We discovered this bay on the north side of the airport while going around on electric bicycles on our last trip to Ngapali, and decided to stay here because we enjoyed snorkeling, and having Lots of boulders offshore. Amara Ocean stretches a lot of beauty, sandy beach, with separate bungalows right on the beach, or step back a bit. No problem - every bungalow has ocean views. The grounds are superbly landscaped with wooden, slatted walkways. The buildings are all made of teak - I wonder how many (if any) have been recycled teak, have seen some devastating images from North Shan State of the teak forest. Each bungalow is huge, with large sliding doors, and a "privacy screen" behind the headboard, So you can change in front of the closet without closing the curtains. The "art towels" are fantastic - folded towels / rolled like elephants when we arrive, and then kiss the swans. Embellishment services include jasmine flowers beside the bed and a sink. Bathroom has 2 sinks, large shower and separate toilet. One of my complaints is that, for a hotel that caters to German / European tourists, the robe is very small - more sized for Burmese people than we are bigger foreigners. The beds are very, very comfortable, and the pillows down are perfect - usually in upscale Myanmar hotels have very high pillows that aren't all comfortable. Embellishment services include jasmine flowers beside the bed and a sink. Bathroom has 2 sinks, large shower and separate toilet. One of my complaints is that, for a hotel that caters to German / European tourists, the robe is very small - more sized for Burmese people than we are bigger foreigners. The beds are very, very comfortable, and the pillows down are perfect - usually in upscale Myanmar hotels have very high pillows that aren't all comfortable. Embellishment services include jasmine flowers beside the bed and a sink. Bathroom has 2 sinks, large shower and separate toilet. One of my complaints is that, for a hotel that caters to German / European tourists, the robe is very small - more sized for Burmese people than we are bigger foreigners. The beds are very, very comfortable, and the pillows down are perfect - usually in upscale Myanmar hotels have very high pillows that aren't all comfortable.
The food was excellent - we were impressed with the menu and the food quality. We have lived in Myanmar for almost 7 years and have our favorite dishes that they cater to perfection - pennywort salad, banana salad, squid curry. Western food is also very, very good - pasta carbonara with additional vegetables, and a large, full breakfast with fresh pastries, eggs, bacon, muesli, fruits and a choice of Asian noodles. The cocktails are very creative and very good, albeit expensive. We were offered a free cocktail one night to try, made with Kachin rice wine - a very creative and refreshing taste.
The pool area is nice, although shows its age a bit. The seats were full while we were there because there were very few people at the time - I thought there were no more than 5 of us at any given time. But if it were more than adequate, with an example tour guide, then the seat might be hard to come by.
The spas are fine - they are 50% off between 9 am and 12 pm, and I get a very good 90-minute deep tissue massage. Not quite as treatable as its name suggests, but still very good. One problem with the room we were staying in was that the AC was in the middle of the subdivision, so the middle part would have cold air, and the part I was in didn't get anything and it was quite hot and humid. They serve ginger tea very well afterwards.
The staff are very friendly, and very helpful. They guarantee electric bicycles for us for 20,000 MMK per day, and also free bicycles. The resort is not near anything - there are no restaurants nearby as further south of the airport. But there are 2 restaurants on the beach - unable to confirm them because we didn't try them. Getting on an e-bike is the best way to get into town, or explore the area.
