Amansara

good luck in your Am

Good view and people and stuff

We just completed a 4 night stay at Amansara, our sixth Aman and had a terrific stay. Obviously a big plus for this property is the location of this hotel next to multiple historic temples dating as far back as the 9th century. They are truly wonders of the world and a must see for any avid traveler. Our tour guide for our entire trip was fantastic and we would highly recommend him. He was part of our package booked via the hotel. It truly is worth spending 3 to 4 full days as there is so much to see. I do recommend coupling with a couple of days in Phnom Penh to see the temples and learn more about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia’s tragic genocide. The staff at the hotel are great - probably the most attentive of any Aman we have stayed at. They are led by a strong GM called MJ who was present, kind and responsive to any expressed concerns. The head chef Sattar was great. Multiple times we ordered off menu and he always accommodated us. I had cravings forIndian food several times which he prepared. All our servers were great but Ramorn and Phanet stood out. We booked a package to stay at the Ampanpuri in Phuket as well as Amansara and it came with a lot of great perks including transfers, a massage, includes tours, a breakfast at Khmer House, a small property by the reservoir owned by the Aman, a Jasmine blessing with a priest and laundry service. The laundry service was fantastic. It is great to be returning home with laundered and pressed clothes. We used the spa several times for massages, wraps, facials, pedicures, manicures and also my wife had a soul healing with a visiting specialist called Coco who is originally from France. All the treatments were great. The property itself is beautiful and architecturally interesting. It was a guest property for the King and celebrities like Jackie O stayed there before it became a hotel. It is modern, French, Cambodian in style. We had a pool suite which we enjoyed. While the main pool was barely occupied it was nice to have the privacy of our own pool. My only critique was dealing with central reservations. They failed to conneft us to the htoel so we could plan our itinerary in advance

Despite not being the most luxurious nor the grandest Aman, this one has a special place in our heart. Previously a guesthouse for the king, Aman has kept the original infrastructure of the place and transformed it into a tranquil heaven in the midst on Siem Reap. Service 5/5 The excellent GM MJ Birch and his team has done very well here, everyone was attentive and made us feel completely at home. Given the structure of the place, it felt more like a private home rather than a hotel to us. The GM is ever present and would check in with guests multiple times a day to make sure everything is taken care of. The usual Aman room ninjas were on point, they did a great job refreshing our room every time we were out. Massages were great as well. We also did the xmas eve dinner and the food with music and dance performance was memorable. Experiences 5/5 If you do stay here, the private sunset cruise at Tonle Sap lake is a must. Amansara has a beautiful boat with a bar that serves good canapes and drinks. Cruising through the village to the lake and to watch the gorgeous sunset was an unforgettable experience. The 1962 vintage Mercedes was well worth the reasonable price as it takes you right back in time. Khmer village dinner was great as well, it was more "authentic" than we thought as it was in an actual village and the house resembles a typical traditional khmer house. The guides provided to us were excellent, with great knowledge of the temples and colourful careers, one as the Deputy City Chief of Siem Reap, and the other having worked for the UN and various NGOs. One of the guide, Yoko, even showed us to his khmer village house and introduced his family to us! There is no better way to tour Angkor Wat than the Aman appointed local guides. F&B - 4/5 Normally I'd say this is an area which I do not find Aman is good at, but food at Amansara was pretty good - everything was delicious and healthy. The drinks however were very pricey - I think a bottle of Moet was around US350-400! They do have more reasonably priced ones but wines are nothing to write home about. Overall a great stay and would most definitely return at some point in the future to tour some of the temples we missed out on this time. This is one of the top Amans thanks to the hardwork of MJ Birch and his team.