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Amanjena, Marrakech
Marrakech, Morocco · Aman · Apex Luxury
When Aman opened Amanjena in 2000, its first resort in Africa, architect Ed Tuttle spent two years raising rose-pink pisé pavilions around a jade reflection pool drawn from Marrakech's twelfth-century Menara Gardens. The 32-pavilion compound on the Ouarzazate road hosted David Beckham's 40th birthday in 2015 and doubled as an Abu Dhabi hotel for Sex and the City 2. It now holds two MICHELIN Keys.
- 32 rooms
- Opened 2000
- Neighborhood: Route de Ouarzazate, Marrakech 40000
- Rooms from 1,883 sq ft (175 m²)
- Architect: Ed Tuttle
- Interiors: Ed Tuttle
About Amanjena, Marrakech
- Amanjena was Aman's first property on the African continent; every earlier Aman stood in Asia, the Pacific, or the Americas.
- Tuttle drew on the Alhambra and the Almohad Menara Gardens, packing earth walls in the Berber pisé tradition to match Marrakech's red-city palette.
- The main restaurant rises under a six-metre roof carried on eighty onyx pillars.
- Sex and the City 2 filmed at Amanjena in 2009, using its Moorish courtyards to stand in for a Gulf hotel.
- Beckham's 2015 birthday guests included Gordon Ramsay, Liv Tyler, Eva Longoria, Tom Cruise, and the Spice Girls.
History
Amanjena opened in 2000 as the first Aman resort in Africa, designed in the style of a 16th-century Moorish palace over a two-year construction period. It gained fame as a filming location for *Sex and the City 2* and hosted high-profile events like David Beckham's 40th birthday in 2015. The resort is currently undergoing a silent renewal and is scheduled to reopen on October 5, 2025.
The setting
Amanjena occupies a sequestered compound at Kilometre 12 on the Route de Ouarzazate, the ancient southern road connecting Marrakech to the Saharan gateway, set within palm groves and centuries-old olive trees with the snow-capped High Atlas as backdrop. Designed by Ed Tuttle and opened in 2000, the resort takes its name—'peaceful paradise'—from its embrace of Moroccan aristocratic seclusion: rose-pink pisé walls enclose pavilions and maisons around a jade-hued reflection pool inspired by the 12th-century Menara Gardens. Bahia Palace is 23 minutes by car and Jemaa el-Fnaa 32 minutes away; the site sits amid a cluster of landmark luxury estates along this corridor, prizing private space and Atlas panoramas over medina proximity.
Restaurants and bars
- The Moroccan Restaurant — Restaurant · Italian
- Nama — Restaurant · Japanese
Experiences
- Caidal Tent private dining experience — Candlelit dinners and special occasion feasting in an ornately decorated caidal set amidst the resort's olive groves, with live Moroccan music.
- Agafay Desert private dining experience — Camel trip across the lunar Agafay desert to a private tent for a traditional Berber dinner under the stars; warmer months only, weather permitting.
Amenities
- Comprehensive Spa with four treatment rooms
- two Moroccan hammams
- 33m heated outdoor pool and children's pool
- two clay tennis courts
- yoga studio
- fitness centre
- cooking classes, pottery, falconry
- Hot tub
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- Morocco's Leading Villa Resort 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards (multiple years)
- Featured in World's 50 Best Discovery
- Forbes Travel Guide recognition
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