Amankila (peaceful hill) is a cliffside beach resort overlooking the Lombok Strait in East Bali. The resort is close to Manggis, Candi Dasa, Tenganan and other villages in Karangasem, Bali’s most traditional regency. The suites are elevated to take advantage of the spectacular views to the sea and surrounding hillsides. 

The resort is built on four levels. Guests are received in a columned, open-air setting. The Bar and the Restaurant are located one level below. From there, steps lead down to the library, the Gallery, the Terrace Restaurant and the three-tiered swimming pool. The Beach Club, which spreads in and about a mature coconut grove, is down at the beach. 

From Denpasar airport, it’s a one-hour-and-45-minute drive to Amankila, in East Bali.

Accommodation

Amankila’s 35 free-standing suites, with their alang alang roof thatching, respond to their East Bali surroundings, in particular to Ujung, the royal water palace just outside Amlapura, the area’s capital. Each suite features a large bedroom with wide window views, a canopied, four-pillar bed, a writing desk and music system. The bathroom is divided into two distinct sections. A deep soaking tub and a divan face each other, each backing on to large, double windows. A separate shower is located next to the tub, while the toilet room is adjacent to the divan. A separate space is dominated by double terrazzo vanities, fitted with seashell-finished taps. Large coconut-shell dressing areas claim both ends of the rattan terrazzo-tiled room. The outdoor terrace of each suite enjoys a large daybed, a coconut-shell table and rattan chairs. 

Nine suites, including the Amankila Suite, the Indrakila Suite and the Kilasari Suite, come with private pools. Three of Amankila’s pool suites connect to deluxe suites; a fourth pool suite is linked to a superior suite. 

The Amankila Suite includes two separate bedroom pavilions in an expansive and private compound. The Amankila Suite is graced with an aquamarine-tiled swimming pool flanked by a bale and a lily pond at each end of a long, sea-facing terrace. The Indrakila Suite enjoys privileged sea views far up the east coast. The Kilasari Suite is perched high on the hillside, with partial sea views and a separate entrance. 

FACILITIES and ACTIVITIES 

The Restaurant, located above the main pool and overlooking the ocean, is open for dinner. The menu features a mix of Western and Asian cuisine. Adjacent to the Restaurant is Amankila’s tranquil Bar, with its sea views. The Terrace, set just back of the main pool, is open for breakfast and lunch. The Terrace serves Asian and Western cuisine. Indonesian tea is available every afternoon from the library steps. 

The Beach Club is set within a throng of tall coconut palms at sea level. Its centerpiece is a 45-meter, turquoise-tiled swimming pool. The Beach Club is the setting for Amankila’s weekly evening barbecues and Balinese dance performances. Snorkeling equipment, windsurfers, boogie boards, kayaks and Hobie cats are located at the Beach Club. Eight teak-wood lounging bales, each fitted with a daybed, are set in the sand just back of the high-tide line. Snacks and refreshments are served at the patio above the pool. Two massage beds are located in a grove of palms and flowering bushes close to the sea. (Guests can also take their massage or beauty treatments in the privacy of their suite.) 

The library, just back of the main pool, is rimmed with floor-to-ceiling windows. Oversized daybeds allow guests to relax and enjoy the wide selection of books, newspapers and magazines available. Games, CDs and audio cassettes can also be borrowed. Located next to the Terrace restaurant, the Gallery and Shop has a generous selection of Balinese art, crafts and antiques. 

Amankila also keeps a bale in the mountains for picnic breakfasts and lunches. The thatched-roof hut overlooks hills and valleys, stands of banana trees, fields of rice and, in the distance, the sea and Amankila, too. 

Activities 
Amankila’s natural element is water. Beyond the resort’s four main pools and the Beach Club, there’s the 40-foot outrigger, Aman Xll. Designed after a jukung, a traditional Balinese fishing boat, the pleasure craft is used for island cruising and snorkeling. Guests can also charter Aman Xll for a cruise and private barbecue at a secluded beach up the coast from Amankila. 

Touring is particularly rewarding in East Bali. Highlights include the royal palaces of Klungkung and Karangasem and the water palaces of Tirtagangga, now a public bathing area, and Ujung, a grand ruin. Countryside trips can be arranged to the many villages and the rural life that spreads out from Amankila. Two of the island’s most important temples – Lempuyang and Besakih, the island’s mother temple – are located in East Bali. The trekking is also fine, and Amankila keeps six full-suspension mountain bikes for guest use. 

Should guests wish to shop beyond Amankila’s own Gallery, trips can be arranged to several East Bali villages famed for their craft. In Sidemen, textiles from Bali, and throughout the archipelago, can be purchased in an idyllic countryside setting. In Tenganan, there’s more on offer than the rare double ikat cloth. In Kamasan, just south of Klungkung, a distinctive style of Balinese art is produced. Handicrafts and souvenirs can be found in the village of Candi Dasa, just beyond Amankila, and in other of the region’s rural settings.