Best Aman Hotel in Indonesia
 

Hello there,
My husband and I (and baby) have decided to splurge on one or two Aman hotels during our April 09 trip to Indonesia. The question is, which one?
At first we thought to go to the one by Borodubur, however if we are out sightseeing all day, do we really use the hotel to its full extent? Should we stay at an Aman in Bali, where the pace is slower, so we can enjoy more that the hotel has to offer?
All Amans look lovely on their website, so I am confused. We plan to visit central Java, Bali, and Lombok. The Oberoi Lombok looks like a winner, as well as both 4Seasons on Bali.
Any advice would be appreciated!

That's easy. Amanjiwo and Amankila. I think most Amanjunkies would agree. In my opinion the 2 best resorts you will find anywhere. You can find several good trip reports both here and on flyertalk. Even if you do a lot of trips, there is more than enough time to enjoy Amanjiwo, you will probably head to Borobudur for sunrise and be back by 8am. Lots of other things to do but it won't take all day.

Cookie, I've stayed at the Amanjiwo, Amankila and Oberoi Lombok several times. I've never stayed at the others but I've visited often.

I'd tend to agree with opxzaw that the Amanjiwo and Amankila are the most striking architecturally; however, your choice would also be based on where you want to be.

I'd recommend Amanjiwo both because it is a stunning resort and because the surrounding area, including Borobudur, offers a lot. If you visit the monument at dawn you'll be done by 9 or 10 a.m. which leaves a whole lot of the day to enjoy the resort.

I also really like the Amanjiwo for sheer beauty. East Bali is an interesting area, but maybe not as impressive as the Ubud area. So even though the Amandari isn't as high on the WOW scale as Amanjiwo, you might prefer to be in Ubud.

The Amandari is one of the oldest properties in the Aman chain and in some ways seems a bit dated, though the setting is still profoundly beautiful. I understand that it has recently undergone a renovation.

The Four Seasons is right next door -- same stupendous view. Personally I think the Aman's are a step up from the Four Seasons in service and intimacy, but the Four Seasons Sayan has a lot of fans.

I haven't been to the Oberoi in Lombok for several years, so I don't have a recent experience. I found it to be a lovely place, well designed, nice beach, good food, spectacular sunsets. Nothing much of note in the immediate area.

I like the Four Seasons at Jimbaran a lot, but I'm not a great fan of the beach at Jimbaran. Same comment as above. I think the Aman's have an edge over the Four Seasons.

For the beach, among the Four Seasons, the Amankila and the Oberoi, I'd choose the Amankila. The Amanusa wouldn't even enter the running -- unless you're golfers, in which case it has an edge.

Corrections: Sorry, I'm snoozing today.

I've stayed at the Four Seasons Jimbaran several times as well.

I meant to say: I really like the Amankila for sheer beauty.

Lots more discussion on Aman resorts in the luxury hotels thread in www.flyertalk.com In fact most of them are Aman junkies!

Apologies opxzaw, speed reading as usual and didn't realise that you have already mentioned flyertalk.