The 2nd Indonesian Aman resort we visited in August 2019 was Amankila, a fabulous exclusive small resort (just 30 suites) on the less touristy East coast of Bali, with its own 500m private beach.  We arrived by Aman courtesy car, after a 2 hour journey from Amandari in Ubud (Ubud town was traffic gridlocked). The car took us up hill from the coastal road and then down again to the main resort, where two traditionally dressed schoolgirls welcomed us with flowers.  We should have been flying to a different island that day, to go on a private cruise around Komodo National Park, but I had to cancel that because I was feeling very unwell due to a chest infection, and we were very fortunate that Amankila was able to take us 4 days earlier than scheduled, and in the room we were expecting – an upgrade to a Pool Suite, from the Valley Suite booked at US$1230++/night B&B.

The GM (of South African origin, called Ernst) was with another guest when we checked in, but as soon as he was free he came to our villa to welcome us, along with the “family member” who was already showing us around, and Ernst promptly arranged for a local doctor to come to see me in our suite (about 30 minutes later!).

The bulk of Amankila is set on a hillside, so villas are on stilts and there are quite a few raised pathways and steps around to get to the villas, so unfortunately Amankila is not accessible to those in wheelchairs. I walk with the aid of a stick, but the steps didn’t present me with any difficulties, and it was all downhill from reception to our villa, which peeped out from behind its lush hideaway.

Behind the simple doorway we first saw a small decorative pond, and then a huge terrace and a private swimming pool, all surrounded by high yellow stone walls for ultimate privacy.

We had a dining table and chairs under a thatched ‘porch’ and a double day bed in the shade too.

Our terrace faced away from the ocean, which was fine with us, but some villas/suites do have brilliant sea views.  With those views would also come a gentle sea breeze; we are very warm on our enclosed terrace. When we entered our villa our breath was taken away by it’s size and beauty! (204 square metres).

On entering there was a large writing desk and a day bed to the right, and to the left was a superking bed. Beyond was a space with the mini bar, a Japanese toilet and excellent rain shower (in a space of 2.5m x 1.5m with lovely unbranded toiletries), a sunken bathtub looking out to the small ornamental pond, plus another day bed.

Beyond the toilet area was a generous space with 2 washbasins, drawers and a clothes rail and hangers.  I thought it was a lovely touch that sunscreen was provided – both factors 20+ and 30+ – as well as after sun lotion and anti-mosquito cream. And the mentholated shower gel was deliciously invigorating at the end of a day’s sunbathing!

In the late afternoon delicate swiftlets or house martins flew around our terrace, and one even flew into the bedroom (cue a frantic but successful ‘animal rescue’ mission by me and Mr A!) And later on, just before it was dark, we had a bat flying around and taking a drink from our pool, on the wing.   We didn’t see any ‘scary’ wildlife during our stay though – not even a mosquito or an ant!

Our villa was supplied with plenty of mineral water, including an iced jugful twice a day.  We didn’t have a coffee machine, but a phone call promptly brought us our morning coffee fixes.

Breakfast and dinner were served in the open-sided main dining room, and lunch in a second dining area one floor down and overlooking the three tiered infinity edged swimming pools (where special evening banquets are also held, like the amazing “Kedek” dance evening).

Breakfast is a la carte and was very good indeed. My standard comparison dish of eggs Benedict was perfect, with nicely crisped bacon and a good Hollandaise. 10/10

In fact all of the food offering at Amankila was excellent, and overseen by the approachable, jovial and friendly German F&B Manager, Florian.  Menus offered Western and Indonesian choices, plus there were daily specials, like an amazing Michelin-standard duck ravioli with wild mushroom broth.  We were even invited to request items ‘off menu’, but the furthest I went was French fries.

Lunch was taken poolside (above) or at Amankila’s Beach Club.  It’s a rare treat on the east coast for a hotel to have a private beach, and Amakila’s can be reached on foot, or in a hotel car with its doors removed, to make it appear a bit like a beach buggy!  As the hillside is quite steep we took the 2 minute car journey.

This was the first volcanic black sand beach I’d been on and it was a delight to find the sand was soft and light, and although it looked horrible stuck to our feet, it washed off very easily.

The beach is an almost deserted 500m crescent with a gentle gradient into the sea. At low tide it’s very placid, but at higher tides the waves are quite powerful.  Along the beach we found several cabanas, or “bales” (bah-lays) as they’re called locally , where we could rest under shade, and where attendants served us lunch (try the delicious soft shell crab tacos!).

We also just laid out on sunloungers on the sand, enjoying the surroundings and the cocktails brought to us.  If we’d felt more active, the resort provides kayaks for a paddle along the coast.

Between the Beach Club and the beach is a long lap pool, which was surprisingly popular (I’m always surprised when people prefer chemicals rather than salt in their bathing water!).  The Beach Club itself provided clean toilets, showers and changing facilities, and a smart open sided dining space, where we enjoyed delicious light lunches.  All together this was a beautiful and classy place to spend some hours. 10/10

Back up the hill towards the main resort, there’s a spot half way with another Bale, where one is invited to take breakfast. The full breakfast menu is available, but it’s carried to the Bale by a “family member”, which allowed us to lay back and take in the stunning scenery, the fresh morning air and the birdsong.

During our breakfast on the Bale, although the views of the countryside were great, the famed Mount Agung (Bali’s biggest volcano) was obscured by cloud, but often it is visible.

Amankila’s open-sided, thatched roof bar area was our preferred spot for an aperitif each evening. We would sit at a table looking out onto the Lombok Strait and the lights of boats upon it with Negroni in hand and warmed nuts or canapés in mouth. Just lovely.

The resort doesn’t have a spa as such, but it offers a good choice of massages and therapies which can be taken in your own villa, almost anywhere on the property, or in the “Massage Pavilion” which is actually a converted villa, not far from our own. So that’s were we went for treatments (one of which was included as part of our package).  I liked it that I could choose the fragrance of the massage oils used and that I was offered herbal tea before and after my wonderfully relaxing Balinese massage. They even let you choose your background music from a well-stocked library on their iPad.

ACTIVITIES

I recovered well from the bug that had affected my first week on Bali, and was able to take full advantage of the daily ‘activities’ included in my package.  When I first came to Bali 25 years earlier I was struck by how beautiful an island it was. But on the south coast and even in Ubud that beauty was hard for me to rediscover because of the level of commercial expansion on the island. But on the East coast I found that beauty once again! We passed through tiny villages whose entire population had gathered on the streets to support the numerous uniformed groups of marching school kids, as they celebrated Indonesia’s Independence Day.  Everyone was so friendly; kids waved and smiled at me when they saw I was taking their picture.  Everyone and everything appeared happy.

Our first Aman excursion was an ‘East Bali Tour’ where the billed highlight was visiting two water palaces, but for me the first stop at a bee farm was the most exciting and rewarding part of the tour.  As well as making honey from 2 types of bees, they also grow and make different coffees, including the famous Luwak coffee, where the beans are eaten and then excreted by civets.  You can have a free tasting of a wide menu of coffees, but the costly Luwak requires a small payment.  I didn’t actually have any cash on me, but we still came away with 2 bottles of honey and a range of teas and coffees, because they trusted me to return with cash later that evening!   Lovely people!

The visits to the water palaces were pleasant, but with more tourists (we’d been the only visitors at the honey farm).  But for us, the most enjoyable ‘activity’ was a snorkel trip and cruise aboard one of Aman’s private boats, the Aman XII.  We were driven to a small but bustling port a few minutes from the resort and set off with a friendly crew of two.

The traditionally styled outrigger boat was beautiful and sleek, with all the seats on the main deck covered with white cotton, and the upper ‘sun deck’ completely covered with white mattresses for lounging under the sun with drinks and a light brunch at hand!

A short cruise from port was the snorkelling part, over the famous ‘Blue Hole’, where one of the crew guided us along the side of the coral shelf to see myriad fish in superb visibility.  Then, back on the boat, we cruised along the coast for a while and passed Amankila perched regally on the hillside above its deserted beach.

I want to round off by mentioning the excellent customer service from all of the “family members” at Amankila. They are a very friendly yet highly professional bunch of people who always addressed us by name and with a big smile.  And service was always prompt and efficient; there’s no laid back “mañana” culture in this tropical paradise!   But most touching, for me, was the empathy shown to me when I was feeling unwell: I was overwhelmed when they placed a bouquet of flowers in our villa with a “get well soon” message. Priceless.

Amankila is an amazing resort to stay at on the beautiful, less visited, East Coast of Bali. It simply provides the most complete experience of this friendly island, with wonderful villas/suites, its private beach, warm service and truly exceptional food.  My first ever overall score of 10+/10 reflects how magical I think Amankila is!

PS Amankila can be reached from Denpasar international airport on Bali’s only dual carriageway, so speeds are higher. But it still took us 1h 45mins to reach the airport on our day of departure, the Independence Day marchers delaying us a little.