(Please note, this review is from my experience at AMANRUYA in August of 2019. I forgot to post this and just noticed that it was being saved as a draft.)
My favourite place ever: AMANRUYA.
From the minute you arrive at AMANRUYA you feel special. You are greeted with a drink and cold towels and taken to reception. I immediately noticed the beautiful stone work which took years to create. Every pebble you walk on was hand placed. I don't think any photos I've seen of AMANRUYA capture how beautiful and warm feeling this resort is. The architecture is serene and understated yet also magnificent and magical.
It's important to know that the terrain is hilly and that there are many small staircases to climb. I recently had knee surgery and it was a bit difficult for me, but I was happy to have the exercise! Hamza the front office manger, showed me some more accessible rooms that are close to the entrance and told me that they can pick you up in a golf cart and easily take you to the dining room and pool if mobility is a problem. They have a secret way of circumventing the steps.
The rooms are huge and they were kind enough to put an extra single bed in the room for me as I was traveling with a friend and I didn't want to share a bed with her since we both snore! The bed is huge and comfortable. My favourite part is the curtain that you can pull all the way around the bed which makes you feel like you are sleeping in your own private cloud. I have to admit that it makes a great backdrop for doing shadow puppets so I couldn't resist putting on a show and my friend in the single bed had a good laugh.
I love sparse minimal design, but the room could really use a Turkish Kilim (rug) on the floor to give it a bit of life and to make it feel like you are in Turkey. The rooms feel empty, like they're missing something. Hamza organized for Engin the kilim carpet vendor to come to the resort to show me some options because I'm super picky and wasn't happy with anything I'd seen in Turkey up to that point. I sent Engin a photo of what I was interested in (which was a more subdued 1950s colour palette) and Engin came with a whole stack of carpets to show me. He lent me three carpets for the duration of my stay so that I could see I I liked them. There was no pressure. The Kilims redecorated my Aman hotel room and wow, what a difference they made. The room came alive, it was an astounding difference. I think it would be great if the rooms all had a Kilim it took the room from great to perfect!
Hamza was there for us whenever needed. Anything we could think of, Hamza had a suggestion or a solution...really fantastic. Hamza organized a day trip for us on a traditional wooden Gulet boat that Bodrum is known for. We spent the day touring the Aegean near Bodrum. What a magical experience. The water was really warm and the sea is so salty that you bob around like a cork. We had a great time and swam to shore at one of our stops. The most hilarious part of the day was when I waved at a speed boat that was zipping by. The boat made a sharp turn and came over to us...I thought that they were coming over to say hello, but they were selling ice cream. What a fantastic treat out in the middle of nowhere. It was an unforgettable day and I am so glad that Hamza suggested it.
It's important to address the mosquitos, since someone else in a previous review had complained about them. I was there in late October which is the high season for mosquitos and I had very little trouble with mosquitos. I am a person that is allergic to mosquitos and I am usually the one that gets all the bites. Yes, I was bitten about 6 times, but the bites were tiny and not very itchy. For me the mosquitos at this time of year are not a problem at Amanruya. They were active right as the sun was setting and against my better judgment I sat outside during tea time.
So here is my criticism, and I notice that I am not the only person who has noted that the food really needs improvement. I hope someone from AMAN reads the reviews, because it has been repeatedly commented on by previous guests and no-one seems to have done anything to improve the food. Breakfast is great. All Turkish breakfasts are usually great, but their traditional MENEMEN which is made of eggs, tomatoes and peppers was by far the best that I had in Turkey. The breakfast servers are far superior and much more friendly than the servers at night time.
Sitting at dinner you need to notify staff that you are there. If you don't you will be sitting for a long time. Not only was the service at dinner awful, one of the waiters had a terrible attitude and on top of this the food was not great either. In fact it was mediocre, bland and uninspired and we ate three dinners here. Guests expect the food at an Aman to be incredible. The food should be equal to the architecture and the location which is incredible. In this instance it was not on par at all. What a disappointment. read more
