Short version: unmatchable location and beach; friendly service; great facilities; attention to detail Pros - responsive service (shout-out to Sade, Yessica, Ervin, and kayak instructor among others), treated our 4-year old daughter like a celebrity, beach, private pavilions, great facilities Cons - few service shortcomings, food was good but not great Pre-arrival: booked online directly through the Amanyara website, but will note that it was hard to get a hold of their reservations team via phone or email. I was given some inaccurate information by the Aman reservations number about the location of the pavilions and when asking for quotes over email, took over 24 hours to hear back from them, which led to some of the pavilion types being booked up. However, once I booked, I was able to communicate my requests to the Amanyara team via email and they were more responsive. Arrival: I had arranged a private transfer with car seat, which was a Mercedes-Benz GLS-450 (they had a whole fleet...no range rovers). Vehicle was ready on arrival. Friendly driver offered us cold towelettes and chilled drinks (water, sparkling water, etc.). I mentioned our daughter gets motion sickness and he drove extremely carefully. The road was windy and unpaved for more than half of the 25-minute drive but not nearly as bad as I expected. Upon arriving at the hotel, were greeted at arrival area by team of smiling staff with welcome drinks. bags were whisked away to our room. Sade from the staff gave us a brief tour of the property and of our room. She immediately hit it off with our four year old, who became her biggest fan. Check-in was done in room. Room: We were upgraded to an alcove pavilion, which was located on a lagoon/pond and has a glassed-in sunroom/alcove, thus more inside space than other pavilions. We had the chance to look at a pool pavilion but unless you're planning on swimming in your room most of the time, did not feel it was necessary given proximity of beach and infinity pool. Pavilion was very private--you walked down a long path and down some stairs to the pavilion. There was an outdoor patio with dining table. Our pavilion was walking distance to the main area and a slightly longer walk to beach but some pavilions were definitely a lot farther. We called for the golf cart, especially during night time. Service: they pampered us. Sade at reception was really a standout--went above and beyond. Daughter would ask if Ms. Sade was around every day and wanted to ride shuttle with ms. Sade. She tried to find a Minnie Mouse for my MM obssessed daughter and upon check-out, came by with TWO surprise gift bags of toys. Whenever we had a request, it was met...for example, asked for microwave in room, got it. Asked for room closer to main facilities, got it. Internet was slow in room--they called IT and fixed it. Mentioned dietary restrictions, they were addressed. Most importantly, they made our daughter feel like royalty. They gave her a gift bag on arrival, they then gave her a really cool silicone beach toy set at the kids club, and at checkout, pampered her with an amazing play teaset, t-shirt and crayons. Did I mention that at dinner, they'd bring by crayons and coloring pages and that Yessica brought for her very own pack of crayons and a few extra coloring pages to take home. But, about 20-30% of the staff were kind of indifferent/apathetic looking. Dining: was solid but could be better not five star quality. Main restaurant was open for breakfast and dinner, and beach club for lunch. Bar open for snacks. Could have better variety...maybe one more restaurant or a rotating menu. Menu was not rotating--was told it rotated seasonally. However, the staff were quite flexible. Hats off to Ervin and Yessica who gave us ideas for what to order, and hats off to Chef Daniele for accommodating our dietary restrictions and providing kosher meat! Overall facilities/location: Impeccable design of the main facilities, restaurant and bar--felt like everything was floating on water. we also checked out the clubhouse with tennis courts, pickleball, table tennis, soccer field, basketball, game room, and boxing room. Amazing. Also great that wifi was accessible everywhere, including on the beach all the way up to the water. Beach: beach was beautiful. clearest and most turquoise water I've seen. Upon arriving at beach, attendant would set up umbrella and towels, bringing bucket of ice cold waters. Also came by with fruit skewers. was a little surprised that other than outside shower, no locker rooms/changing rooms around beach or pool. Activities: was pleasantly surprised at how much was included--from nightly movie screening, to free use of nonmotorized sports equipment, kids center (nature discovery center), to fitness facilities. Also, they had 3-4 daily activities (yoga, meditation, kayak lessons, daily free snorkeling trip out on a boat). Hats off to really friendly kayak instructor (can't remember his name but was Claude or something), who also gave me a Hobie cat lesson. We enjoyed using the wading pool and basketball hoop in kids center, and daughter made a bracelet at kids' center. Overall, a lot to keep you busy. Departure: was offered extended check-out so we could stay in room until transfer to airport. Check out was seamless. Farewell was bittersweet. Drive back to airport and trip back home was the hardest part (not wanting to leave). Overall, we loved this trip and can't stop thinking about it. Was it perfect, no? Was it darn close? Yes! We were hesitant to splurge but it really was worth it.…
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