This is yet another fantastic Aman resort staffed by wonderful people, knowledgeable guides and an excellent new chef. That said, it is overpriced relative to other 5 star options in SE Asia - particularly given the poverty that surrounds you. The best summary of Aman is "They truly think of everything". The hotel is unique and understated. You feel like a guest at the King's ranchstyle home in the 1960's. The staff makes you feel like you're the only one at the hotel. The guides are superb: they take you on less traveled routes (on some ruins we were all alone although we did rise at the crack of dawn), are incredibly knowledgeable and speak good English. The new chef (Jonathan Phillips) just joined from the Aman India in October 2007 and he is excellent. The service is above average, but the front desk staff did drop the ball a few times. They also will organize side excursions: the water blessing is excellent (you get to have tea and cookies alone at your own Angkor ruin...very cool!), the helicopter trip into the jungle is unbelievable, the private dinner for 2 at a local home is not that great, and the motorcycle tip into the jungle to see the original angkor ruins and a waterfall is worth doing as well if you have an adventure side.

i stayed in amansara in october 2005, but seeing all the bad reviews now, i felt i had to write a comment on what was a very special experience to me.
at the time i was visiting, the extension wasn't yet there, so there were only original rooms. b/c it is so small, it was very peaceful and relaxing. there is no feeling you're in a hotel - you feel more like you're at your rich friends' house - everything was so private and individually tailored. the food was superb, the staff amazing, we had our own private guide whose knowledge and love for his country was stunning - we fell in love with everything we'd seen through his beautiful stories.
most of the reviews i've read on amansara object on the value, and it's probably not the best value considering the next most expensive hotel is probably 4 times cheaper. but in amansara everything is included in the price, and everything is planned before your arrival in such detail, that truly the only thing you need to do is relax and believe the hotel team that they're really trying to make this the most amazing experience.

Poor value overall. I expected so much more from the touted 6-star hotel group, especially for $1,000/nt. Staff were friendly and attentive, but all craved that discrete tip. My wallet was pulled out of my pocket more times for tipping than the number of temple pictures photographed. Had terrible experience at their spa. Higher management outside the country refused to address the issue. Don't stay at this hotel!

My husband and I are very demanding customers and we always find things to complain about in most top end 5 stars hotels. But Amansara was simply perfect. The level of details and attention of the service was truly impressive. All the staff knows every customer's name, they are very discreet and you always find them when you need them but they never are on your way; there is no "no disturb sign" in the room, because no staff will never come to disturb you when you're there (they know when you're in the room and only come to service the room when you're not there); we had, everyday, a little gift for us and our kids waiting for us in the evening (the kids loved it); the staff was knowledgeable, and you didn't need to look for "the activities manager" to ask any question, any staff member was there to take your question and get back to you very quickly; there is a common "tips" box, if you want to give any tips, so you don't need to bother with this during your stay and you can just tip the whole staff in that box when you leave; the day we left, the whole staff team, with the general manager, was waving good bye at us while driving off to the airport in the antique mercedez; it really felt like leaving a genuinely caring team. etc. etc. I could go on and on with the list of details about the service. Bottom line, you're really treated as a truly valued guest. Really well done by the whole team!
The other great thing about Amansara is that the food was really good. Very fresh, healthy and delicious. The menu changed everyday, but there was always a "khmer menu", a western menu, and a kids' menu. The real surprise for us was that all drinks were included in the half board (whenever the drinks were taken). And the quality of the wines was excellent too. The wine also changed everyday too, to fit with the menu.
Finally, for the excursions to the temples, it was just great! The touk touks were of great quality, pleasant to ride on and dropped us off at the entrance of the temples and came to pick us up on the other side of the temples. Here again, Amansara was particularly detail oriented; on the "temple in the jungle" excursion, for example, we started where people usually end their visit, at a time when there were very few people, so we could enjoy the views without crowds.
Now the question of value, which other reviewers mentioned. Yes, it is expensive, but if you can afford it, it is well worth it and I personally feel it is very good value, particularly compared to hotels like Rayavadee in Krabi, which is more expensive with a mass market kind of service and terrible food. In Amansara, the money you spend is well spent! I would definitely go back anytime!