Over the 3 days we stayed there, there were small hitches, like our room door could not open on the first day, or there was a power trip which caused a blackout in our room. But all these were dealt swiftly and in a friendly manner, so we weren't really bothered. I might stay there again if I feel like having a 4* accommodation, although with my kind of travel style, I don't mind staying at a hostel or so. Amara does have its perks, eg no worries about getting ripped off by a taxi, since the valet will help you.
The buffet breakfast was varied slightly every day, so that we never had to eat the same stuff everyday. Since Amara is owned by a Singapore company, SG influences can be seen in the food (nasi lemak, beehoon, soup noodles etc) and in the architecture (There's a mini merlion and posters of SG in the cafe and a larger merlion at the swimming pool).
We paid around SGD100 for a night in a deluxe double room. The difference between deluxe and superior is the separation of the shower and bath, and additional small perks like bedroom slippers.
Go to the korean restaurant opp the hotel - nice food. There's a whole range of shops in the vicinity, so walk along the streets and explore.
It's in the District 3 zone, so it may take you around 50,000D (including tips, or else the actual taxi fare cost about 35,000D) to get to the city centre in Dist 1 during heavy traffic.
Amara is closer to the airport, so a trip from the airport to the hotel should cost only USD4 (buy the taxi voucher from the taxi desk beside the entrance door inside the airport). It takes about 10-15mins in off peak traffic from the hotel to the airport, and costs us 50,000D (including tips, actual taxi fare is around 32,000D).
