It’s sort of difficult to know how to rate Amanpulo, because the experience is really all about the absolutely spectacular location, more so than the hotel itself. I’ve rated it 5 stars, but it’s more like a 6/5 on location and a 4/5 for the hotel. That’s not to say the hotel isn’t nice, it’s just not at the standard of some of the other Amans. It’s starting to show a bit of wear and tear, and the rooms in particular could stand to be modernised a bit. There seemed to be bits and pieces of renovation going on around the property (2 of the tennis courts for example were closed during my stay, with a big construction mess on them), but it would be much better if they just closed the hotel and did a proper job on what’s now a 30 year old hotel. If done well, it could easily be one of the best hotels in the world. My random gripes about the hotel in no particular order: 1. The main pool closes at 6pm, which is a huge shame not to mention ridiculously early. It’s also totally unlike the other Amans I’ve been to, which let you use the pool whenever you want. As long as you’re not making a lot of noise and disturbing other guests, I don’t see what the issue is with letting guests use the pool at any time. 2. They really should offer at least one more flight option rather than only to and from Manila, for guests that want to continue exploring the Philippines without a round trip back to their starting point. An option to fly to El Nido or Cebu for example would be a huge convenience. 3. Breakfast stops at a pretty early 10am, and their snorkelling activity takes place at 9am, meaning if you want to do it and have breakfast too you need to get up early - why? They should offer the option to snorkel in the afternoon as well, or else just do it at 11am so guests can have breakfast first. 4. Very old blinds in the rooms which were weirdly difficult to open and close - and even with all the windows closed, the metal chord on one of them repeatedly swayed back and forth against the wall, making noise unless I held it in place with a pillow. They should really have automated shades which you control with a button (I’m aware this is the literal definition of first world problems) 5. I asked twice a day whether I could take a trip to Manamoc, and was repeatedly told it wasn’t possible due to weather conditions (which was sort of bizarre as the weather was very calm). When I was told the weather was finally good enough, they said the boat was then booked so I couldn’t go, which made no sense as I had been asking non-stop since my arrival to do the trip. They did finally accommodate me - but they charged me for a picnic basket which I never had, and 3 crew members which is a huge overkill - just 1 to drive the boat is all that’s necessary. So the trip to Manamoc, which is incredible and a real must in my opinion, was extremely expensive. I’d recommend staying in one of the beach casitas - I moved from a hillside one (37), to a beach one (10) and though
Excellent
41 Reviews