The honest review of Amanfayun

We did this back in 2019 and loved it enough that I've been considering bringing my dad here.

The restaurant was amazing and the spa was very nice. We also did the walkable tea fields and a tour of an old Chinese medicine pharmacy in town. Honestly, the rooms made me want to put heated floors throughout my own home someday.

This place is really for people who want the cultural and historical weight of the Buddhist temples and forest, not lakeside convenience.

The rooms are converted village homes, and from what I've seen China Amans generally stay close to the brand's original ethos rather than diluting it for the market. If you want to be near West Lake itself, a Four Seasons nearby is the better call, but if temple proximity and forest immersion matter more, this is the one.

Traveling with our elderly grandparents, I was genuinely touched by how much extra care the staff took to make them comfortable.

We stayed in a duplex villa with two separate rooms and a shared courtyard, which gave everyone privacy while keeping us close together as a family. Service was excellent with real attention to detail throughout, but what stood out most was how the staff went out of their way to help our older relatives navigate the property and facilities with ease.

For 7,000 RMB a night I expected far more, and instead found urine in the lobby and staff glued to their phones.

The hotel felt genuinely old and neglected during our stay, and the staff were consistently impolite. Basic service failures were everywhere, down to waiters bringing the wrong dishes repeatedly. The only staff member who impressed us was someone named Alex from Hong Kong — everyone else made the stay feel not worth the price at all.

“there was urine everywhere in the lobby, staff were constantly on their phones and impolite”in their words

It's rare that a hotel restaurant feels like a retreat, but sitting by their pool with a gate straight into the temple grounds did exactly that.

Being able to walk through a private gate to the temple before the tourist crowds arrived was worth the price alone. Service throughout was exceptional, and the staff were even looking after little kittens on the property during our stay. Genuinely one of the most beautiful hotel experiences I've had.

Our stay here felt spiritual in a way I didn't expect from a hotel — the forests, streams, and koi ponds made it impossible not to slow down.

The vegetarian restaurant might have been the most memorable part of the whole trip, with stone pathways and flowing water around every corner. A staff member named Gai Gao Ye showed us a monk sculpture carved from lychee wood that had such presence we still think about it. Vesper Li at reception was exceptional too, and honestly the whole team was warm and gracious throughout. My only real complaint is that our room was much darker than I expected, to the point of being uncomfortable at times.

This is a place to go for calm and serenity, not conventional five-star polish — the old houses among bamboo and tea plantations do something most hotels can't.

Rooms are simple but genuinely beautiful, and service was amazing with very good English across the board. We ate at Hangzhou House, the one-Michelin-star restaurant on property that isn't actually run by Aman, and it was excellent — the Aman's own Western restaurant was just as good. The general manager was extremely friendly and flexible, and I'd recommend requesting Tony as a guide for excursions even though he's a bit talkative. What stands out most here is the quality and pride of the people running the place.

This wasn't a hotel stay, it was an experience — 'Welcome Home' is genuinely their culture, not just a slogan.

We stayed with our toddler and every single staff member was patient and friendly with him, which made the whole trip. The woods here are full of friendly cats, which sounds silly but adds to how magical the place feels. Breakfast and the Steam restaurant were excellent, though I'd steer clear of the outsourced restaurant near the tourist area. Getting in and out is a hassle since it's in a traffic-controlled zone of West Lake, but I'd absolutely come back.

““Welcome Home” is not just their slogan, but it’s their culture”in their words

This was one of the most spiritually memorable trips I've taken in China — the energy here feels unlike anywhere else we've stayed.

There's a genuine sense of connection to the land and to the people who came before, woven through every part of the property. The Steamhouse and Western restaurants were must-try experiences, with organic, authentic-tasting food throughout. The team — Kris, Luna, Nina, Sara, Uncle Jin, and Chef Chen — set an incredibly high bar for hospitality and made this stay truly impeccable.

This place has real flaws, but the serenity and forest sounds alone earn five stars from me.

The government reconstructed this old village beautifully before leasing it to Aman, tearing down the modern buildings and rebuilding the traditional houses — genuinely impressive. Our room handled a 40-degree heatwave well thanks to dual AC units, and the free singing bowl performance was a lovely touch. But Hangzhou House was a real letdown: bland mushroom dish, basic braised beef, lackluster service, and at SGD 350 for two, the Michelin star feels unearned. WeChat service in English was almost instant though, which I appreciated.

“The Michelin star feels unwarranted”in their words

The pool here made me forget Hangzhou existed just beyond the trees — genuinely one of the most sacred-feeling spaces I've encountered at a hotel.

Tucked beside the ancient Lingyin Temple, this place has a stillness that gets into your bones. Sitting by the pool, framed by centuries-old stone walls and bamboo, with only leaves and distant temple bells as the soundtrack, felt like stepping out of time completely. There's an old proverb about heaven and Hangzhou, and this property genuinely embodies it.

“the only soundtrack is the rustle of leaves and distant temple bells”in their words

The hotel made trip planning effortless with private guides and transport, though I didn't love that random visitors could wander the grounds.

I stayed in the Deluxe Village Suite, which felt spacious and had a genuine antique charm, though the dim lighting wasn't ideal. Being next to Lingyin Temple was a huge plus, even though it gets packed on weekdays. Since the hotel allows non-staying guests into its restaurants, the grounds felt less exclusive than I expected at this price point. Food at Tea House and Hangzhou House, though, was fabulous — abundant and simply prepared.

Rooms here are enormous, high-ceilinged cottages that feel like ancient courtyards — the only real downside is how dark they are.

The whole property is spread over a kilometer along a footpath connecting restored historic courtyard buildings, and even though the path is technically open to the public, it never felt crowded. Meals in the Tea Room and lunch at the Steam House were excellent, and breakfast — served à la carte rather than buffet — was surprisingly high quality. The hotel arranged a guide for the nearby temples that made a huge difference in what we understood and saw. It's about a 50-minute walk to West Lake, and staff were thoughtful and helpful throughout with no language barrier for us.