I usually don't write reviews but I use this site and I almost cancelled Amapuri because of the negative reviews. I am very glad I did not as we had a wonderful stay at the property. My husband and I tend to travel a lot and stay in 5 star resorts (Four Seasons Punta Mita, Le Sirenuse amongst others this past year) and we are pretty picky travellers. We totally recommend this hotel.

First, the villas. They are nice, spacious and the bed is extremely comfortable. The other reviewers are correct in that the villa does not have the most modern of interiors - i.e. no flat screen or any television etc - but the style is discreet and simple without being old. There is also a CD player so while there is no TV you can listen to music. The bathrooms are huge and the outdoor sala is also very nice. The room was spotlessly cleaned each day and they brought flowers, pastries and fresh fruit every day.

Second, the beach is the nicest beach on Phuket and one of the more beautiful beaches we have been to. White sand that stretches out for a long way and light turquoise water with palm trees lining the beach and the hill beyond. Because the beach is private (it is only shared with the Chedi at the other end) it was never crowded and a lot of the time we felt we were the only ones in the water. The beach was very clean and attendants were standing by with bottles of water.

The only reason I didnt give it a 5 star is the service. While everyone was really nice, it was not the same level as the other hotels we stayed in on our trip like Amansara and Four Seasons Chiang Mai. Everyone at Amanpuri tried to be helpful, it was just that they did not anticipate your every need.

To me, the choice is pretty simple. If a beautiful beach and discreet hotel is what you are after in Phuket stay at the Amanpuri. If it is the latest modern design and technology then this may not be for you. Also, if you are more of a swimming pool person you may want to try one of the newer hotels where each villa comes with a private plunge pool. We are both huge fans of a beautiful beach and we found exactly that together with an elegant property at Amanpuri.

The villas are very old and the whole hotel is badly maintained. I thought I would arrive to a glorious hotel, instead I felt being in an ordinary hotel, with perhaps a bit bigger villas then ordinary hotels (but also paying for this). My cupboard almost fell apart, the room was extremely dusty and in teh closte there was rubbish from previous guests.
The service is not good for Thailand, perhaps it is still ok if you come from Europe. People in other hotels in Phuket are much friendlier and better trained.
No way I will come back here, very dissapointing.
Onlythe view is nice, but also this is disturbed when you want to enjoy it, becuase I was lying on a sticky chair; my body almost being glued to it.

My wife and I went here back in March of 2005 after the Tsunami and had a wonderful time. I can't say enough about the quality of the service and the rooms. This is the only Aman resort we have been to, so we really don't have a basis for comparison within the chain, but we have stayed at many other top end hotels/resorts and this one ranks up there among the best. Different travelers have different expectations, but I thoroughly enjoyed how the staff was there when you needed them, and then would disappear, only to reappear when you needed them. I'm not the kind of guy who likes the staff to constantly be swooping in to coddle me, so if that's your preference, you may be disappointed. I found this resort to be very relaxing, exceptionally well kept, and high quality. The food was very good. We thoroughly enjoyed the Thai longhouse we lived in. The staff always placed fresh fruit in the room and decorated it with the most beautiful orchids. The bathrooms were wonderful, the beds comfortable, and the teak wood interiors offered a very warm finish. All in all, no complaints. It's been a while since we've been there, but I still recommend it to my friends who are traveling in the region.

Just returned from third stay at Amanpuri. It is still a great hotel, with all the things you expect of an Aman - excellent design, understatement, not flashy, expensive (which is not necessarily a bad thing in that it keeps a certain style of guest away) - but its standards have slipped. Not only in comparison to itself but also other Amans, having visited 5 others in the last 16 months. This is primarily about service - anticipating and delighting the guest. They may seem like small points but on the beach you had to ask for more water or ice, or towels to be refreshed. That wasn't the case previously and the beach certainly wasn't full by any means. Having sent a bottle of wine down for the beacb BBQ, no one knew where it was and it wasn't chilled, even though it had just come from our room fridge and reception asked me to bring it down myself - not offering to collect it. One thing that REALLY got my goat was that thay closed the beach BBQ for a private party, on one of the 3 evenings per week they have them - meaning part of what we all pay for is off limits. Not good enough. Why not have it on an evening when there is no beach BBQ or substitute the day for another? Not everyone is there for a week or more. I phoned the management and gave my feedback. Thay said all 24 people at the party were guests. They may have been at one of the private villas and there were only 14 people at the party. Clearly this was an important guest but I think that is irrelevant - services are there for all guests. Sure some things are space limited and it has to be first come, first served. That wasn't the case here and the beach BBQ has a limit of 35 anyway. The way my feedback was handled by an assistant manager wasn't good either - seeking to talk over me whilst I'm giving it and no follow up from the manager when I had said I would be happy to talk to him. Perhaps Aman is becoming money or starstruck. Couple of other points - the management were conspicuous by their absence, there were often mistakes about orders in the restaurant and, finally, I don't want members of staff moaning to me about the lack of guests in summer and therefore the 10% service charge they won't be receiving. Overall a great place that someone from management needs to grip and sort out some simple issues, returning it to its rightful place. I hope they read this review and do something about it - we're going back ! Another guest we met , however, is going back to Trisara, prefering their service, even though the beach isn't as good.