Name: Amanwella
Rating: 4.5

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2022 Holidays

All Inclusive

Near the Beach

Amanwella, Sri Lanka - Main Swimming Pool

Amanwella 

Reception: 
The entry was marked with a ceremonial greeting/local prayer from the staff who were courteous enough to show us through the grounds for amenity placement etc. Check in was seamless along with a tour of the place. Lahiru our butler in charge drove us to our villa along with contact information. 

Stay

The entire time we were there (4 nights), it felt as though we were the only two people on the compound. Moments on the premise there was ever a kind face greeting or passing by. The Beach club area was such a treat with life guards ever keeping a keen eye all across the area to ensure full coverage in the event of a forceful current/wave.  

The Spa also had to get a visit from us as we neared the end of our trip. Both masseuse were on point and had us rejuvenated for the remainder f our stay. 

Meals 
The Meals were, to say the least outstanding at every juncture. The turnaround time is about half an hour which for a place of close to 40 villas - was really fast. The service was impeccable - both the set ups as well as the ambience set up. The server in charge of our villa Kasun was ever attentive and went an extra mile to see to it that my wife and I received top caliber treatment along with bursts of surprises to spruce up the romance. 

Hospitality 
Room service as well as turn down service was impeccable. The team went an extra mile to ensure we had all the amenities we needed - guest appreciation, sorting our laundry half way through our short stay, turn down service (which I felt was too good that they almost force it on you since they want all guests to leave with a touch of it). 

Exit
The checkout process was easy - allowing for an extension into the late afternoon to accommodate our airport trip and flight times. We had the ceremonial Aman au revoir where the General Manager Sonam and his Assistant GM Prem were present.  

Outstanding stay all around. Special thanks to the first and foremost, Kasun for making the impossible happen and above all, the Assistant Manager, Mr Prem Chundawat who was ever so available, went out of his away to ensure we were well catered for as well as taking on some near and far requests last minute. We cannot wait to incorporate the Aman brand and experience to our travels in the near future.

Relaxation is the Motion

Averall a beautiful property where we spent a few relaxing days. There are though two improvement points:

1) breakfast was extremely slow, so long waiting times for the orders are unucceptable, is aman understaffed despite the very high prices (3-4x compared to the anantara nearby).

2) the hotel does not have a gym. What happened to me is that it was not possible to swim in the ocean because of sea condition, I could not swim in the very beautiful and long swimming pool because of unpleasent high water temperature (pool is dark and heats up top 32-34°), you cannot run since the resort is to small, so it is kind of boring. 

Trasform a suite in a gym, as they did for the spa, would be more than enough.

Excellent yoga lessons in the morning.

Very good but...

The moment you step into the hotel, you feel you have been transported to somewhere out of this world. Minimalistic design, never crowded (only 50 villas!), sea breeze and crushing waves 24/7. It is as close to paradise as I can imagine. But what stands Aman apart from the rest is service: always friendly, always efficient, never intrusive, and they remember everything. 

Two things to note about the villas: they are right by the ocean and the waves are strong, so there is a constant sound of crashing waves despite the French doors are firmly shut. It wasn’t a problem for us, as we found the sound of waves in fact very soothing, but if others can’t tolerate any sound during sleep might find this an issue. The same with lighting, as the sliding doors are porous, so at dawn some light will creep in, which wasn’t a problem for us, but again if you require total darkness during sleep it might be a problem.

Wish we could stay and not leave

I recently returned from a six-night stay at Amanwella and it was truly magnificent. It really does tick all the boxes in terms of my expectations regarding an Aman property.

The hotel is picturesque and well maintained in terms of the buildings, pool, and gardens. It consists of a main area consisting of a reception, a library, spa “suites”, a bar, a restaurant, and pool that boasts nearly uninterrupted views of the sea (albeit for an unsightly shack that local villagers erected near the beach – but I understood that there is little the hotel can do about it). Getting from that central area to your suite and the beach involves a bit of up- and downhill trekking (but nothing nearly as taxing as the Everest-like expedition of descending to the beach club at Amankila). Fortunately, the hotel always has a tuktuk on hand to transport guests around the resort. However, we actually always opted to walk and quite enjoyed doing so.

The suites are comfortable, kept impeccably clean, and beautifully appointed with lovely nods to local materials and craftsmanship as would be expected by an Aman hotel. From what I gather, the only difference between suite categories is their view and I really think it’s worth splurging for a sea view as there is something quite magical about opening your shutters to the beautiful palm tree adorned sea vistas. Each suite has a private plunge pool which, oddly enough, is at the back of the suite enclosed by a wall, thus not allowing for any view. I assume that they were designed this way to guarantee total privacy. While the many lovely trees around the property contribute to its overall beauty, so to do they unfortunately contribute to leaves, insects, and the like falling into your pool, which becomes less and less inviting as the day progresses. I used the pool once during my entire stay.

Moving on to the common areas next. The hotel has two restaurants: the aforementioned main one above the pool where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served as well as a beach club where only lunch and dinner are served. I only dined at the main restaurant as I was determined to eat mainly Sri Lankan food throughout my stay which was not served at the beach club. The food was excellent and the breakfast was a delight to wake up to every morning. The menu consists of both Western and Sri Lankan/Asian fare with plenty of options, so you will not bore easily. The only thing I missed was, while they had Sri Lankan rice and curry dishes consisting of multiple components, I would have liked them to also have offered a more celebratory multi-course Sri Lankan menu consisting of lots of dishes in little bowls so you can taste how diverse the cuisine is (similar to the Rijsttafel experience at Amankila or the Sri Lankan rice and curry menu at Amangalla). I think a lot of guests would be willing to even reserve in advance for such an experience as it would be quite special! 

We enjoyed having the complimentary afternoon tea at the bar each day though I wouldn’t have minded it having a bit more of a Sri Lankan touch. Somehow eating scones both here and at Amangalla felt a bit out of place, but perhaps that’s just me! Hats off to the gentleman behind the bar (I believe his name was Viraj?) for taking such good care of us every evening.

While on the topic of service, the hospitality I experienced at the hotel was second to none. Firstly, let me thank the manager, Mr. Sonam Wanagchuk for being such a gracious host. He took the time each day to check in on us and provided excellent recommendations based on his experiences and expertise both with regard to Sri Lanka, as well as Aman in general (and in particular Amankora in his native Bhutan).

We also received wonderful service by the gentlemen by the pool (I’m sorry- I forgot their names)! They anticipated our needs, were efficient, and so friendly. I also would like to thank Piyumi, who worked at the restaurant. During a casual conversation at breakfast, I happened to mention loving the fruit ‘mangosteen’ which we do not get back where I live. She took it upon herself to ensure that every day I was served fresh mangosteen at breakfast (which they normally did not include). On days she was not working, she phoned her colleague to ask them to execute this on her behalf – such a thoughtful gesture! I would also like to thank Mahesh who worked at the coconut grove for taking the time to get to know us and for being so friendly. Lastly, I wish to thank Jeewan who, when I injured my back, went out of his way to arrange the medicine I needed even though it was getting late. He also did such a great job ensuring that the experiences we booked (see below) were truly world class.

We booked two experiences during our stay: the elephant safari at Udawalawe national park and the lagoon floating one, and I highly recommend both. I was a bit apprehensive about the elephant safari as it was quite expensive, however, in hindsight, I would book it again without hesitation. The hotel arranges for an entirely private safari experience with transfers, a guide, and a secluded private picnic breakfast in a truly beautiful location. We saw plenty of elephants, so that was great. The floating lagoon experience is nearby and simply MAGICAL. Imagine gently floating on a private catamaran in a massive lagoon filled with waterlilies, with a wide array of wildlife in the trees and water around you, while sipping wine and nibbling on canapés. You CANNOT MISS this experience– it’s well worth it. Also, I loved doing morning yoga on the beach – the views are stunning and the yoga instructor was lovely.

Was there anything at all that I liked less about my stay? One thing which has less to do with the hotel itself, but something for other travellers to consider is the beach area. It is not truly private, which is fine – the hotel has a large number of sun beds spread over a vast area that are reserved strictly for guests but you sometimes have non-guests encroaching on the area, trying to snatch up some of the shade of the palms and sometimes getting a bit too close, obstructing the view. While I understand that the beach is not private, I think greater initiative can be taken to dissuade these people from setting up camp right in front of the sun beds and perhaps moving along a bit further instead. Regarding the sea- I think it’s important to highlight that the tide is more powerful than you may initially think and especially getting in and out of the sea involves a lot of being chucked about by waves which can even at times be daunting even for an experienced swimmer. I injured my back when a particularly large wave engulfed me, crashing me into the sand – this was of course at my own risk, but I do think that a more proactive stance with clear communication from the lifeguards would be helpful. On the day the accident occurred, I recall only being told that “the waves are big today”. Adding the crucial sentence of “We therefore strongly advise against you entering the water” would have been appreciated. Lastly, the only other thing that I found a bit annoying were the exorbitant prices Aman charges for car transfers (we travelled to this hotel from Amangalla and considered also using their car transfer back to Colombo but ultimately booked a more reasonably priced option instead). I get that these resorts will add a markup to everything they do, it is to be expected. However, when I am proposed prices nearly triple what I pay in Dubai and Amsterdam (for the type of run of the mill, not particularly spacious car that shuttled us between Amangalla and Amanwella), I find it rather hard to justify.

Overall, would I recommend Amanwella? Absolutely, without a doubt. In fact, I very much plan on returning. I cannot commend the team enough on what is truly an untouched paradise and gem of a hotel.

Amanwella

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