Marrakech
Morocco


The Experience

The world woke up to Marrakech's chic makeover in 2000 when Amanresorts opened its first -- and so far only -- African property, in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. This serene collection of arched ocher pavilions in an oasis of palms and olive groves is set around a huge reflecting irrigation water basin. And with its swimming pool, spa, three restaurants, golf course, and typically Zenlike designer-dressed staff, you'll feel as pampered as Berber royalty. The frenetic souks and squares of the Medina are only 15 minutes away, but they may as well be another world.

The Rooms

There are 16 standard Pavilions, but "standard" doesn't seem an appropriate term when each has a king-size platform bed, separate high-domed living space with wood-burning fireplace, bath with green Moroccan marble tub and private garden. The eight Pool Pavilions include private pools in their gardens. For the most palatial quarters, opt for one of the two-floor, 6,000-square-feet Maisons Jardin, which come with personal butlers and a garden fireplace for cool desert nights. Get the butler to light it.

The Service

The microscopic attention to detail at Amanresorts' Oriental hotels fuses with a distinctly Moroccan spontaneity at Amanjena: You'll frequently be offered a glass of mint tea; find a fresh orchid in your bedroom; meet guest assistants eager to suggest which of the chic, secret restaurants in the Medina to try. The front desk will also draw up an itinerary for a drive into the Atlas Mountains, with a visit to a traditional Berber village.

The Highlights

There are three restaurants to sate the appetite, all with vastly different personalities. The glam scene at the Pool Terrace café overlooking the pool and golf course resembles South Beach at times, and the streamlined Thai Restaurant can seem a little out of place. But the candlelit Restaurant lined with onyx pillars, white cotton drapes and silk-upholstered banquettes creates some of the best home-cooked Moroccan dishes in the city. Treat yourself to a tajine after an early evening spell in the spa or the hammam, then head to the cocktail bar and fumoir, finishing off the Moroccan evening among smoke-tinted mirrors, Berber daggers and Arab swords.

-- Douglas Rogers

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