The honest review of Amanjena

Spring and autumn get the best marks for weather; summer stays manageable but the outdoor pool is uncovered and cools quickly overnight in cooler months, and Marrakech can turn very hot in July and August.

Royal Mansour is closer to the medina, more ornate and considered stronger on food and spa; Amanjena is quieter, more private, and set further outside the city. Guests who want stillness over spectacle tend to prefer Amanjena, while those wanting palace-scale grandeur lean Royal Mansour.

Couples, honeymooners, and travelers who want a slow, private few days without much on-property activity. Families with young children have mixed results, some report kids getting bored, so it suits older kids or adult-only trips better than toddlers.

The property completed a room and gym renovation in 2025, but the spa and some villas still show wear. Separately, some guests have arrived to find the restaurant, library or spa temporarily closed, so it’s worth confirming operating facilities directly before travel.

Amanjena is rated Fat Favorite at 16.5/20 on Fat Voyage; La Mamounia is rated Fat Approved at 15.5/20. Both are scored across Service, Rooms & Design, Location, Dining and Wellness from community, editorial and verified-guest evidence — the side-by-side comparison shows where each one leads.

Two routes, and both end with the reservation sitting at the hotel in your name. Direct on the hotel’s own site is the fastest — the Reserve button on this page goes straight to it. The other is through a travel advisor with consortia access: you pay the same rate the hotel is charging publicly, the hotel pays the advisor’s commission instead of you, and an amenity package comes attached — breakfast for two daily, even on room-only rates, $100 property credit for food, drink or spa, room upgrade, subject to availability, early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. We handle that side ourselves for readers who ask.

Through a travel advisor with consortia access, for almost everyone. You pay the hotel’s own public rate and an amenity package comes on top that direct booking doesn’t include — typically breakfast for two daily, even on room-only rates, $100 property credit for food, drink or spa, room upgrade, subject to availability, early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. It costs nothing extra, because the hotel pays the commission rather than you. The one real exception is brand loyalty: advisor rates don’t always earn nights toward status, so if you’re chasing a tier or points, book direct. Short of that, there’s no version of booking direct that leaves you better off. We’re advisors ourselves, so you can just ask us.

Never guaranteed — it depends on what’s still unsold the day you arrive, and anyone promising one is guessing. Two things move the odds. The reliable one is booking through a consortia programme, where a room upgrade is written into the amenity package subject to availability; it costs nothing extra and it is the closest thing to a lever that exists. The other is telling the hotel in advance that you’re celebrating something, which works more often than people expect. The first part is already handled if you book it with us.