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Old Jul 5, 2018 | 2:30 pm
  #240  
BESVISOR
formerly htang333
10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Wi-Fi
Programs: Virtuoso 1%, Four Seasons (Top 25 Advisor), AMAN (Top 50), Rosewood Elite Top, Hyatt Prive Top, etc.
Posts: 1,468
Originally Posted by BESVISOR
Anyone having troubles with uploading images on this thread?
Alright, a bit late on this but here's my high level review of Amanjena from my visit in June...Occupancy level was between 45 - 65% throughout our stay.

Okay, first thing first....The AC was fine for us...we kept it in-between 20 - 22 C and it had no problems at all. Actually got a bit cold at night and had to turn it off. I'm sure it can easily go lower for those who need it.
Thought June might be a bit too hot but it was amazingly nice. The Moroccan dry heat felt much better than what we're used to in June. I was out in the sun for a 4 hour tour and didn't break a sweat, that was a first! #winning

The resort itself was gorgeous and consistent with the Aman brand. There's a sense of place and yet you know you are being embraced by an Aman.

We were assigned the Maison Jardin. Basically, a two-bedroom, duplex house with a pool and garden. It was almost too large for our needs but it worked out perfectly as anytime I was in trouble with my wife, I had my own bedroom to retrieve to. I've never been so fearless on a holiday! Everything within our Maison and the general property was extremely well kept. The flower peddles in our two fountains were changed daily, I'm pretty sure. We did catch the housekeeping team once but aside from that, it was a proper Aman. No names or room # were asked, the entirety of our stay. The service throughout was fabulous. Especially at the main pool. Whenever we approached, the chairs were setup immediately, along with ice/water and shading. The staff came around to hang our shirts, hats, and offered micro fiber cloth for our sun glasses!

GM - Nicolas, was always out and about, checking in on guests and discussing matters with the Jena team. Very personable guy and I really enjoyed our long conversation about the industry, Aman brand and Jena, itself.
I think Nicolas is probably one of the best GMs I've had the pleasure of meeting and really liked the fact that he genuinely welcomes constructive feedback. He also seemed to have a pulse on how the perception of the Aman brand has changed (and continue to) amongst the loyal junkies. I think he really prefers the old Aman ethos and is keen to keep Jena more guest/serviced focused rather than just monetary. But these are just my interpretations.

Well aware of the fact that Jena needs to improve its food offerings, Nicolas was very open to any feedback I had for him and asked us often how the food was. Unfortunately for me, I dined at Nama, the onsite Japanese restaurant and actually got pretty sick (it tasted good on the way in, though. LOL!). To be completely fair, I can't say for 100% sure that it was Nama but I honestly can't imagine it's anything else as I know when I'm ill from food. So, just be a bit careful at Nama. Once they found out I was sick, they did everything they could to ensure I was comfortable and insisted on calling in a doctor for me but I declined as I just needed to sleep it off. 30 hours later, I was fine, more o-toro, please!
Aside from that, all of our other meals were actually very good. I'm not sure if it's due to the new (Italian) executive chef's handy work or what but we had great breakfast, Italian and Moroccan dishes. His homemade gnocchi was a hit with us.

The transfers were included in the rates and it's now via a Mercedes S500. I had heard it was previously a van or something less desirable.

Overall, we had a great stay! From a service perspective, this was one of the best Amans I've experienced. I did have a client visiting Jena just a week after my departure and they shared the same positive feedback and no one got sick, fortunately. Considering the rates for Jena in June/Summer, I'd say the value is fantastic!

Thanks for reading, here are some photos, view at your own risk!

Sorry these photos are scattered/oddly placed but I'm having trouble uploading images due to a "missing security token" error on FT so only managed to get a few random photos up...If interested in seeing more, it's on my site: https://www.besvisor.com/amanjena







Last edited by BESVISOR; Jul 6, 2018 at 5:30 am
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