unusual. The living room was quite dark because of limited lighting, and the furniture was not especially comfortable or practical. Access to the upstairs bedroom required walking through the bathroom and climbing a very narrow spiral staircase, which was neither convenient nor particularly functional. The biggest disappointment, however, was the food and restaurant service. On our first evening, we ordered room service and were surprised by how small the portions were. They were exceptionally modest and not what one would expect from a luxury resort. The following evening at dinner, I ordered a burrata as a starter and seared tuna as my main course. The tuna arrived, but the starter had simply been forgotten. After reminding the staff, I eventually received the burrata only after I had finished my main course, so it effectively became dessert rather than an appetizer. Communication with the restaurant staff was sometimes difficult, as several members of the team appeared to have only a limited command of English, which may explain some of the service issues. In addition, the selection of Western dishes on the menu was extremely limited, offering very little variety for guests who are not looking for Asian cuisine at every meal. Overall, the property has many attractive qualities, but the dining experience and level of service did not meet the expectations normally associated with the Aman brand.

This was my first visit to an Aman resort property. I had been curious about Aman for some time — Amandari is one of their earliest properties, and a good friend of mine is a frequent visitor there — so I decided to try it for myself. Before making a reservation, I emailed them with some questions, and they responded quickly and cleared up my concerns. As soon as I booked, they began taking care of my entire plan: transfers to and from the resort, dinners, activities, and more. By the time I arrived, most everything had already been arranged. Amandari is located in Ubud, but not in the downtown area. It sits about fifteen minutes away from the busy center, so I heard little of the street noise. The moment you enter Amandari, you see both what the designers intended and Bali's natural beauty. The Duplex Pool Villa I reserved gave me a sense of genuinely traditional furnishing. You could call it luxurious, but it isn't designed to show off. The designers seem to have aimed for a truly relaxing environment for guests. Needless to say, it was spacious, clean, very well equipped, and thoughtful. The integration with outdoor features — the bathtub especially — is impressive. I fully enjoyed my time in the villa. The property is, of course, well staffed. But the staff don't merely do what they are supposed to do; they are there to give you what you desire. Even for something they have never done before, they will try hard to make it happen. It's not like choosing off a menu. They paid attention to every guest as much as possible — and at the same time, they completely respected my privacy. Unless I asked for something, they stayed in the background. I asked for a guided tour of the rice fields outside Ubud. The tour gave me a glimpse of traditional Balinese life, and some scenes reminded me of my childhood in Japan. The driver also took me to the water temple. The area must have always been rich in water — a critical resource for growing rice — and the temple expressed the people's hopes for well-being. My only issue was that there are so many ways to enjoy the property. I stayed three nights this time, but that is definitely not enough to experience all they offer. I couldn't even explore the entire property well, and I wish I could have joined more of their tours and excursions. Hopefully I will have another opportunity to visit. Then again, I've come to realize that Aman offers several other properties, and it will be hard to choose the next one. Still, it's a wonderful problem to have.

A luxurious and peaceful resort, strategically located in Kedewatan village of Ubud. We stayed 3 nights at villa unit 4, a two level Ayung pool suite overlooking the beautiful forest sanctuary, sacred Ayung river gorge, Mount Batukaru, and the Bali Swing. Room is huge, clean and well maintained. The team cleaning daily ensured every detail is not spared; folded our clothing, replenished amenities, prepared our sun decks (and doing this even during our check out day [plus point on Aman’s effort]) There are complimentary transportations; within a 5-10min radius of the resort, and also to the Ubud city center (12-15mins away). Transport can be available to guest in short 10-15mins notice (very personalized effort) Resort is very strategically located in Ubud. For 3-5min drive outside of resort, there are good local food stalls, eg Nasi Ayam Ibu Mangku, Warung Kayana pork ribs, Naughty Nuri BBQ. Encouraged guests to experience the immersion of Aman with the local surroundings. A few wonderful items to highlight and all were very well customized by Aman: * Sundown drinks - beautiful sunset, drinks and overlooking the valley * trekking down Ayung river - takes 10mins with comfortable stairs. Trekking sticks in our room are very useful * breakfast - great food choices and location (including at the Bale) * tea breaks - delicious desserts, cakes, fruits and tea. Good time for staff to meet and chat with guests * Ngejot dinner - great dances from students and Balinese meal * paddy and Sindhu market walk - great learning of local culture and food produces Leaving the best for last. Staff is the biggest asset for the resort. Thankful to the staff at transport, front desk, spa, restaurant, cleaning, paddy trip, teacher & students, outdoor events, Trisnia, Wahyu, Chandra, Reza, Diko, Swastika, Pariana, Cehyida, Widia, Nilesh (apologies if we misspelt any). Was told some have worked more than 27 years (eg Nilesh the pioneer staff since 1988, we chatted on him working with the great architect Peter Muller) A very heart warming family & team, and glad some have their next generation working here also! It was a touching moment to see Aman staff came out to bid us farewell and gave us a small parting gift for our wrists. Trip is very memorable. Thank you

We had a wonderful stay and much needed R&R at this resort. We came to Amandari for rest and relaxation, and it delivered exactly that. We left feeling peaceful, refocused, recentered, and re-energized. From the moment we arrived, every person we encountered was wonderful—warm, friendly, caring, and genuinely hospitable. The service is intuitive and flexible, and that, to us, is what true luxury means. We were fortunate to be upgraded to an incredible pool villa, and honestly, we barely wanted to leave. The suite was so comfortable that we spent most of our trip there simply relaxing and enjoying the peace. The architecture is beautiful, authentic, rustic, and completely in harmony with the environment but with all the modern amenities one could want. Lush greenery everywhere, the sounds of birds and insects, the rushing river and rapids below… it all creates an incredibly immersive connection to nature. We would definitely be back.

Beyond five stars! This is without a doubt the most luxurious and wonderful hotel experience my family and I have ever had. We stayed in the 3 bedroom villa and had a completely private and pampered experience, with our own pool, dining room (the food was excellent!!), butlers, there was nothing that wasn’t absolutely perfect with our stay. Our rooms were spotless and beautiful, the grounds of the hotel are so well kept. The staff were wonderful. The hotel manager came and introduced himself on the first day and was also there to say goodbye when we left. This hotel has set the highest bar for service and quality and I can’t imagine staying anywhere else as wonderful. We would love to come again soon and I cannot recommend it highly enough! We miss Adi, the sweetest most excellent ‘butler’ anyone could wish for. Aman excellence!