My husband and I are very demanding customers and we always find things to complain about in most top end 5 stars hotels. But Amansara was simply perfect. The level of details and attention of the service was truly impressive. All the staff knows every customer's name, they are very discreet and you always find them when you need them but they never are on your way; there is no "no disturb sign" in the room, because no staff will never come to disturb you when you're there (they know when you're in the room and only come to service the room when you're not there); we had, everyday, a little gift for us and our kids waiting for us in the evening (the kids loved it); the staff was knowledgeable, and you didn't need to look for "the activities manager" to ask any question, any staff member was there to take your question and get back to you very quickly; there is a common "tips" box, if you want to give any tips, so you don't need to bother with this during your stay and you can just tip the whole staff in that box when you leave; the day we left, the whole staff team, with the general manager, was waving good bye at us while driving off to the airport in the antique mercedez; it really felt like leaving a genuinely caring team. etc. etc. I could go on and on with the list of details about the service. Bottom line, you're really treated as a truly valued guest. Really well done by the whole team!
The other great thing about Amansara is that the food was really good. Very fresh, healthy and delicious. The menu changed everyday, but there was always a "khmer menu", a western menu, and a kids' menu. The real surprise for us was that all drinks were included in the half board (whenever the drinks were taken). And the quality of the wines was excellent too. The wine also changed everyday too, to fit with the menu.
Finally, for the excursions to the temples, it was just great! The touk touks were of great quality, pleasant to ride on and dropped us off at the entrance of the temples and came to pick us up on the other side of the temples. Here again, Amansara was particularly detail oriented; on the "temple in the jungle" excursion, for example, we started where people usually end their visit, at a time when there were very few people, so we could enjoy the views without crowds.
Now the question of value, which other reviewers mentioned. Yes, it is expensive, but if you can afford it, it is well worth it and I personally feel it is very good value, particularly compared to hotels like Rayavadee in Krabi, which is more expensive with a mass market kind of service and terrible food. In Amansara, the money you spend is well spent! I would definitely go back anytime!

This is the most overpriced and poor value Aman resort in my experience. The room standard was average (particularly unnerving was the private dipping pool which looked to contain dirty water) and well below the best of Aman quality. Another aggravation in the suite...the toilet was not separated from the shower area.

The biggest disappointment was dinner. The hotel slaps on a compulsory $75 per day food charge per person. Given the boring quality and indifferent execution of the dinner menu, it's easy to see why; noone would dine there otherwise.

On the other hand, breakfast quality was very good, and a nice feature is the complimentary supply of French cheeses available during the afternoon and evening.

Good lap pool and service up to Aman's customarily unctious standards but overall this Aman resort was built (only five years ago) on the cheap. Stay in the Raffles hotel opposite and save yourself a boatload of money.

Stayed at Amansara at the end of a trip to Thailand and Cambodia with our children (ages 21 and 25). In a word, the hotel is fantastic! Small and intimate with a sense of warmth and hospitality that is rare. From the General Manager, Toby to the entire staff, they raise hotel service to an art form. They truly have this exciting but crowded destination figured out in a way that makes you feel that you have the Angkor complex entirely to yourself. From your personal tour guide (whos is dedicated to you for your stay), to your tuk tuk drivers, they make dealing with the sites, easy, fun and informative.

The hotel is small and if you are looking for crowds around a pool, this is not for you. If you like small intimate hotels with world class service and you don't stay at Amansara, you will be left to wonder what you missed behind the closed gates and stone wall.

Just a note: The negative reviews I have read were unfounded and completely without basis. Simply put, this is not a place where one goes for dinner, but rather to enjoy a wonderful stay. It does not get better than this!!

To celebrate our anniversary and birthdays last month (November 2006), we wanted to see the famous temples of Cambodia - which also provided us a perfect opportunity to stay at Amansara.

After an overnight stay in Singapore, we landed at the recently built Siem Reap airport where an Amansara guest advisor was waiting for us. The advisor was very friendly and escorted us out to an awaiting CRV. After cold towels and luggage loading, we drove off to Amansara. The resort is located a short 20 minutes away from the airport. During the car drive, you'll get a sneak peek at the famous Angkor Wat temple. Amansara is located near the city centre and provides a tranquil oasis behind its entrance.

As Aman's customary tradition, we were greeted upon arrival by Amansara's General Manager, Toby Anderson. After speaking with Toby, our advisor showed us around the resort: the restaurant, spa, library, small gift shop, and two main pools. The resort itself is compact (being the former summer villa for Prince Sinahouk) - probably 1/2 a city block in size - and wonderfully renovated in retro-60's / Asian minimalism style. November is the start of the dry season so the resort was relatively full. However the only time we really saw other guests was by the main pool or during meal times.

We booked a pool suite room and it continued the same design style as the rest of the resort: cool, retro minimalism, beige and black colors. We didn't get a chance to see one of the standard suites but I believe the pool suites are identical except for the private plunge pools in the back. The suites are furnished with a sofa for lounging, a small table for eating, a complimentary (and well-stocked, I may add) mini-bar, a work desk, a CD stereo system, and a well designed bathroom area. The plunge pool was nicely sized and provided a welcome break between the temple tours. As with other Aman resorts, staff-to-guests ratio is amazing. The Amansara staff are extremely courteous, friendly and work in transparent ways: everytime you return to your room, you'll find it newly made up. Every day, they'll thoughtfully ensure a warm bath is ready upon your return from the dusty afternoon tours with an already-lit candle and incense stick by the tub. The famous Aman touch.

Amansara provided us a week-long itinerary of temple tours. Most visitors to Siem Reap stay on average of 3 days so having a week was a great opportunity for us to see the less popular temples in addition to the major sites of Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm. Basically we went on two tours per day: the first one in the early morning and the second during late afternoon. This allowed you to avoid the crush of the tourist crowds and the heat of the day. Each tour would cover around 2 - 3 temples and take around 3 - 4 hrs at the most. A few of the tour involved hikes. Of course, you can opt out of the tours if you wish and plan your own. The Amansara arranged tours were great: having your own temple guide and driver is much more personalized and enriching than being in one of the large group tours. You can take the tour at your own pace and ask as little or many questions as you like. I especially enjoyed the two tours where we rode in a US Army jeep out to the countryside. Be prepared for: aching legs, being covered by dust during the drives (both the remork and jeep are open air) and the inevitable sweat from all the hot temple walks. One other warning: most of the temples have extremely steep steps (sometimes up to 60 degree incline) so you may want to be careful if you have any physical limitations. Since you are assigned a remork driver during your stay, you have the option of venturing out to Siem Reap anytime you want.

Amansara only has one restaurant but we didn't have any problems with this arrangement since the lunch and dinner menus changed daily. For dinner they offered two sets of entrees, either Western-style or local Khmer (Cambodian) cuisine. Both were quite good and it gives you a chance to switch depending upon your mood. If you do want to try something different the Raffles hotel is right across the street and a local Khmer restaurant is next door. The breakfasts were quite good also. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed all the meals at Amansara. Since we always went on early morning tours, my wife and I generally ate "early" for dinner so it always felt we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. It usually got crowded as we were departing. Another benefit of Amansara: all alcohol (except champagne), drinks, snacks, and mini-bar consumption are inclusive.

During our stay we tried the Amansara spa. Like the pool suites, the spa is a relatively new addition to the resort. The spa interior is, as expected, designed beautifully (we particularly liked the deep blue tiled walls) with each treatment room having an adjoining relaxation room. All the massages were well done. If you get a chance, try the foot cooler massage after a temple tour - it's great for tired feet and calves (I fell asleep it was so relaxing).

Every other night Amansara arranges a cultural event for the guests. During our visit, we had the chance to listen to a local singer, watch a dance troupe, a film about a Cambodian-American musician, and a shadow puppet show. The shadow puppet show was especially memorable and wonderful to watch. A few of the events required a small donation to a charitable and good cause.

Due to the timing of our flight back to Singapore, Amansara accommodated our request for late checkout - no problem. When it was time for checkout, it was problem-free and quick. As we were leaving, Toby wished us well and him and the rest of the staff saw us off.

In summary, the chance to visit the famous temples of Angkor Wat and stay at a world-class resort like Amansara is a once in a lifetime experience. Well, hopefully more than once in my lifetime.