Marrakech: Where to Stay: Grand: Amanjena

Amanjena

This Amanresorts property outside of the city, just fifteen minutes from the medina, is deliciously decadent and justly deserves the awe it inspires. Created by Ed Tuttle, the master of refinement who designed most of Amanresorts’ best hotels, the architecture is stunning, and the vast rooms, which are set around twelve and a half acres, epitomize grand minimalism. If the palm trees seem to line up just right—even heightwise—with the building columns, and all the pillows are at exactly the same angle, it is not by accident: Aman founder Adrian Zecha focused obsessively on getting all the details right. Your suitcase is unpacked for you, cold washcloths magically appear just when desired, rose petals float about the many pools, and sunbathers are served sorbet at teatime. There are two restaurants, two wonderful hammams, and two golf courses nearby. The staff is able to arrange for handsome guides (accompanied by drivers and air-conditioned cars) to take you through the souk or hiking in the mountains. Suites from $850.

Editor’s Note: When I stayed at the Amanjena in early 2001, we stayed in a two-bedroom maison. We had a large living room with a fireplace, one bedroom upstairs and another downstairs. The advantage of the upstairs bedroom was a huge bathroom with a bath; the disadvantage was that because it had interior windows that faced the courtyard-like living room, it was not especially private. While less exposed, the downstairs bedroom had the disadvantage of having only a shower, no bath. So while we really enjoyed having a big living room, I’m not sure I’d recommend the configuration to couples traveling together, as we were. That configuration is best for families, who would also like the private pool. Our experience with the staff was excellent—from masseuses to drivers; the front-desk people even managed to track me down in the library one evening to forward a phone call. My only two complaints: the music and lighting systems were extremely complicated with no in-room instructions, and I found the interiors a little cold and minimalist for such a decorative culture. —M.B.B.