In summer 2020, after the UK government allowed its citizens to travel to certain destinations without quarantine upon return, I booked 4 nights at Amanzoe on Greece’s Peloponese peninsula, just under 3 hours drive from Athens airport.  I normally prefer to holiday in the tropical lushness of Asia, and I’ve never been particularly drawn to Greece as a destination (too arid and I’m not a fan of their food), but it was solely to try out another Aman hotel, and one with a great reputation, that made me go for it. The very short duration for this holiday was because I had to wait for hospital test results before committing, and because we needed to get back to the UK with enough time to allow us to quarantine (if required to) for 14 days before Mr A restarted teaching.  We flew to Greece with British Airways, which was an incredibly uncomfortable 4 hour flight for me, as I had had a painful back for a couple of weeks beforehand.  And unfortunately the transfer from Athens airport to the resort didn’t help my back at all.

We had booked the transfer, in a BMW sedan, through the hotel at €452 inc tax. Quite a sum for a car journey, but I do like the sense of security when someone is ready at the airport to whisk me off. I’m sure a taxi would have been cheaper, but I value local drivers’ knowledge, when driving into the middle of nowhere.  BTW face masks had to be worn inside the car, which Aman provides, along with mineral water and wifi.  Our driver was very accommodating when we needed to make pit stops to stretch my back or use a bathroom. Part of the journey is quite scenic, and, if my back were better, would have been pretty enjoyable.  But I decided to get a faster and more comfortable transfer on the way back (see next review).

We were warmly greeted by the fabulously dressed GM, Paul Linder, and some of his team, at the jaw-droppingly beautiful entrance area. They gave us a short tour of the main public buildings before taking us to our ‘pavilion’ to conduct the check-in formalities.  I’m just going to show you some photos without many words, because you’ll see just how fabulous the Ed Tuttle designed limestone and marble resort is for yourself without me telling you. Just bear in mind the resort was full at the time, so you’ll appreciate how spacious and exclusive it is!

With our jaws still open, they fell even closer to our chests when we saw our incredible pavilion. I’d booked a ‘standard’ Pool Pavilion, the only one left when we made our reservation, at €2050 +tax/night B&B. The high-ceiling’d suite was 100m2 plus it had 110m2 of outdoor terrace space, including a 6m plunge pool, overlooking the local hills and countryside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a wonderful suite! However we noticed some very poor housekeeping issues, once we settled in: either side of the bed were glass bottles of mineral water, but one was only half full, and in the minbar were another two partially used water bottles. This would be disappointing in ‘normal’ circumstances, but during the Covid pandemic, when hotels are supposedly taking extra care to sanitise rooms, this was unforgivable.

Overall we found the staff at Amanzoe to be warm and friendly, but the standard of service was hit and miss.  Staff are rotated across the resort’s three restaurants, but for some reason we found the lowest levels of customer care were at the Pool Restaurant, where we regularly found it hard to attract attention. IMHO if you don’t have the innate intuitive service skills to provide service before a customer asks for it, then at least keep your eyes on your guests so you can see them waving for attention.  And please don’t remove drinks glasses or bottles without checking they’re finished with.

On our first evening we ate at Nama, their Japanese restaurant take-over of the daytime Pool Restaurant. Mr A and I both love Japanese cuisine, but we often find it confusing to order our meals a la carte, and prefer to go for the chef’s Omakase selection. This is normally available in Aman’s global properties, but unfortunately not at Amanzoe.

Everything we ate tasted good, but its preparation and presentation wasn’t up to Japanese standards, and I found the portion sizes very small, particularly the tiniest ever nigiri sushi.  We left hungry and headed to the bar to much on nuts! 5/10. We did however find the lunches at the Pool Restaurant to be more substantial.

We did like the bar and its staff, in particular Marius and Ahmed; we went there every evening for sundowners and nightcaps.  One night we asked for a favourite nightcap of ours – Frangelico with milk, which we’d been introduced to in Tokyo’s vibrant Shinjuku district. The next day Marius told us he’d used this as the inspiration for a new cocktail he created, and invited me to give it a name. I decided upon Shinjuku Dreams, to reference both its origin and it’s role as a relaxing bedtime drink. I thought this was absolutely excellent service standards from a man who clearly loved mixology! 10/10

We took our breakfast each morning in the bright main restaurant.  When not in use it has huge glass walls, which miraculously glide slowly and silently away to leave a large open dining space filled with clean air and a soft breeze. Additional tables are on the terrace in front, next to ornamental pools and shaded by parasols.  It’s a beautiful setting for breakfast, and also for evening dinners. A very small buffet offers cereals, fruit and juices, though a member of staff usually carries things back to the table. Plus there’s a good a la carte selection of healthy fresh juice blends, smoothies as well as cooked dishes.

The quality of the food and its preparation were of a high standard. My benchmark dish of Eggs Benedict came with runny eggs, cooked ham, fresh muffins and a good hollandaise, which I ordered every day (a half portion with just one egg) 9/10. But service wasn’t its best in the mornings, especially on the last morning when I was delivered my breakfast before they’d even taken Mr A’s order.

Most nights we ate dinner in this same restaurant, or rather on the herb-bordered terraces outside. We found service standards to be very good in the evenings from all levels of the staff, who were also very warm and friendly.  Food was relatively costly and only ‘OK’; starters ranged from an awesome beetroot salad to a horrible Greek dish named “Lehanontolmades” consisting of thin pasta parcels of minced beef and rice, smothered in a gelatinous “egg lemon sauce”.

 

It will be a long time before I’ll be convinced that lemon goes with beef!

IMHO by far the best menu and food offered at Amanzoe is at their Beach Club, a ten minute drive down the hillsides in an on-demand Mercedes mini-van (wearing masks).  The large pillared pergola-covered terrace dining space with ample attentive servers and lots of space for social distancing had a perfect mediterranean-style selection of light and healthy plates, as well as tasty comfort foods.

There’s a long open-air bar next to the restaurant, from where the servers bring drinks, including Champagne on ice; a first time for me, and I loved it.  One can ‘hang’ by the bar, or of course you can get drinks brought to your sunlounger beside the pool.

When we visited the Beach Club it was busy; we managed to get a pair of loungers under a parasol beside one of the 4 pools, where everyone was appropriately distanced, and where staff regularly patrolled to offer comp water or food and drink menus.  There was a very chilled vibe, even though there were kids running about, but for me it would have even nicer to have some Ibiza-style chill-out tunes playing in the background, especially in the restaurant and bar areas.  And unfortunately the Beach Club restaurant wasn’t open in the evenings when we were there.

A big draw of the Aegean is its crystal clear water, but a draw-back (for some) are the rocky/stony beaches (ironically the reason for the clear water). At Amanzoe’s Beach Club I avoided having to wade into the water across stones by jumping into the sea off their little jetty.

After swimming I changed in the club’s changing rooms, which I thought were a bit pokey.  But overall I thought the Beach Club set up was very good.  To one side of it was a public beach and to the other were a few villas, so one has the choice of staying in the hilltop resort, or down by the sea. However, these villas, which they call ‘cabanas’, weren’t in use during our stay, because of Covid restrictions.

Amanzoe has a 2,800 sq m spa with 9 treatment suites, set off a peaceful colonnaded walkway. Maybe it’s because I’m a man, but I find spa menus tough reading because of the seemingly overlapping benefits of each treatment, and most claim t0 leave you relaxed, refreshed, energised, inspired etc etc. I spent a long time reading their menu before my trip, and eventually I decided to book one of their signature treatments, called An’a-trip’sis, for 2 hours.  But half an hour before my treatment they phoned me to propose a change to what I’d booked. Unfortunately I couldn’t properly understand the lady on the phone, with her strong Greek accent muffled by the surgical mask she was wearing. That meant I didn’t know why my ‘signature’ treatment wasn’t possible, or what the newly proposed treatment would entail; not ideal at all!  When I arrived they offered me a herbal tea, but failed to give it to me. The treatment itself was “OK” but I was surprised by the lack of paper underwear and by the (lady) therapist telling me to remove all my clothing.  However the biggest surprise came later when I signed the bill and discovered the massage cost me €500 (The spa menu on their website doesn’t show prices), which was a bit steep, and the treatment lasted 10 minutes less than promised. So I wasn’t as relaxed as I’d hoped for!

Overall I can report that Amanzoe is an incredible, beautifully designed luxury hotel spread over a large area to guarantee space and privacy. But the inconsistent standards of customer service were not up to my expectations of a luxury resort.  On our flight home some Amanzoe guests happened to be sitting in front of us and I asked for their impressions of the resort.  Their opinion was just like mine; “beautiful resort, but service was hit and miss and not worthy of the price”.  When I got home I emailed Amanzoe’s GM with some of my formative feedback (regarding housekeeping and poor breakfast service standards) but disappointingly I didn’t receive a response.  For this reason I’m giving an overall score of 8/10, which I think is the lowest I’ve ever scored an Aman property.  Would I go again? No, but I will go to other Amans as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic (and governments) allow.