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.

Santa's Sleigh over Amankila

One of the pleasures of being a travel consultant is getting holiday cards from favorite hotels all around the world. The image above was an original hand-painted card sent to me by Amankila, an idyllic beach resort on the eastern coast of Bali. Claire and I spent three days and two nights at Amankila in 2011, and I'll always remember the three-tiered pool in front of the lobby (which is pictured in the card).

I especially like the image of Santa's sled being drawn by three elephants, an Indonesian cultural adaptation of Santa and his reindeer. Hope you enjoy this card as much as I did!

Amankila means "peaceful hill." One of three Aman resorts in Bali (along with Amandari and Amanusa), Amanresorts are small, boutique resorts that offer their guests the ultimate in luxury, privacy, and service. Book through your Virtuoso travel consultant to receive value-added amenities including a complimentary daily breakfast for two, one complimentary lunch or dinner during your stay, and a suite upgrade upon availability.

Amankila (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2013 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.

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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