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.
Each out of 20. The tick on every bar is where the collection starts.
Service 18.5/20
Guests describe housekeeping that resets a room while you’re at the pool for an hour, and a Whatsapp line that answers instantly for a barber or a TV fix.
Rooms & Design 16.5/20
Thatched-roof villas from the 1989 build read as authentic Balinese village rather than showroom, though several travelers flag worn bathroom corners and an outdated toilet needing a refurb.
Location 17/20
Fifteen minutes above central Ubud in Kedewatan, on the Ayung River gorge, with free shuttles into town and to nearby rice-field walks and restaurants.
Dining 15.5/20
One restaurant covers every meal, which some found repetitive on longer stays, though the Sop Buntut, wagyu, and Balinese tasting dinners get specific praise.
Wellness 16/20
The spa is small but the staff are singled out for skill, and villa plunge pools run unheated so they suit sun-soaked afternoons more than an evening dip.
Strong endorsement
We checked out of Mandapa after one night and moved to Amandari instead, and it was the better call.
Jul 2026
Amandari felt chic and timeless with terrific service and food, a completely different experience from Mandapa, which felt like a glorified chain hotel serving cheeseburger sliders and Heineken at their Japanese bar.
Mixed read
I went in worried the villa pools would be too cold, but they turned out fine once the sun was out.
Jul 2026
The pools aren’t heated, so lower category rooms especially can feel chilly without direct sun. I found the Villa pool dip refreshing once I adjusted, but you really need a full day of sun to warm the water given Ubud’s higher elevation and dense forest cover.
Mixed read
There were small lizards in my villa, but they were harmless and honestly kind of cute.
Nov 2025
Given the tropical garden setting and rice-field location, geckos coming through weren’t a surprise to me. They stayed on the walls and ceiling and never bothered us during the stay.
Drags the score
Mandapa’s pool won me over more than anything I saw at Amandari.
Jun 2025
I stayed at both and preferred Mandapa overall, particularly the pool in the regular suite category. I wouldn’t book a villa there again, but the suite category was where the value was for me.
Drags the score
Four nights in and I came away pretty underwhelmed, mostly because of the food.
Jun 2025
The food during my stay was pretty poor, which surprised me given the reputation. The common spaces also felt cramped, so there was nowhere to relax without other guests being right on top of you.
Strong endorsement
We were upgraded to a pool villa and barely wanted to leave it for the rest of the trip.
CLGT Apr 2026
Every person we encountered was warm, friendly and genuinely hospitable from the moment we arrived. The service felt intuitive and flexible rather than scripted, which to us is what real luxury means. The architecture is rustic and authentic, in harmony with the jungle sounds and river below, but still has every modern comfort.
Strong endorsement
Amandari’s service was leagues ahead of what we got at Mandapa, where things ran 20 minutes late or got forgotten entirely.
Jun 2025
We stayed at both back to back and much preferred Amandari overall. Mandapa felt huge and less intimate for a couple, more suited to families with teens, while Amandari’s cultural excursions, spa and pool were more than enough for us. Coming back to our suite each evening to the incense burning is a memory I still think about.
Strong endorsement
Seven nights in and I can say this is the best luxury resort experience I’ve had anywhere.
David Daaka Jul 2026
Whenever I messaged the staff on Whatsapp for anything, a barber, transport, a TV setup, they responded almost instantly. By day one they’d memorized my breakfast order down to the specifics. The gym had a proper Olympic barbell and bumper plates, the pool was quiet, and the spa and sauna felt private and clean.
“the massage bed is really comfortable and adjusts to zero-gravity when they flip you over” in their words
Strong endorsement
Nearly 37 years since it opened, this place has carried its spirit into today better than I expected.
Zeki Erdogan Apr 2026
The villas felt private, serene, and understated, and each moment from sunrise to sunset felt carefully composed against the surrounding nature. What elevated it most was the team: warm, attentive, and professional in a way that felt both refined and personal. The food matched local character with real sophistication.
Strong endorsement
Our villa was cleaned so thoroughly each day that even our clothes were refolded, right through checkout day.
Air-Miles-Global Apr 2026
We stayed three nights in a two-level Ayung pool suite overlooking the forest and river gorge, and the room itself was huge, clean and well maintained. Transportation into Ubud or nearby was available with just 10-15 minutes notice. Highlights included sundown drinks over the valley, a river trek with useful trekking sticks provided in our room, and a traditional Ngejot dinner with local dance performances.
Strong endorsement
We booked the 3-bedroom villa and it was, without question, one of the best hotel experiences of our lives.
NYC-TRAV-FAM Mar 2026
We had our own pool, dining room and butlers, and the food was excellent. The hotel manager personally welcomed us on day one and came back to say goodbye when we left. We still miss our butler Adi, who was the sweetest, most attentive person we could have asked for.
Strong endorsement
This place feels like it operates on a different level of hospitality entirely.
Nguyen Quoc Gia Huy Feb 2026
From arrival, every detail felt thoughtfully arranged, letting us settle into relaxation right away. The setting amid rice terraces and jungle felt genuinely breathtaking. Evening turndowns and perfectly timed refreshments made every day feel considered rather than routine, and the dining leaned into fresh, local ingredients prepared with real skill.
Lifts the score
The spa is small but genuinely excellent, if pricier than the spots nearby.
Bryan D Jan 2026
Service throughout our stay was exceptional, and everyone on property clearly cared about the details, down to how the grounds were kept. Food came in generous portions across an extensive menu, even with just one restaurant covering every meal. We stayed four days in a valley view room, which gave us privacy for tea and quiet conversation overlooking the tropical valley.
Strong endorsement
There are very few places we return to every year no matter how packed our schedule gets, and this is one of them.
leowibisonoa Dec 2025
The land itself feels spiritually grounding, and the standalone villas pay real homage to Balinese culture. What keeps drawing us back is the people: this is a rare place where you arrive as a guest and leave feeling like family. The food has genuinely improved with each visit, and the boutique carries a thoughtful selection of local artisan work.
Strong endorsement
Dinner felt more like being welcomed into a friend’s home than eating at a hotel restaurant.
Michael Nov 2025
Sundowners at the bar led into a semi-open-air dinner as the valley went dark. The Sop Buntut was the best I’ve ever had, deeply comforting and worth ordering on its own. The resort still follows its original 1989 design closely, and it shows in the old-world charm rather than feeling neglected. Talking with the food and beverage manager Pak Erik added great local color to the evening.
Strong endorsement
My five-year-old had her own complimentary tennis partner all week and adored every session.
Andrew Ortiz Nov 2025
Turn-down came with warm towels and thoughtful touches added just for my daughter each evening, and in-room dining included small gestures like pulled-out chairs and napkins placed on our laps. Our guide Wisnawa took us on a rice-field trek planned entirely around the weather and my daughter’s comfort, bringing us to quiet fields away from tourist crowds. My daughter also danced daily with local girls at 3pm and never wanted to miss it.
Lifts the score
Even fully booked, the resort still felt like I had the whole place to myself.
Flying_diplo Jul 2025
The location felt perfect, close enough to Ubud but tucked away and quiet, right next to the Ritz Carlton Reserve. My room was spacious and spotless with natural materials and high ceilings. The one downside was patchy WiFi and a brief power outage one night, though neither bothered me much given everything else.
Drags the score
Our expectations were high going in, and unfortunately the villa’s condition let us down.
Anonymous Oct 2024
The bathroom had visible signs of wear, and we found ants and even a dead cockroach on our first night, with no pest control done before the next morning. The toilet also splashed back uncomfortably on every flush. That said, the food was outstanding and varied, and the main infinity pool view was genuinely breathtaking, so the disappointment was specific to the room’s upkeep, not the whole stay.
Strong endorsement
We got engaged here, and it’s now officially the best Aman we’ve been to.
Mercury FZ LLE Oct 2024
Every time we left our villa it was cleaned before we returned, though we never once saw a staff member doing it. Laundry came back within hours, and a car was ready whenever we wanted to explore Ubud. The tennis court staff were great teachers, and tea and watermelon served courtside was a lovely small touch. Breakfast quality was outstanding, and there were no wild monkeys on property, unlike other spots we’d heard about in Ubud.
Amandari is an Aman resort in Kedewatan village, north of central Ubud, Bali, set above the Ayung River gorge. Opened in 1989, it was the second Aman property built and the first luxury hotel in the Ubud area. The design draws on traditional Balinese village architecture: thatched-roof villas arranged along stone pathways, with the resort’s scale kept intentionally small and intimate rather than expansive.
On property, Amandari has one restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with an Indonesian-leaning menu alongside international dishes, plus a bar for sundowners overlooking the valley. There is a spa offering traditional Balinese treatments, a tennis court, a yoga pavilion, and an infinity pool positioned over the Ayung Valley. Villas range from single-level rooms to multi-bedroom pool villas, several with private plunge pools and outdoor bathtubs. The location puts guests within a short drive of central Ubud, local rice terraces, temples, and village walking trails, with resort transfers provided to the surrounding area.
Most travelers who stay say yes, largely because of the staff: instant responsiveness, anticipatory housekeeping, and personalized touches come up often. The tradeoff is a property that shows its age in places, so it suits people prioritizing service and atmosphere over polish.
It depends on what you want. Mandapa is newer, larger, and offers bigger villas with river views and more on-site variety, while Amandari is smaller, more intimate, and most guests rate its service and food noticeably higher.
No, the plunge pools are unheated. Guests describe them as a refreshing dip rather than a warm soak, best enjoyed with direct sun rather than at night or in shaded spots.
Dry season (roughly April to October) suits the unheated pools best, since sun exposure is what warms them. Guests visiting during rainier months still found the resort comfortable but used the pools less.
Couples and families wanting an intimate, culturally immersive stay with strong personal service suit Amandari well. Travelers wanting the newest facilities, more dining variety, or a larger resort footprint may prefer a newer property nearby.
Amandari holds One Michelin Key in the Michelin Guide’s 2026 hotel selection, announced in September 2026. One Key is the first of the guide’s three hotel distinctions, given for what it calls a very special stay. It has held One Key in every selection since 2025. The Keys come from the guide’s own anonymous inspections and are separate from the Fat Score: Fat Voyage rates it Fat Favorite, 17 out of 20.
Amandari is rated Fat Favorite at 17/20 on Fat Voyage; Capella Ubud is rated Fat Favorite at 17.5/20. Both are scored across Service, Rooms & Design, Location, Dining and Wellness from community, editorial and verified-guest evidence — the side-by-side comparison shows where each one leads.
Two routes, and both end with the reservation sitting at the hotel in your name. Direct on the hotel’s own site is the fastest — the Reserve button on this page goes straight to it. The other is through a travel advisor with consortia access: you pay the same rate the hotel is charging publicly, the hotel pays the advisor’s commission instead of you, and an amenity package comes attached — breakfast for two daily, even on room-only rates, $100 property credit for food, drink or spa, room upgrade, subject to availability, early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. We handle that side ourselves for readers who ask.
Through a travel advisor with consortia access, for almost everyone. You pay the hotel’s own public rate and an amenity package comes on top that direct booking doesn’t include — typically breakfast for two daily, even on room-only rates, $100 property credit for food, drink or spa, room upgrade, subject to availability, early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. It costs nothing extra, because the hotel pays the commission rather than you. The one real exception is brand loyalty: advisor rates don’t always earn nights toward status, so if you’re chasing a tier or points, book direct. Short of that, there’s no version of booking direct that leaves you better off. We’re advisors ourselves, so you can just ask us.
Never guaranteed — it depends on what’s still unsold the day you arrive, and anyone promising one is guessing. Two things move the odds. The reliable one is booking through a consortia programme, where a room upgrade is written into the amenity package subject to availability; it costs nothing extra and it is the closest thing to a lever that exists. The other is telling the hotel in advance that you’re celebrating something, which works more often than people expect. The first part is already handled if you book it with us.
Fat Favorite, 17.5 out of 20. Ubud, Indonesia · Same city Capella Ubud Compare 
Fat Legend, 18 out of 20. Ubud, Indonesia · Same city Como Shambhala Estate Compare 
Fat Favorite, 17.5 out of 20. Ranthambore, India · Same brand Aman-i-Khas Compare 
Fat Favorite, 16.5 out of 20. Kyoto, Japan · Same brand Aman Kyoto Compare The occasional note
When something worth knowing happens in fat travel — a verdict that shifted, an opening worth waiting for, a hotel that earned its place — we write.
![[PART 1] POV staycation di Amandari ~desa tradisional Bali yang cantik.
#amanda](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fkmhzb5tm%2Fproduction%2Fae335d5a71a6833d015cecdd77416f542d664ee4-1080x1920.jpg%3Frect%3D0%2C240%2C1080%2C1440%26w%3D420%26h%3D560%26fit%3Dcrop&w=3840&q=75)
![[PART 2] POV Staycation di Amandari ~view breathtaking lembah sungai Ayung.
#am](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fkmhzb5tm%2Fproduction%2F516f86d46209eb6b95579952356837c8e596b413-1080x1920.jpg%3Frect%3D0%2C240%2C1080%2C1440%26w%3D420%26h%3D560%26fit%3Dcrop&w=3840&q=75)
