Amankila, Manggis, Karangasem — Hotel in Kecamatan Manggis

I am not usually someone who writes negative reviews, but I left Amankila today with heavily mixed emotions.

Positives: many lovely kind people

Disappointments: Insects. I want to preface that it is Bali, I understand that the species and quantities of insects are going to be drastically higher than of other locations due to the nature of the area. However, it is not normal (in my opinion at least) to have to watch for golf ball++ sized spiders falling from the ceiling while inside your villa. At first we thought the canopy bed was a design choice (which it could very well have been), but from the first day we experienced spiders literally falling from the ceiling onto the floor at least once a day, and realized how lucky we were that we slept in a canopy bed at night. We would wake up to at least 2 dead spider bodies that had fallen during our sleep around the villa every morning. On top of this, we also had encountered a red centipede, several cockroaches, and a bunch of other odd bugs throughout our week stay. Whenever we spent time in the villa, we would eat as fast as we could at the desk and spend all lounging time on the bed to avoid any spiders falling onto us. You can hear the plop sound they make when landing. Noted, we stayed at the Indrakila suite and I cannot speak for other suites. Cleanliness. This was truly one of the most surprising things as I have never had any issues with this at any other Amans, or even 4* hotels for that matter. The blankets, bedsheets, and towels had small stains on them when we arrived. One of the towels specifically had 2 tiny black shell-like pieces stuck to one side of the towel. I saw this immediately and without using it, put it in the towel bin along with other used towels for housekeeping the next day. We are aware that hanging up a towel meant we did not want it changed. During breakfast, housekeeping did their magic, but to my surprise, the same towel with 2 tiny black shell-like pieces stuck to one side was hung up on our towel rack. We were very surprised. Departure. Paying the bill is likely the biggest concern during checkout. However, as guests and avid collectors, everyone knows the luggage tag and parting gift is usually what everyone is most excited for. We pay, get shown our luggage tag, and led to the car.. no bracelet. If we were not told by our kind driver during our East Bali tour of amankila’s black and white bracelet we would not have even known about it. As we drive off the property already feeling upset, I had to ask our driver to the airport about the bracelet just to inquire with another team member if it was a parting gift, and he said yes, every guest receives one during checkout process. He kindly offers to drive back for us to get one, but at that point we felt like an afterthought.

Our emotions are mixed as we encountered so many lovely people during our stay, with even a few team members wishing me a happy birthday on the date. Every member of the team we encountered through dining, cooking class, and all the drivers were nothing short of amazing. But we left feeling like there was something missing, and rather unfulfilled. We have stayed at similar priced villas of other chains, amandari, and even 300$ a night villas, and can say we have never had issues with cleanliness and bugs falling from the ceiling to the level we did at amankila. Needless to say, we most likely will not...

We originally booked four nights at Amankila but left after just one, I’ll tell you why…

Firstly I think it’s very important to show you that we have great grounds for comparison. We have traveled extensively but also stayed at many hotels in Bali on this particular trip.

Here is where we stayed and the prices we paid:

Chedi Club, $500/night, Pool suite Como Shambhala, $700/night, Pool Villa Ritz, $1500/night, 1-bed 430 meter River Pool Villa Amankila, $1080 per night, Ocean Suite (number 37). Four Seasons Sayan, $900, Pool Villa. Viceroy, $600/night, Pool Villa

As you can see, Amankila is the 2nd most expensive hotel. For that price we received the smallest room out of the 6 hotels, even smaller than hotels half the price. I’d have absolutely no problem with Amankila if the price was $400/night, but at $1080, I would expect something lavish and special or at least for it to in exceed in one particular way – room size, room furnishings quality, territory, free extras.

Our Ocean suite was apparently one of the best, the interior was basic, and there is a big problem with privacy. Anyone approaching the villa or walking up the common steps could see in through the glass front doors or the side windows. Every other hotel we stayed in had an exterior gate which you could lock, meaning that once inside you have complete privacy. In Aman you really had to lock the whole suite down to get naked or heaven forbid – make love.

We walked down to the beach and we really felt like we were in the Plastic Ocean documentary.

There were also 20 ships offshore. From container ships, to oil tankers and ugly ferries.

The amount of plastic and amount of ugly ships really killed the magic and made it much worse than even an ugly coast in Europe. See my pic added with this review. You’ll notice how different it is from their marketing pictures…expectations vs reality.

How can anyone look at the view and ignore all the ugly ships, that old shoe and those noodles packets floating around? Have they not ever been to a real naturally beautiful coast? I don’t care whose fault it is, it’s not what I expect for the price I paid and it seems to be a recurring issue judging by reviews I have read (that often later get removed).

We managed to escape Aman after negotiations with the GM. He didn’t want to let us go because he said it would affect their cash flow! Ridiculous. In the end he relented but it was all very unpleasant.

Finally I spoke to a GM at one of the other hotels who said that yes, lots of guests tell them that Aman is over priced and awful.

Following this bad experience we cancelled our planned stay at Amansara – I didn’t want to risk $2k/night on another potentially overpriced hotel, and plans to stay in their Montenegro property next year with all the family.

Any of the other hotels I stayed at are vastly better, so go ahead and book one of them instead.

Positives? The...

Amankila – Not Worth the Hype or the Price. “Amanjunkies” Is Just Marketing Nonsense.

During my recent trip to Bali, I stayed at Amankila – supposedly one of the flagship resorts of the Aman brand, often praised by so-called “Amanjunkies” as the epitome of luxury and hospitality. I paid €2,500 per night for a villa with a private pool… and I can honestly say it was a massive disappointment.

Let’s be clear: this is not a hotel worth that kind of money.

Right from the start, things felt off. Our room wasn’t cleaned for two full days. Two. Days. We had to repeatedly ask for basic things like towels or to have the trash removed. At this price point, that’s just unacceptable. The staff felt tired, uninterested, and far from the level of service you’d expect from a so-called ultra-luxury resort.

The food? Completely average. Nothing was truly bad, but nothing stood out either. Bland, uninspired, repetitive meals — the kind of food you’d maybe tolerate at a mid-range property, but certainly not here. For what they charge, you expect memorable cuisine. Instead, we found ourselves leaving the resort to eat elsewhere.

As for the villa – yes, the view was lovely, but the interiors were dated and worn. Furniture looked tired, the bathroom was old-fashioned, and the whole place felt like it hadn’t been refreshed in years. It absolutely did not live up to the price tag.

To give some perspective, I also stayed at Bulgari Resort Bali and the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Mandapa during the same trip. Both were significantly better than Amankila. And Mandapa completely blew it out of the water.

Here’s what stood out at Mandapa: • Flawless service – personalized, proactive, and genuinely caring. Staff anticipated every need without being intrusive. • Modern, stunning villas – spacious, spotless, and tastefully designed. • Attention to detail – our butler knew our plans for each day, arranged transport without asking, and added thoughtful touches throughout the stay.

Mandapa was luxury done right. In contrast, Amankila felt lazy, outdated, and coasting on its brand name.

I’ve also stayed at Amanpulo, which truly impressed me – and that resort actually delivers on the Aman promise. It’s everything Amankila isn’t: modern, meticulously run, and worth the money.

⸻

Bottom line: Don’t believe the “Amanjunkies” hype. Amankila is not the gold standard of luxury — it’s a tired property living off past glory. There are far better resorts in Bali for this price, or even for half of it. This was my first and last stay...