this may lead to some inflamed responses, but my biggest disappointment - by far - is Amanjena.

disclaimer: i didn't even stay there. i didn't need to. no amount of impeccable Aman service could possibly make up for - IMHO - the total lack of "specialness" of the place.

in short, the place left me totally cold and unmoved. i've stayed at Amankila, Amanwana, Amanpuri, Amanusa. to me, each oozes a special character that combines a beautiful natural site with understated architecture, to which one adds superlative service, and one has an Aman experience.

Amanjena, on the other hand, is a big, ostentatious temple slapped on an utterly flat, featureless piece of real estate in 'suburban' Marrakech. as such it has neither the character of the local 'Riads' within the Medina walls, nor does it benefit from striking views of the Atlas mountains, which some other better located boutique hotels possess in spades.

in fact, the villas have no view to speak of, blocked by a combination of walls and hedges. i also thought that the villa layouts were 'typical' Bali Aman re-hash (i.e. bed/living + big open toilet + dressing area + outdoor patio or plunge pool), with very superficial stylistic references Moroccan architecture.

while in Marrakech i stayed at and visited some pretty special luxury boutique hotels in the Marrakech area which combine excellent service and design character for a true top-tier Moroccan experience. Amanjena, most disappointingly, just isn't one of those places.

i can only speculate that Amanjena was conceived during Adrian Zecha's temporary 'exile' from Amanresorts (can anyone confirm this?), as i cannot imagine any place so lacking in true Aman character!

milehighj