Amanemu

Possibly the worst 5 stars I ve stayed in. Beautiful property. Horribly run. Took us 5 days before arrival until the day we arrive just to book tours with miss information. When we arrived, there was still miscommunication between the concierge and the front desk who checked us in and a prebooked tour was still not confirmed. We checked in and asked for an upgrade since our room had no view, they said they d check, left us in the room and dissappeared for an hour so we just sat there waiting without unpacking. between then and the next hour a person arrived with our confirmed tour itenery and we followed up on the room around 30 minutes in and again they said they would check. After an hour I called back and they said yes they had the room, but we have to pay extra, which was fine, but they didnt inform back since they assumed we asked for a free upgrade. Once we confirmed we would pay, they sent a buggy straight away and took us to the new room. Took them another 30 minutes to move our luggage and they still didnt move everything. So that was an a near 2 hours we had to sit there doing nothing. During the check in we tried to book for spas for everyday of our stay and was informed the spa was fully booked. (4 nights stay) The onsen in the room is not temperature controled, so its nearly like just a hot bath in a normal hotel. we asked about the public bath they had in the spa and was informed we needed swimming suits, which wasnt informed to us when we booked the hotel and obviously we had to buy it from the hotel shop. The only great staffs were the food and beverage staff which were keen. Food wasnt that great. To sum up, the hotel is beautiful, but without a lot of push and pre planning the activities, you d be stuck with nothing to do since its very far away from everything and even wellness options within the hotel had to be prebooked since everhthing seems to be not available. Dont expect to communicate to one staff to request for something and they communicate to the right team. We managed to get 1 spa booking after we complained to a manager overall, requested a Shiatsu, they said Shitsu master not available so again, not sure why they put it on the menu and this is across requested for several day massages, they said on these days, its not an option, we had a pretty long stay. All the experiences you see on the website, dont expect you can book them unless you push everything pre trip and believe me it ll require a lot of pushing just to get tour confirmations. For a 5 stars, very disappointing. First stay at Aman, will go back to Belmonds and Four Seasons.

In keeping with Aman properties, this resort provides a sense of modernity, serenity, and luxury to explore a wonderful and fascinating area of Japan (Ise Shima National Park). For a Japanese non-national, this resort is somewhat difficult to get to, but perhaps this is point and the beauty of Amanemu and all Aman resorts (the exclusivity in their remoteness). We used their impressive gym and spa daily. I highly recommend the Ama diving experience which is the best way to experience the park.

This place is amazing for the following reasons 1) Manager of the resort met us personally to welcome us & explained our package in detail....Meticulous detail in every aspect of our stay here for 3nights /4 days stay. 2) We travelled from Osaka to Amanemu by car for almost 3 hour trip...It is really worth the travel to this place of nature. Bird song/chirping wakes you up every day at 5am... 3) Japan tells us about as to how to be the best in Customer service with a smile & and a bow...I have learned a few thing from the people here 4) Last I also want to credit all staff for their hospitality. Also to name a few 1) Mayuko and June in office...(Not sure on spelling of his name in Japanese)

- Tranquil, peaceful, relaxing - Beautiful nature - Amanemu delivers an amazing experience, especially at the hot spring onsen. - General Manager handled a health emergency very elegantly - Food quality is excellent, especially the Japanese breakfast - Area for improvement is the junior staff, who are not well trained and should be trained more before assisting with the guest

This hotel is overpriced in every aspect. The rooms are good, but for the price there is far better in Japan. The food is good, but its hard to enjoy when you know its 3 or 4 times the price that is should be. Read the other reviews and they are all the same - if I had taken the time to read them, I would have never booked this hotel. This hotel negates many aspects of being in Japan. The reality is you could be anywhere in the world at this hotel which is such a missed opportunity. The baths are not traditional, other guests turn up to dinner in tracksuit pants and you loose all of the great things about luxury Japanese culture. My advise would be to stay at a small luxury Royokan for a more authentic Japanese experience - a fraction of the price and such a unique experience. Check out Relais & Châteaux. Any of them will be unique and provide better value than the Aman.