Aman connections

(l to r): John Reed, Karime Buraye, David Ourisman, Sally Baughen, Mark Swinton

I write every year about Virtuoso Travel Week, but I wanted to give you the inside scoop of the value of this investment of money and time. I'm just spending three nights this trip, but the purpose of the visit is to spend time with managers of Virtuoso hotels and resorts.

The picture above illustrates just this. I set up a meeting with a few GM's of the most popular Aman resorts I sell. Pictured above are John Reed (GM of Amankora), Karime Buraye (Aman Sales Manager for the Americas), myself, Sally Baughen (GM of Amansara), and Mark Swinton (GM of the Amanresorts in Indonesia — Amankila, Amanda, Amanusa, Amanwana, and Amanjiwo).

Amanjunkies may recognize these names and faces as Aman GM's make themselves available to guests and are on a first-name basis. These relationships translate into clout when we make bookings on your behalf, as we are very successful in getting upgrades for our clients across the Aman family of resorts in addition to the Virtuoso amenities or package inclusions.

In a word, it all about our Aman-connections!

copyright  (c)  2016 by David Ourisman LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

sunrise breakfast at Borobudur

Borobudur is an UNESCO World Heritage site, an eighth century Buddhist temple on a hilltop in central Java. Both immense in size and intricate in design — there are hundreds of stone carvings depicting the life of the Buddha (see one set illustrated above), Borobudur is the single most popular tourist destination in Indonesia.

Here's the best way to visit Borobudur. Stay at Amanjiwo, an incredible luxury resort located due south of the temple where you can have a view of Borobudur from your guestroom. Take advantage of Amanjiwo's "Mystical Element" sunrise tour. We received a wake-up call at 4:15 a.m. this morning and had a light breakfast at the hotel before being driven to the temple. Our guide led us up to the top of the temple where we awaited the dawning of the new day. Once the sun had risen over these ancient stones, we were able to appreciate the temple and learn about its history, architecture, and carvings before the tour busses arrived by the dozens.

After the tour, we were taken to a hilltop with a view of the temple where we were served a picnic breakfast that Amanjiwo had prepared for us. Amanjiwo is a member of Virtuoso; book through any Virtuoso travel consultant to receive complimentary daily breakfast, one free luncheon, and an upgraded room if available at check-in.


Amanjiwo (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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an utterly authentic dinner in Borobudur

When the chairman of Amanresorts visits Amanjiwo in Borobudur, Indonesia, he makes it a point to eat at Pak Parno.

Gourmet ethnic cuisine is an oxymoron — at least that's my opinion. I love discovering an utterly authentic restaurant that's known only by locals "in the know," and that's what Pak Parno is all about. It's not really a restaurant at all — it's a private home. The food is prepared in an open-air kitchen with a small wood-burning stove (pictured above), and you eat on the porch. There's no menu. The first course is fried rice with chicken and vegetables. The second course is fried noodles with the same accompaniments. The third course is soup noodles with the same. It's really authentic. It's really good. And it's really cheap - the total bill for the two of us was 150,000 Rupiah (about $17.50).

You'll never find it on your own, but when you stay at Amanjiwo, be sure to ask about Pak Parno. If it's a must-do for the chairman of Amanresorts ... that's a pretty good recommendation.


copyright (c) 2011 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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Hong Kong and Bali

I'm leaving early Thursday morning for Hong Kong — in fact, my Cathay Pacific flight leaves SFO at 1:20 a.m. — for a site inspection trip to Hong Kong and Bali.

Hong Kong is a most fascinating city, combining ancient Chinese culture with contemporary architecture and avant garde interior design. Victoria Harbour is a beautiful sight, and the nightly light show, while kitschy, is a must-see. The shopping malls are fun — with distinctive color schemes and merchandise displays — and the city has countless custom tailors. I plan to get a silk skirt and top made for Claire while we're there.

I'll have a close look at three hotels during this visit, the Four Seasons Hong Kong (where we will spend two nights), Upper House (a brand new property on the Hong Kong side, overlooking the harbour), and the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong (the highest hotel in the world on the Kowloon side of the harbour).

Then, on to Bali, a small Indonesian island with a Hindu culture, beautiful beaches, terraced rice paddies, and local art shops.

I've often been asked my opinion of the two Four Seasons resorts on Bali (FS Jimbaran Bay on the beach, and FS Sayan) and the three Aman resorts on the island (Amankila and Amanusa on the beach, and Amandari in Ubud). One reason for this trip is to tour all of these resorts so that I can provide my first-hand impressions. I will also be visiting the Chedi Club and Amanjiwo (on Java). I also plan to inspect the two Orient-Express properties on Bali (Jimbaran Puri Bali and Ubud Hanging Gardens).

Be watching this space for my reports from Hong Kong and Bali.


Hong Kong and Bali (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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