Amanwella

Very nice very clean beautiful beach good food

Reception: The entry was marked with a ceremonial greeting/local prayer from the staff who were courteous enough to show us through the grounds for amenity placement etc. Check in was seamless along with a tour of the place. Lahiru our butler in charge drove us to our villa along with contact information. Stay The entire time we were there (4 nights), it felt as though we were the only two people on the compound. Moments on the premise there was ever a kind face greeting or passing by. The Beach club area was such a treat with life guards ever keeping a keen eye all across the area to ensure full coverage in the event of a forceful current/wave. The Spa also had to get a visit from us as we neared the end of our trip. Both masseuse were on point and had us rejuvenated for the remainder f our stay. Meals The Meals were, to say the least outstanding at every juncture. The turnaround time is about half an hour which for a place of close to 40 villas - was really fast. The service was impeccable - both the set ups as well as the ambience set up. The server in charge of our villa Kasun was ever attentive and went an extra mile to see to it that my wife and I received top caliber treatment along with bursts of surprises to spruce up the romance. Hospitality Room service as well as turn down service was impeccable. The team went an extra mile to ensure we had all the amenities we needed - guest appreciation, sorting our laundry half way through our short stay, turn down service (which I felt was too good that they almost force it on you since they want all guests to leave with a touch of it). Exit The checkout process was easy - allowing for an extension into the late afternoon to accommodate our airport trip and flight times. We had the ceremonial Aman au revoir where the General Manager Sonam and his Assistant GM Prem were present. Outstanding stay all around. Special thanks to the first and foremost, Kasun for making the impossible happen and above all, the Assistant Manager, Mr Prem Chundawat who was ever so available, went out of his away to ensure we were well catered for as well as taking on some near and far requests last minute. We cannot wait to incorporate the Aman brand and experience to our travels in the near future.

Averall a beautiful property where we spent a few relaxing days. There are though two improvement points: 1) breakfast was extremely slow, so long waiting times for the orders are unucceptable, is aman understaffed despite the very high prices (3-4x compared to the anantara nearby). 2) the hotel does not have a gym. What happened to me is that it was not possible to swim in the ocean because of sea condition, I could not swim in the very beautiful and long swimming pool because of unpleasent high water temperature (pool is dark and heats up top 32-34°), you cannot run since the resort is to small, so it is kind of boring. Trasform a suite in a gym, as they did for the spa, would be more than enough. Excellent yoga lessons in the morning.

Outstanding property and experience at Amanwella. It is very well run and the staff are excellent, personable, and seem happy to be there. We loved the food at the beach club and the main restaurant, and there is a good selection of vegetarian, asian and non-asian dishes. This was the fourteenth Aman for us and truly one of the heritage properties that carries on the original Aman spirit. The hotel design is timeless and gorgeous.

Coming off a 16 day trip that included stays at a 5 star hotel in London, both Aman properties in Sri Lanka. and Soneva Fushi in the Maldives. We have stayed previously at a similar price point in South Africa, the Netherlands, the Caribbean, and Canada. Everything considered, Amanwella rates, for us, as the best that we have stayed anywhere in the world. The important caveat is that you must have your expectations set properly — this is a mature hotel set in a tropical location. Expect heat, insects, spiders, and lizards. Some may even make their way into your room. A quick phone call to housekeeping will solve any such issue immediately, in our experience anyway. Accept this, and the hotel is likely to rate as the destination of a lifetime. For us, the staff are easily the greatest asset of the hotel, starting with the general manager of the resort, Sonam. Every day he checked in on us, usually at breakfast, but sometimes more often than that. He was easy to speak to and we felt he was genuine in every respect. We missed a connection in Dubai and arrived late in the evening (11pm); regardless, he was present at our arrival along with a full contingent of staff for welcoming! Janith, our Guest Assistant, while only 26, rated as leagues above anything else we experienced on this trip or anywhere else. He is, without doubt, a rising star for Aman. Every need was anticipated and every request acted on in a timely fashion. Janith has continued to message us on WhatsApp since our departure, checking in on the rest of trip, and we feel that we made a real friend in Sri Lanka. Dinusha, who we met at the main restaurant, well, his smile is simply contagious, and he came across as down to earth, friendly, and eager to do whatever is necessary to make our stay memorable. His memory for our preferences is impeccable, which is something we did not find elsewhere as often as we would have liked. Ruwon, often a driver for us, treated us with consideration and spoke candidly while behaving professionally at all times. Again, we feel that we made another friend here during this trip! The resort is beautiful, well maintained, and while we spent more time on activities than on the beach, I assure you this is a beach resort first and foremost and that the beach is world class. The vibe is laid back but there is no element of luxury missing. Of everything we did, the lagoon experience was our favourite activity. Highly recommended. Make time also for a private dinner at the beach club. You will not regret it. I see that that past reviewers have expressed concern about the cost of food. The solution for us was to book the Fort & Beach package which included half board, experiences, and transfer between resorts. Perfection, Amanwella. Book it and enjoy!

It's a fantastic Aman as to value in room rates. One of the more affordable ones globally in comparison to the insane rates being charged in other areas of the world by Aman. This is the only reason I chose it, while still a stretch for me as to value. The service is polished. The rooms are beautiful and aging well. And we loved the beach with a blend of local feel mixed into the nice Aman area for lounging. It's a truly lovely hotel. The only puzzling thing is the pricing of food. It's become insane. I spent a month in Sri Lanka at many varying level of hotels and I never saw anything like this. It rivals even Maldives in pricing. A CheeseBurger for $52? That's just one example. In 2019 that same burger was like $20 on their menu. I asked the staff and they just said, "Since Covid the prices of food have risen tremendously." OK? But three times nearly? I ate two other Burgers during my trip, one in Kalpitya and another in Colombo at the Shangri La. Both equally as good. And they were $20. Not just the Burgers. A chicken satay at $30? A Pizza at $40? Again, these are Maldives prices on an island that is ultimately very affordable otherwise. I don't get it and I think Aman needs to really look hard at its pricing. Anyone who travels in Sri Lanka, even at the top locations, knows full well that this is way over the top. The food was wonderful though. If that helps? But the food is often wonderful in Sri Lanka.