Amanjena
When Amanjena arrived in Marrakech, it raised the game for this fashionable North African town. Travellers no longer had to contend with cramped riadstyle accommodations in the Medina (the old town) but could stretch out and luxuriate in this 39-suite property on the city’s fringe. Like Amanjiwo, this one’s built by Ed Tuttle and inspired by local palaces. The walls are a sun-baked pink and grounds feature vast bassins (ornamental irrigation pools), domed pavilions, and regal rose gardens. Room details include zellij fountains, a pillared minzah (gazebo), and maillechort candle lanterns. The Thai restaurant attracts the city’s knowing ex-pats, and the spa has a traditional hammam. Amanjena’s heart is the main pool, which is easily the most glamorous in all North Africa.
Location: Rural
Style: Hideaway, Uber-retreat
Rooms: 39 Suites
Facilities: Spa
The top suite is the Al-Hamra Masion with two bedrooms, a private butler and 36sq metre heated pool. Alternatively, Q holds a flame for the six two-storey maisons -- a notch down, but also two-bedroom each with a courtyard and pool. The bathtubs are green marble.