AMANGALLA
Of its portfolio of properties spanning half the world, very few Aman resorts weren't raised from scratch. The Aman Summer Palace remains a masterpiece of conservation, flanked by Aman Venice and Amangalla which were carved out from a Grand Canal palazzo and a Dutch built officer's mess respectively. The sumptuous high ceilings and frothy white walls of Amangalla do channel an oriental exoticism that exude the glamour and grandeur of a bygone era. By this formula many restored hotels have been inducted as hospitality grandees but curiously not Amangalla. An arrival here sheds light on that score, the experience being just a tad underwhelming. A nondescript entrance opens to a moody interior of high arch windows and creaky timber flooring, a scene that is at best atmospheric and full of character but otherwise lacking visual impact and sound persuasions for rack rates that must be amongst the highest in the country. The furnishings in the rooms are posh and plush, but otherwise unimaginative. The service was just a tad too prim to come off as charming. Ultimately, along with a couple of other aging Aman properties which now face a coterie of competitors more attuned to the realities of modern luxuries, Amangalla may need to expediently tend to the tricky conundrum of how not to look old in premises renowned for being old.
Service: + +
Design: + +
Overall Distinction: + + +
Recommendation Index: ++ There are other Amans in the region more deserving of your patronage. From S$651
GOURMET AND WELLNESS
Holding fort in a colonial enclave usually means one can look forward to a stiff three tier at tea time with scrumptious scones and cucumber sandwiches and that the Amangalla delivers with aplomb. Ayurvedic therapies are the mainstay treatments of its spa and guests may even visit with the doctor who dispenses advice and treatments along Ayurvedic principles. The best spot for repose is within the shaded pavilions by the green tinted pool where one can cosy up to a book with tipple in hand.