Hotel reviews: Eden Andalou Spa Resort

• Location
• TO KNOW
• Overview
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Beach
• Photos

Mr. Ali Chaoui, the hotel owner and manager of the Royal Tours tour operator, wanted this hotel to be a family-oriented destination with views over the surrounding landscapes (the Atlas mountains). The rooms are all very spacious and are able to hold large families.

• Location
• TO KNOW
• Overview
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Beach
• Photos

This brand new hotel, built in the Arabo-Andalusian style, opened in August 2008 in a part of Marrakech which is not yet sought after by property developers. Although the Eden Andalou is outside the centre of Marrakech, it is the ideal place if you are looking for peace, quiet and plenty of space.
The hotel is a red U-shaped complex with a main building housing the reception, bars and restaurants. The rooms are spread over two buildings, on either side of the central esplanade. Swimming pools surrounded by olive trees can be found in the middle of the complex, with magnificent views of the Atlas mountains. There are no less than two outdoor pools for you to swim a few lengths in, one of which is heated until the end of March. There are even four-poster beds arranged around the pools. Why not test your tennis skills between dips, or relax in the Bains de l'Eden, the hotel's spa and balneotherapy centre. It not only has a sensory pool where aquatic music is played, but also a whirlpool bath, 2 hammams and a gym. You may also opt for a massage, pamper yourself with one of the various treatments on offer, or head for the fusion showers.
As for the clubs, children are very well looked after in the baby-club, mini-club and junior clubs. Two swimming pools (heated in winter) are set aside just for them.

• Location
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• Overview
• Accommodation
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• Beach
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The 256 mini-suites and suites are spread over 6 riads located either side of the central esplanade and swimming pools. Decorated in shades of turquoise blue, brown and white, they are very warm and welcoming. The Arabo-Andalusian styles (alcove, leather, etc.) and the more modern styes (designer lamp, contemporary colour scheme) combine perfectly in these spacious rooms. For the convenience of families, it is worth remembering that the mini-suites have a bedroom with a double bed and a space large enough to fit 2 or 3 more beds separated by a curtain. 34 of the mini-suites are adjoining, and two have been designed for people with reduced mobility. All the rooms have a flat-screen television, a telephone, air-conditioning/heater units, a minibar and a safe. With the good quality bedding and thick duvet, you will soon be in the arms of Morpheus. As for the bathrooms, they all have a bathtub, two washbasins and a hair-dryer, (the toilet is separate). 150 of the rooms have a shower as well as a bathtub.

• Location
• TO KNOW
• Overview
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Beach
• Photos

As in most hotels, you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in the main restaurant, which here is called 'the Atlas'. It serves international and local cuisine as a buffet and the large (and not very welcoming) room decorated in shades of red opens out onto the hotel's main central terrace. Opt to eat on the terrace, which is more convivial and offers the added bonus of views over the Atlas mountains. Moreover, heater lamps ae placed on the terrace in the winter and, similarly, in the summer, the air is kept fresh with humidifiers.
If you fancy trying something different in the evening, the a la carte restaurant 'Fez' serves up traditional cuisine from the city of Fes which is the most refined in Morocco. Its selling point is the Arabo-Andalusian orchestra, which plays in the background. The other a la carte restaurant, La Toque, serves Mediterranean cuisine.
At lunch time, the swimming pool snack bar provides lighter options. There are two bars where you can enjoy a drink among friends: the Jazz bar, which is located by the swimming pools with a terrace on the esplanade; and the Bar du Soleil, which is on the first floor, with views over the swimming pools, the Atlas mountains and Marrakech itself. You choose!