Amanzoe vs Amandari

Amanzoe is the rare Aman where guests who've done four, five, even eleven of these properties still call it their favorite. The pavilions and villas run enormous, most well over 2,000 square feet, with private plunge pools, his-and-hers bathrooms, and terraces that look straight down the Argolic Gulf. The architecture holds up against any Aman on any continent, according to people who'd know: hilltop, white-washed, built around light and stone in a way that keeps drawing the comparison. One guest checked out mid-trip, moved on to the next stop on their Greek itinerary, then rehired a helicopter within 36 hours to come back and finish the nights they'd walked away from.

The catch is the food, and it shows up too often to wave off. The Japanese restaurant in particular gets called mediocre or repetitive by guests staying more than three or four nights, and the breakfast is the one meal almost everyone still praises. The beach club is also a real commitment, not a stroll down to the water: 10 to 15 minutes by buggy or boat, worth it once you're there but something you have to plan your day around, not something you wander into. Service is excellent almost everywhere, but not flawless everywhere: one spa visit turned unhelpful over a switched treatment and an unexplained coffee charge, and one guest's villa flooded through the windows on opening night of the season and got towels instead of a room change.

Three or four nights is the sweet spot several guests land on; eight is what people warn against unless you're happy doing near-nothing but the resort itself. Families with young kids should know this isn't built like a beach resort — you're on a hill, and reaching sand takes real effort. Book it for the villas, the staff, and the view, and eat your best meals at the beach club.

Amandari opened in 1989 as the second Aman ever built, and it still runs on that idea: a cluster of thatched-roof villas built to look like a Balinese village, stacked into a ravine above the Ayung River outside Ubud. What you're paying for isn't the newest pool or the biggest spa menu. It's a staff who learn your breakfast order by day one and then just handle things: one guest said Whatsapping the front desk for a barber or a TV fix got an instant reply, no waiting on hold, no repeating yourself. Housekeeping resets your villa while you're at the pool for an hour, down to a fresh towel and a bookmark on whatever you left open.

The building is honest about its age, and that cuts both ways. Several recent guests loved the traditional bones and called it timeless rather than dated. One 2024 review reported a dead cockroach and a toilet that splashes back on flush, alongside praise for the food and the infinity pool view: both things can be true in a 36-year-old property. The single restaurant covers breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a few longer-stay guests got tired of one menu, though the kitchen's Sop Buntut and wagyu get called out by name. Villa plunge pools aren't heated either, so they're a warm-day dip, not a night swim. The service is the reason to book, and it's specific: a five-year-old got a complimentary tennis partner and an afternoon dance class she refused to miss, and a private rice-field guide built the walk around her nap schedule.

This suits people who want an intimate, walkable property where you can reach breakfast or the spa in two minutes, not a resort you need a buggy to cross. If you want a bigger room, a river view, and more on-site variety, Mandapa next door gets recommended for exactly that, though its service consistently rates behind Amandari's. Book Amandari for the staff who anticipate what you need before you ask, and the sense that Ubud in 1989 is still standing.