Review: Amankila Bali

seems pretty awesome! how much did this one cost you?

@ Lantean -- It was part of the same package:
http://www.amanresorts.com/exclusivesfullview.aspx

89 photos. Wow. How did you ever get this post to upload to Boarding Area with 89 photos?

My posts tend to crash whenever I go above 25 photos.

I am having problems today getting posts with fewer than 5 images to post to Boarding Area.

Amazing review, Ben! $5-8K for the package. Damn that's a lot of money, but I would do the same for my mom if I had money to splurge. Your parents are very lucky to have you as a son! 🙂

@ Ric -- Hmmm, are you resizing your pictures? I resize them down to 580 pixels and have never had an issue with uploading as many as I'd like.

Thanks Ben! I've been waiting for this review and it's spectacular. Can't wait for our Bali and beyond trip this February.

Ben - What's the tipping situation like? Did you feel obligated to carry a wad of cash with you at all times?

Wow - That's quite impressive. Definitely have to save up for that one though!

Ben...was the mini fridge or bar drinks expensive. Not that it matters to you of course 🙂

Ben-with your help on flights last year, my wife and I managed to make it to HK and Bali. We stayed for 3 nights at the Amankila, in the room opposite of your (take a right at the top of the stairs). You are spot on with your review. We really enjoyed our stay. We took advantage of some of the packages, the Balinese dinner by the pool, the dinner on the mountain over looking the rice patties, and the snorkling. One of the best trips ever!

Thanks for your help in setting up the flights!

Sam

Nice! The sense of relaxation is palpable.

Does anyone use the infinity pools? They seem so tranquil and too nice to cannonball into!

I looked at the words and last pic too quickly and thought luggage tags were being affixed to Mom. (Sorry Mum--no more first class air travel!) 😉

I somehow doubt Lucky spent 5k on a package.
I am wagering he got that comped somehow

@ Kevin -- Not at all. There's a 10% service charge and we didn't tip beyond that, which seems to be the norm.

@ ChetTheJet -- Hah, well it DOES matter to me, I splurged on this trip for my mom and couldn't usually afford to stay at places like this, but I do think peak experiences like this are worth investing in. Alcohol is extremely expensive in Bali, and Amankila was no exception. Aside from that drinks weren't too expensive, though.

@ Sam -- So happy to hear you had a great time as well!

@ Peter -- Funny enough I don't think I actually ever saw anyone use the infinity pool (though I did see people using the lap pool). For that matter I only ever saw one or two other people at the pool, so it's certainly not intended just to be decorative.

@ WorldWingedExplorer -- Respectfully, that would be highly unethical and even illegal. I disclosed very clearly that I paid the full "package" price for this stay, and if you still don't want to believe me feel free to email me and I'll even take a screenshot of my credit card statement for you.

Do they charge for the extra beds?

@ brian -- Nope, they don't.

Ben,

Fresh fruit and a fly!!

Having been to many Aman properties, I can tell you that many "suites" have their own private pools (as ours did at Amankila, Amanusa, And Amanjiwo in Indonesia, and also at Amangiri in Utah). As a result, the main pools often are less busy than you would otherwise expect. For those not needing/wanting a private pool, the main pools are always wonderfully serviced and always spectacularly majestic.

I should also mention that the typical Aman property almost always has a "typical" suite layout, more comparable to a junior suite with a bedroom area including a seating area with table, as well as a daybed in some fashion. The bath is almost always behind this bed area, offering an open, more open layout that will appeal to those who appreciate the Asian open floorplan concept. Bigger "suites" tend to have better views, private pools, or more "suite" pavilions, but the layout of each "suite" tends to be the same.

Thanks Lucky for the superlative review.

@WorldWingedExplorer "I somehow doubt Lucky spent 5k on a package. I am wagering he got that comped somehow"

This is a superlative stupid comment, saying more about this person than Lucky. And what is being wagered?

Lucky, you're killing me! I miss the Amankila so much - we ended up doing an add-on for an extra night here (also bought the same package as you) because we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave. We were upgraded to the private pool villa and traveling as a group of 3, so we had our own private 'compound' with the pool and fully gated in. The private birthday dinner they threw for my partner out on our pool deck is a memory we will never forget.

Also curious what activity did you choose for Amankila? We did the snorkeling trip and loved it!

Thanks again for helping us get there Lucky!

How are the services and amenities compare with the US aman properties?

@ John K -- Haven't stayed at the US Aman properties, though have a hard time imagining the service is nearly as good, simply from a cultural perspective.

So glad you finally made it here! The real Bali still exists but not in Ubud or around Denpasar almost a third of tourists to Bali stay away from these areas and tend to be ones who have been coming to Bali for years, the tallest object is now the rubbish tip and the sea is full of sewerage. Who in their right mind would stay anywhere near Denpasar.

lucky - amazing review, of course! Ended up staying at 36, across from yours, I think?

Quick question - did the huge amount of steps bother anyone? We ended up counting nearly 280 steps to the beach and back, and that seemed to be a workout for some.

Also, did you try the brownies from Amandari? We got some for our drive down from them, and they were absolutely divine 🙂

Ben,

Thanks for the great review, my wife and I are headed to Bali next week, splitting The Chedi Club and Amankila. I truly can't wait now after your review...my wife won't know what hit her. Was your room and Ocean View Room? Was the mini bar complimentary? Did you take any pics of the dinner menu?

Kyle, I have some photos of the dinner menus that I just took from over this past weekend, if you are interested.

@ Simon -- Now that you mention it, yes I remember the brownies on the ride to the airport. They were AMAZING.

@ Kyle -- The minibar wasn't complimentary. I believe my room was indeed an ocean view room. I forgot to take pictures of the menu, though it seems like Simon might be able to help with that.

Hope you have an amazing time!

@ lucky - I only got lemon cookies on the ride back to the airport! Those were amazing as well, but apparently Amandari is famous for their brownies, of all things...

@ kyle - I also have photos of the resort layouts - let me know (I don't know how, perhaps lucky can pass them on) if you want the dinner and drinks menus...

a side note....is the menu priced in UR point or MR points?

eggs 80,000 points moroccan doughnuts 150,000 points...

oh wait eggs are actually priced in Skypesos. How could I miss that ! 🙂

Your Mom is a very proud and happy Mom, trust me !

Terrific review as always and the property does look totally amazing.

That said, unless i'm missing something or the picture doesn't come through clearly, there seems to be some pretty blatant child labor going on as regards the young Balinese dancers, which is rather disconcerting and alarming.

@Django - I was wondering about the flower girls as well, but I almost want to say they're actually part of a family there. I'm not sure if lucky saw this in his room, but they actually have a book of the Amankila celebrating its 20th anniversary, with interviews and a full list of the staff. I wish I took photos of the whole thing.

I also didn't know how to delicately bring this up to staff without potentially offending people, and my partner and I had a discussion about this. I now wish I have. Perhaps next time..

It does look like the Balinese dancers are underage. I would be upset if I saw them. I think that such an expensive place would not need to have them. Maybe they should be studying in school instead.

@django @simon @son - I don't think there was any child labor going on there or exploitation of any kind. The girls were there in the afternoons after school got out, and took dance lessons and made little crafts to hand out - same at Amandari - it was girls from the village who came in after school for dance lessons and spend time with the Aman community. Aman Resorts are a big first world operation - they wouldn't engage in child labor even if they wanted to or was acceptable by local standards....

My interpretation is exactly the same as Stacey's. They came after school, hung out, and it seemed to be an honor for them to be there. They weren't being put to work by any means, but rather just making arts and crafts, and in the case of Amandari they were dancing. At Amankila the two girls are apparently best friends and love hanging out together.

There was something written about them in the book that was in the room, though I forgot the exact details.

I do believe that I only saw them in the afternoon, around teatime and so on. I only arrived at nearly 4pm...

I do believe that Aman works closely with the local community and villages, and they seem to be pretty conscious about their decisions as well.

Could you tell us which type of suite you had at each property-I see on the package page that there are three categories. Thank you.

@Simon
@Lucky

No worries for any extra work in regards to the dinner menus. Very excited for our trip. Going in CX F and coming back in SQ R! MIght be time for my first TR on FT.