This 2018 Amanwana Review is from our recent stay, after Amanpulo. Amanwana is one of two Aman Resorts in Indonesia that are not in Bali, the other Amanjiwo, one of our favorite Amans.
TravelSort Clients enjoy these Virtuoso benefits:
Amanwana Virtuoso Benefits
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Continental breakfast daily for up to two in-room guests served in the restaurant
- A 60 minute massage per person per stay
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
See our Amanwana YouTube Video Review
Amanwana Location and Check-In
Amanwana is the only resort on Moyo Island, an island with only ~1000 inhabitants in Indonesia. The closest main airport is Sumbawa (SWQ), on Sumbawa island which is a 45 minute boat ride from Moyo Island. We flew SilkAir Business Class from Singapore to Lombok, then Lion Air from Lombok to Sumbawa. Amanwana representatives met us at Sumbawa Airport and drove us to the port, where Amanwana's boat took us to Moyo Island. At the time of our visit, the cost was $150 per person each way, and kids 12 and under were complimentary.
For those traveling from Bali Denpasar (DPS), it's also possible to take a seaplane flight directly from DPS to Amanwana. The seaplane is 4 times per week in June and September, 5 times per week in July and August, and 3 times per week the other months of October-May. Current cost is ~$450 per person per way.
From the boat dock, an Indiana Jones-like jeep drives you to Amanwana (see the video for an image of it).
Amanwana Ocean Tent
We were upgraded from the Jungle Tent we booked to an Ocean Tent, which we appreciated, since it was just steps from the beach. Both Jungle Tents and Ocean Tents are 624 square feet, with canvas ceilings but hardwood floors, large windows, and a king size bed. There's a mosquito net around the bed that is unfurled during turndown service, and rolled back up during the day, although we never saw or heard any mosquitoes during our late March stay.
This is glamping, so there are double sinks and vanities, a shower with hot water and Amanwana-made bath products, and a pull chain toilet.
Note that water is not potable inside the tents, but a large bottle of water (with a white cloth cover, to stylishly blend into the rest of the Amanwana appointments) is used for drinking water and brushing teeth. On the table across from the sinks was a platter of welcome fruit.
Two wardrobes afforded ample space for our things, and there was an outside drying rack for wet swimsuits and dive skins. We were tickled to unroll an Amanwana Adventure Map, as if we were explorers on safari:
Amanwana Dining
At Amanwana, all meals and non-alcoholic drinks are already included in the rate. Normally I'm leery of hotels and resorts that include meals in their rates, and don't expect the food quality to be that great. Nothing could be further from the truth at Amanwana, which has some of my favorite dishes of all Amans that we've been to.
Breakfast is a treat and can be as healthy or as decadent as you wish.
We always started with fresh squeezed juices and smoothies and enjoyed yogurt with local Moyo Island honey. The honey was so good, we bought some to take home with us. It was fragrant, with distinctive passion fruit notes to it.
Egg dishes were all good, from eggs benedict to huevos rancheros, but perhaps our favorites were the banana pancakes with honeycomb butter, and the doughnuts (similar to Portuguese malasadas in Hawaii) with cardamom cream. The only thing we ordered and didn't like was the french toast, which was drenched in butter but didn't have enough of the usual eggy batter to it.
There were a number of Indonesian and Western choices for lunch, and the dinner menu was even more extensive; here are just a couple of the pages, more available in the video.
Perhaps my favorite item for lunch and dinner was the Tempura Softshell Crab with Green Mango and Pomelo Salad and Lime Aioli. I couldn't resist ordering it for every savory meal.
Also terrific was the Lamb Curry–we've never tasted better.
And one of my favorite dishes, Bebek Betutu (Spicy Slow Roasted Duck in Banana Leaves) was also perfection.
Our son ordered the Wagyu Beef our first night for dinner, and it too was delicious, and a very generous serving.
Because the savory dishes were all so good, only once did we order dessert. The Banana Hazelnut Parfait with praline and Moyo honeycomb was delicious, but I'd say that it's worth foregoing dessert because of how stellar the savory dishes are.
Amanwana Activities
It's certainly possible to simply relax and while away the day reading a good book on your beach lounger or have a spa massage, or if you're more energetic, go for a hike on Moyo Island.
There's also a chess board in the restaurant.
While not an activity per se, some of the local wildlife comes to you: deer that enjoy grazing the grass by the tents (you can even ask Amanwana staff for apple and kale to feed the deer), as well as monkeys that impishly scamper on the canvas tent roofs, especially in the early morning, before sliding down the tent poles like furry firemen, then ambling along in front of the tents and down the beach (see the video). Staff will warn you *not* to feed the monkeys, because once fed, they are prone to become quite aggressive in begging for food.
But that said, Amanwana is really a destination for those who love the water, especially snorkelers and scuba divers. I recommend a boat cruise to Tanjung Pasir for snorkeling in the coral garden, and also diving–you can see footage from both trips in the video above.
The Verdict
My husband was a bit dubious when he heard we were going to Amanwana, as he hates camping. But this glamping experience is about as luxurious as you can get, and a far cry from “roughing it,” plus with all the special Aman touches. With just 20 “tents,” this is an intimate Aman, yet it offers guests stellar cuisine and great diving, snorkeling and boat trips. Amanwana's proximity to great dive sites make it an especially great destination for divers, and advanced divers will want to do one of Aman's luxury liveaboard trips on Amanikan, for example a Raja Ampat or Komodo expedition.
But even if you don't have the time or resources to do Amanikan, I highly recommend a visit to Amanwana if you enjoy snorkeling and have even the most basic diving certification. There are also local hikes, spa treatments and the ever entertaining monkeys, but guests who enjoy the underwater world or at least boat cruises or kayaking will be happiest.
If you've recently visited Amanwana, what was your experience?
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