Amanwana

“Still TRUE Aman”

To be honest, I was quite disappointed upon arrival, but Amanwana quickly grew on me; hence, I’d say the new camp GM is doing a terrific job. This property is one of the last few “true” Amans. We came with my 3 year old and no toddler amenities. Even the library didn’t have any children’s book... more

To be honest, I was quite disappointed upon arrival, but Amanwana quickly grew on me; hence, I’d say the new camp GM is doing a terrific job. This property is one of the last few “true” Amans. We came with my 3 year old and no toddler amenities. Even the library didn’t have any children’s books, but you know you’re in an Aman as there was absolutely no need for any of these things as there’s a sense of peace and the staff really go above and beyond to cater to your every need and make up for what they lack. Food was very good. It’s a 30-year old resort, yet the hardworking and thoughtful staff still manages to make the place magical. The rare magical, proactive service, in that special Aman way that I’ve been searching for, still exists in this resort. At the end of the day, it is the staff that make a difference and I did feel very sad to leave because of the staff and service. Thank you to Susan and GM for giving us an enjoyable holiday. Also special shoutout to Gideon for a laughter filled snorkeling experience. Thank you to nurse and Lily also for making my daughter the happiest she’s ever been in all 25 or so trips we’ve taken. I definitely find myself wanting to come back and I hope they never change.

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“The great escape, a real paradise”

You know you've found somewhere special when you really don't want to leave. Especially when it comes to saying goodbye to the people who had taken such good care of you. On departure day, the staff of Amanwana stood on the jetty waving goodbye to us as we caught the resort's boat to the cit... more

You know you've found somewhere special when you really don't want to leave. Especially when it comes to saying goodbye to the people who had taken such good care of you. On departure day, the staff of Amanwana stood on the jetty waving goodbye to us as we caught the resort's boat to the city of Sumbawa Besar, about 45 minutes away on Sumbawa island in eastern Indonesia. The staff at the resort, like the staff at every other Aman resort we've stayed, really do their best to look after you and anticipate your needs while not being intrusive. It's a delicate balance but one that Aman does well and it's much appreciated when you arrived stressed from work and in dire need of unwinding to renew yourself. Amanwana is special for other reasons. In particular because it is the only resort on remote Moyo island. There's no Bali-style tourism development here, just local villages and large areas of forest -- and a remote and beautiful waterfall named after Princess Diana, who visited in the early 1990s and stayed at the then newly opened resort. Amanwana is designed for people who just want to get away from busy lives and relax. Accommodation is large tented rooms with all the usual amenities. All are close to the beach and crystal clear calm water and a large coral reef right out in front to explore. There is an abundance of fish, as well as turtles and black-tipped reef sharks. However, while the resort's beach is kept clean, plastic pollution is an issue in the area, as it is in most parts of Indonesia. We stayed 4 nights after flying from Singapore to Bali, staying overnight there and then on to Sumbawa Besar via Lombok the next morning to catch the boat across to the resort. It takes a bit of effort to get to Amanwana but it's worth it. We did trekking, a sunset cruise to see the sun setting behind Mount Rinjani on Lombok (an incredible sight), a safari trip to the waterfall and visited a remote bat cave. At every step, hotel manager Faisal Lubis looked after us. He loves his job and clearly enjoys looking after his guests. He was our snorkelling guide and he escorted us on the sunset cruise. And he helped organise fabulous meals. This is one of the biggest highlights of Amanwana. Head Chef Pak Ikrom and his team created heavenly food, from local dishes to western staples, such as tuna pizza. Pak Ikrom's team try to cater to everyone's requests and the menu changes daily. And he always comes out to greet guests to make sure everything is in order. We got to know many of the staff who are always happy to chat and to share stories of their culture -- many are from Bima in eastern Sumbawa. We'd like to also thank Ibu Fiah, Pak Eka, Pak Robert, Pak Sidik as well as Oby, Heru, Haer, Busran, Susan and Aril. We are very much looking forward to returning and visiting the wonderful Amanwana family again.

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“Our favourite place to stay...”

A truly exceptional experience from the moment we walked through the door at Sumbawa airport. Having wanted to bring our children here having last visited Amanwana in 2006 we were a little nervous that it would not be as amazing as we recalled but the resort exceeded all of our expectations. ... more

A truly exceptional experience from the moment we walked through the door at Sumbawa airport. Having wanted to bring our children here having last visited Amanwana in 2006 we were a little nervous that it would not be as amazing as we recalled but the resort exceeded all of our expectations. The transfer from Sumbawa was seamless with all the hospitality that makes Aman the #1 hotel brand. Probably our favourite part of Amanwana is that nothing has changed since 2006 (except the wifi is better). The snorkeling, scuba diving, sunset cruise, stargazing and waterfall trip were all incredible and being at Amanwana achieved the highest praise from my children of being "better than having their Ipad !!" It is really the incredible staff that make Amanwana truly special, they are constantly going the extra mile to make everything perfect for the guests. Special shout out from my children for Gideon who they both loved during the cruises and fishing trips !! Having just left we are already trying to work out how to return....

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