Amanjena

MARRAKECH

It’s a rare thing to discover a hotel with such an embracive, perfectly consistent design motif as that found at Amanjena, one of Morocco’s standout hotels. The Moorish archway trope is revealed as soon as you slink through the old gateways of the property and continues as you are swept through its spacious, palm-fringed grounds. Centred amid olive groves a 15-minute drive from the Red City’s ancient medina, it’s a desert rose and aquamarine-hued oasis of tranquillity, where hypnotic shapes, pillars, petal-strewn fountains and curves transport guests into a near-meditative state. The flow is effortless and effective, bolstered by the shadows cast from the sun overhead.

Palatial and proud, hushed pathways lead from a central basin to shaded courtyards, wide pools, tennis courts, rolling fairways and a range of pavilions and mansions that form the basis of accommodation. Each villa has its own gated entrance leading on to an elegant garden and minzah (Morocco’s answer to a gazebo) with day beds disturbed only by the rustle of greenery. Many have a large pool, too. Inside, expect vaulted ceilings, leather desks, zeliji tiles, wood burners and Berber carpets strewn across walls and floors. Bathrooms are a ‘his ‘n’ hers’ dream of Ouarzazate green marble, seen elsewhere at the spa, which features two hammams and offers a range of local Argan oil treatments.

From the sofa-clad lobby (complete with a fragrant display cabinet of local spices), to the glamorous bar decked out in smoke-tinted mirrors, silver and historic camel-bone swords, the communal spaces are a festival for the senses. Appetite whet, opt for one of two restaurants: traditional Moroccan or izakaya-style Japanese. Both are excellent. BG. Villas from £430. aman.com