Introduction <img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3113-pavilion-piscine-entrance.jpg">Pavilion Piscine entrance<img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3115-amanjena-night.jpg">Amanjena at nightWe booked a pavilion piscine under the aggressive summer oasis package which included a guaranteed upgrade (bassin to piscine) and three meals a day. While we were there, we were assisted by Livio Ranza who introduced himself as the property’s Assistant Manager. The General Manager was Miguel De Susa whom we met on a few occasions, but we got the impression he was offsite more than he was on. He was from Portugal, so perhaps…well, we’d better not start any rumors. If Dar Ahlam was authentic, Amanjena was fantasy. This glamorous property was Ed Tuttle at his finest with dramatic larger than life spaces, several manmade bodies of water in a nod to “oasis”, Moorish arch after Moorish arch, green tiled roofs and various other green fish-scale tiles, and pink stucco walls made to look like adobe. Even the lanterns here were larger than life. In short, it was gorgeous. The resort was located in a wealthy golf course community about 20 minutes from Marrakesh. Being away from the medina allowed them to grow pretty olive, lemon and orange trees and attract lots of birds. Pavilion Piscine In advance of our stay, I had requested a pavilion piscine with consideration for privacy and had been assigned the unit closest to the main lobby. As it turns out, that was not the room we were taken to and I just assumed they had found more privacy for us elsewhere in the resort. More on that later. The suite itself was everything lovely. The central bedroom/sitting room had a very high domed ceiling and was accented by large electric lanterns. There was green tiled flooring throughout and a very large bathroom and dressing area with Moroccan green marble, Berber carpets, a deep soaking tub and a spacious separate shower. The faucets and other fixtures, considering their age, were in very good shape. The real heart of the suite though, was the plentiful outdoor space where a two-storied gazebo shaded a cushioned lounge area and small dining table. Separate from that, there was a small fountain, a generous Moorish arch-themed plunge pool, an umbrella and 4 lounge chairs, each with tidy folded towels and complimentary sun hats. This large courtyard was surrounded by an approximately 7-foot high wall…a true walled oasis. Dining Food at Amanjena was varied and delicious. Thanks to the lovely weather, dinners were served in front of the manmade lake with live local music every night. The menus included Moroccan, Mediterranean, Italian and Thai food. We opted to eat picnic-style on the outdoor padded bar loungers since we eat at tables often enough at home. The setting, with the musicians, elaborate lanterns and candlelight, felt very “1001 nights”. One evening, Livio (also a chef) was kind enough to cook a special meal for us of lobster risotto. We also often ordered room service to enjoy our outdoor courtyard, and each meal was perfection…nothing forgotten, beautiful presentation, and candles in the evening. For one nighttime meal we requested help with the fireplace and they sent the resident fire-starter. Blazing! Service Service here was definitely up to Aman standard with Livio leading the charge. Many of the management staff seemed to make a point to check in on us…all very proactive and personal. The usual nightly gifts were there, along with a bouquet of dozens of pink roses, and we also enjoyed the welcome bottle of Moroccan red wine. The room had a bottomless supply of hazelnuts, almonds, and sweet local dates nearly the size of my fist. Before our departure, Livio prepared a package of Jena hats and shirts for us and included some argan oil as he had overheard me saying how much I enjoyed it. We wore some of our other Aman gear while there so Livio no doubt wanted us to add Amanjena to our wardrobe. Spa <img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3112-roses-everywhere.jpg">Roses everywhere<img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3114-pavilion-piscine-courtyard-pool.jpg">Pavilion Piscine courtyard and poolFor our first trip to the spa, we booked the Moroccan Bloom which was a traditional Moroccan hammam experience (gorgeous steam room, black soap, exfoliation, scented clay mask) followed by a one hour massage. The treatment left us baby soft and we enjoyed the massage so much we went back later in the week for more. Pierre, the spa manager, was especially attentive and spoke to us in depth before and after each treatment. He took steps to truly customize our experience. The fitness center was small but complete with very nice amenities like TVs at every station, cool water, towels, etc. Medina Tour <img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3108-parking-lot.jpg">Parking lot<img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3099-village-life.jpg">Village life<img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3102-spices-souks.jpg">Spices in the souks<img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/ericka-albums-morocco-picture3111-juicy-details.jpg">Juicy detailsOf course, the medina was what we had really come to Marrakech for. We had researched the experience in advance and were surprised at the number of folks on tripadviser who felt harassed there. We learned a few basic terms like La Shukran (no thank you), kept a smile on our face and found that all of our interactions were pleasant ones. Of course, our guide might have helped! While in the souks, we purchased a pair of babouches (Moroccan slippers) and the shopkeeper invited us to take our picture with him in his shop which tells us we probably overpaid. LOL. Mr. Ericka purchased a museum quality dagger (there are expensive shops in the souks as well). We also visited the ancient merchant trading houses and the Jemaa El Fna square to see the traditional storytellers, dance troupes and crowded food stalls. It was my idea to visit the Majorelle Gardens, but in hindsight I wouldn’t recommend that stop unless someone is a fan of Yves Saint Laurent. L’Arbaa Tighdouine We wanted to spend at least one day exploring the Atlas Mountains and Amanjena recommended we have lunch with a Berber family in L’Arbaa Tighdouine. We were accompanied by two staff members who drove us the hour from Marrakech. At the base of the village, we were met by our host. Goods were transferred from the vehicle to the gentleman’s donkey and while they started up the hill to begin preparing lunch, we proceeded to the local country market. The produce there was larger and fresher than what we see in our American grocery stores. And the barber/dentists (one man, two jobs) were especially amusing. We were the only tourists in sight. After visiting the market, we hiked the 20 minutes up to our host’s home. Three generations of the family were there to give us a tour (with a translator) but of course the activity in the dirt-floored kitchen was the most interesting. We enjoyed beef and chicken tagines, couscous, homemade bread and a light fruit dessert prepared by Amanjena. The best part of the day was having our host teach us how to pour a proper Moroccan mint tea and erupting into laughter as we all took turns taking silly photos. The view from the house over the mountains was lovely and we were amazed to learn that the family has lived there for 525 years. Opportunities for Improvement As it relates to privacy, we have to assume Amanjena’s hands were tied because everyone booked the same upgrade to the pool pavilion, and those rooms happen to all be lined up together. To be clear, we loved Amanjena. We would go back there again and would definitely recommend it to others. But future guests may want to consider a quieter time to go, when not so many rooms are booked. Or perhaps spring for a maison (PinPin, did you hear any of your neighbors from your maison courtyard? We know not all of them are end units so sound may still carry).A few days later, we came back to our room after an evening in the medina expecting to kick back and enjoy a room service dinner by the pool. It turns out there was a party going on next door…this time on the opposite side. Since the room’s sound system had no outdoor speakers, we have to assume the people brought out a portable boom box to play their loud rock music. Not local, ambient type of stuff. Rock. What followed was a flurry of managers (from Miguel on down) trying to find us an alternate pool room. Staff were literally at our door with valet carts ready to pack our bags, until Livio saved the day by asking our neighbors to “turn it down”. And just like that, it was over. We didn’t end up moving, but the staff graciously opened up the now vacant room on the other side of us just in case the noise started up again. Our second issue was related to our lovely pavilion piscine. As mentioned earlier, we were not in the unit that was originally assigned to us based on our desire for privacy. We can’t say whether the original room would have been any better…we’re starting to suspect not…but it turns out we uncovered a design flaw in Mr. Tuttle’s masterpiece. The rooms were lined up very closely to one another with no true barriers for sound, making it very different from the traditional Aman freestanding bungalow concept. For our first few days, we listened to two small children really, really enjoy their pool. Management offered to either downgrade us to a quiet non-pool room on the other side of the resort, or speak to the family. We declined both offers. After all, they were just being happy kids. The family would be checking out soon enough and they had a right to enjoy their room.About a month before our stay, we contacted the property to arrange a one-way 2.5 hour CMN transfer. We were surprised to learn that we would be charged for this, since the last time we checked the website, these transfers were complimentary for people staying longer than three nights. It turns out the website had since been changed to say that CMN transfers would be charged for people booked with packages. To be fair, we planned this trip a year ahead, so who knows how long it had been since we looked at the website. We emailed back and forth with a sales manager (Miguel wasn’t available) trying to relay our disappointment in having to cough up the $450++ USD, but they informed us that due to the aggressive nature of our package there was no room for negotiation. Instead, they offered us a very late checkout which made us happy, but the situation left us wondering if there was such a thing as “too good of a deal”…where the resort doesn’t have the financial wiggle room to correct issues like this. We honestly expected them to just say “yes, the language on the website used to be different so we’ll give you the transfer for free”.
Last edited by IBgkim; Nov 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm