3 thumbs up for Amara Sanctuary Resort.

Room booking
Everything went so smooth to book 8 rooms with Hotel Mgr Poom Samkasat, very realiable, systematic and prompt. Personally felt it was not only efficient, yet a good sound understanding of things from a broad perspective. As we are a big group seeking a quiet resort to break the "work from home" routine, a staycation with yoga to stretch our mind, Poom suggested an ideal venue for our practices, big enough for safety-distancing, so serene with much privacy despite the non-stop heavy rain throughout our stay. Thanks to the complimentary breakfast offered and a balcony room with a lovely view (for my anniversary)

Guest Relation Mgr Tommy was so kind, he had the venue cleaned, prepared and to our delight a carton of complimentary water was delivered before we start our yoga sessions, so thoughtful, there was nothing else we lack. He also generously offered me a complimentary late check out when I asked about the day rate and was ready to pay for it. His extended gesture of making himself available for us made us feel so looked after, we cant thank him enough.

Shutters Restaurant
An average venue for dinning, too cold indoor, at dinner, service slow to respond, staff look unmotivated, food is average and service was short, staff at dinner seems not trained and unable to understand guest's special request. However a dynamic breakfast team was prompt and "alive" a total contrast. Some office staff came to help on different mornings, service was a delight at breakfast !

Amara Resort is indeed a Sanctuary, the outdoor area of Shutters restaurant is set amidst nicely manicured, lovely lush greens, trees with squrriels, birds and peacocks to add vibe to our breakfast experience, best to dine outdoor. The surrounding landscape so healing for the senses when you take strolls, giving a soothing mental bath despite the rain forbidding a swim in the clean refreshing-looking pool.

The Spa
I had a deep tissue massage by San San, a small frame friendly lady with great deep pressure to my liking to unknot my body, a rejuvenating experience.

Overall, a 5 star service experience that is memorable and making me want to return. Our group is planning another staycation in August, see you soon Amara Sanctuary. Thank you for the wonderful staycation, a great team !

Really looking forward to give a great review given Amara’s reputation and the price we paid for this experience.

Was unpleasantly disappointed!

1. Aircon was not working
Could not adjust the temperature of the aircon and called the receptionist 3 times- Was told the technician would come but never came the entire night

2. Birthday service was not delivered
Read reviews that the service was impeccable when it comes to birthday- We specially chose Amara for this- Boyfriend called beforehand to enquire about the cake since it’s a nice gesture and not commitment. We were disappointed since he was promised a cake- Cake did not arrive

3. Alarm at 7am?
There was a fire alarm that rang from 7am-8am. 1 hour of continuous ringing was not a good experience as well

Shared our concerns with the receptionist in the morning and all we got was ‘sorry for this, that will be all’

Was definitely not expecting this level of service for the price we paid! Wanted to celebrate our dog’s birthday with Amara but will probably give this a miss.

1. Asked for early check in, they told us to come at 12. Upon arriving, was told that we had to wait for the previous occupants to leave. Fine, but theres not a single seat in the lobby for us to sit. We were told to go to their restaurant to wait thus had to eat their mediocre food as it was raining heavily and we had so many stuff. To make it worse, we were planning a birthday surprise for my mum so we wanted to prepare by checking in early. Ended up having to ask my mum to wait around while they prepared the room (1 hr +). I know early check in is not an expected, but they shouldnt have told us to come at 12pm when theres no reason to do so, and furthermore when there is nowhere to sit.
Service at the restaurant was sub par, with inattentive staff- note that this isnt at peak hour, there was only three tables of customers at the time.

We were able to check into the room, but to our horror, the sofa was so dirty and there was stains on the bathtub. The floor felt quite dusty as well. (See images)

TLDR: I really regret not booking a more respectable hotel for a special occasion. If you are finding somewhere to celebrate a special occasion, look elsewhere because they are NOT reliable at all.