Hotel Details
AnaYela
| Region: | Marrakech and the Region |
| Location: | Marrakech |
| Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation Type | Low | Mid | High | |
| Chapter 1 and 2 |
Ground floor with double beds, en-suite facilities and direct access to pool
|
290 € | 330 € | 390 € |
| Chapter 3 |
First floor with double bed, en-suite bath and air conditioning
|
340 € | 380 € | 440 € |
| Chapter 4 and 5 |
First floor double bed suites, en-suite bath, air conditioning, fireplace
|
390 € | 440 € | 490 € |
| Palace |
Rental of AnaYela in full
|
1700 € | 2000 € | 2200 € |
| Please note: All prices are per room per night | ||||
Check Availability
Special Offers
Room discounts in 2011
Stay 5 nights for the price of 4
Facilities
Swimming pool
Air-conditioning
Spa on site
Sunbathing area
Internet connection
Disabled friendly
Vegetarian food
Smoking
Child-friendly
Bar and drinks
In-house restaurant
OtherSecure parking available five minutes walk away.
Guests can buy handmade candles as well as everything that has especially designed and produced for AnaYela on request.
Description
Dating back some three-hundred years, AnaYela is situated north of Marrakech’s bustling medina. Its name means "I am Yela" and is inspired by a letter that was found by owners Bernd and Andrea Kolb while the riad was renovated. The letter describes how a young girl named Yela fell in love with a local boy and left the house to marry him. Thus, a romantic backdrop is immediately created to this already elegant riad offering three bedrooms and two suites in an environment designed to be rich in inspiration.The owners of AnaYela seek to offer a 'cultural, sensual and mental' experience, which is confirmed by a number of magazines who have reviewed the hotel such as The New York Times and The Hedonist Guide describing AnaYela’s rooms as "designed to make you feel as if you are surrounded by excitement, romance and comfort". Harper's Bazaar's view is that this is a "hotel to die for", while Forbes Traveller rates it "Morocco's sexiest hotel" and Conde Nast has made it part of their annual "Hot List". However, despite the PR frenzy, there is a cultural solidity to AnaYela whose 2007 renovation employed over one-hundred local artisans using natural materials such as wood and tadelakt (lime coloured plaster) to create a traditional environment by hand.
As the hotel has been styled around the AnaYela’s story, engraved calligraphy runs across doors, painted onto ceilings and the bedrooms are classed as 'Chapters'. Two of these chapter bedrooms are located on the ground floor by the swimming pool and offer a seating area as well as a double bed with en-suite facilities. The first floor comprises one bedroom and two romantic suites (the bath is for two), all being en-suite and air-conditioned. The rooms remain elegantly dark and cool during the day but are lit beautifully at night with candles in alcoves and lights under each bed to create a 'flying carpet' effect. Lamps and vases created on commission by Moroccan artists grace the hotel's mantelpieces and tables.
Read MoreOn arrival guests will be greeted with a glass of milk and dates to welcome them into the family of the riad. From then on, refreshments such as mint-tea, coffee and home-made patisserie are available. Lunch and dinner are served on request. Lunch is usually a choice of light dishes such as soups and salads, whilst dinner is an example of typical Moroccan cuisine: guests can expect freshly prepared starters of homemade bread with walnut or herb butter, tajines of lamb cooked with almonds and dates or couscous with mixed vegetables, all created by AnaYela’s experienced cook. Where possible AnaYela sources vegetables themselves from a bio-farm outside Marrakesh, when this is not possible ingredients are always bought from the local market.
Meals can be served outside on the big table for ten guests or the small table for four, both tables are arranged by the patio next to the pool. If guests prefer a view whilst they eat, the terrace tables (or Berber tent) are available, as is the ìFlying Carpetî tower richly draped in red offering one of the highest points in the city. In cooler weather the inside salons have tables and huge sofas which guests can be served at. Room service is also available at no extra cost. Evening entertainment can be arranged such as a group of traditional musicians or the riad’s storyteller who vividly recounts AnaYela’s story in Arabic.
The lack of garden comes as no surprise due to AnaYela’s city location but areas on the hotel’s terrace are well equipped with sun-beds and AnaYela recommends a public park next to the hotel if green spaces are sought after. A choice of three golf-courses are just within walking distance, as are alternative swimming pools if the size of AnaYela’s pool disappoints. The hotel co-operates with local spas allowing the hotel to book transport and treatment together. Alternatively guests can receive treatments like massage in their own room, and beauty or hairdressing treatments are available on request.
Staff are helpful in planning individual stays for guests. If required, staff will contact guests before their arrival to discuss tailor-made programmes. These range from specially decorated bedrooms and dinners for occasions such as birthdays and honeymoons, to day trips in AnaYela’s 4x4 and private chauffeur to the Atlas Mountains and Berber villages, taking in local cuisine along the way. Additionally guests can choose one of AnaYela’s recommended guides to take a tour of the city. However guests may intend to plan and explore Marrakech themselves. AnaYela’s location in the Bab el Khemis quarter means there are plenty of local artisans selling genuine Moroccan arts and crafts. The location is also within walking distance to the main square and its souks, and a handy mobile-phone lent to guests for their stay allows for a smooth, problem-free experience.
Where is it?
AnaYela is a 15 minute drive from Marrakesh airport and within a 5 minute walk to local souks and a 20 minute walk to the medina.
Travel Times
| Airport | 15 minute drive from Marrakesh airport |
| City | 15 minute walk |
| Beach | 1.5 hours to Essaouira |
Other useful information
AnaYela employs its own chauffeur for guests or alternatively recommended taxis can also be ordered.
Guests can experience a cookery workshop at AnaYela and glipse Moroccan everyday life by making home-made bread with the cook and then taking it to the public ovens nearby.
A mobile phone is given to guests for the duration of their stay to remain in contact with taxi drivers and other members of staff.
A personal shopper can be hired to help guests shopping in Marrakesh's souks.
Environmental policies include no air-conditioning on the ground floor, heating the pool only when necessary, buying only market produce and careful use of water and detergents.
AnaYela has set up Marrakech Academy; a charity helping young people into universities and professional networks.
Special occasions can be catered for. Honeymooners or those celebrating anniversaries can expect a specially decorated suite with roses, incense, a sensual bath for two with ½ bottle of champagne, music, candles, roses or a romantic dinner.
The hotel scores are aggregated individual user scores which have been audited as authentic and accurate through due enquiry by Morocco Gateway.
Morocco Gateway reserves the right to exclude any reviews submitted by users which cannot be validated as authentic and accurate. Equally we will resist any request from any hotel to delist any negative review.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 7.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 8.3 | |
| Pool and facilities | 7.0 | Value for money | 6.3 | |
| Quality of staff | 7.3 | Overall rating | 7.1 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
User Reviews on AnaYela
Below you'll find reviews written by our users, that have stayed in this hotel. The reviews are vetted and verified by us and may have been summarised by our editor to give you a meaningful summary.
The Editor's Summary
AnaYela gives the impression of being an “authentic” and well-decorated riad from the range of reviews from guests on their first holiday to Marrakesh or on a business trip. Although guests have commented on the rooms being “fairly small” AnaYela seems to make up for it with the romantic “Flying Carpet” tower, the heated pool and freshly prepared cuisine served by the “friendly and helpful” staff. Guests may find the riad to be an intimate environment because of its small scale, whilst this may not be beneficial for those who prefer larger hotels, it does provide a “cosy, safe feeling”. AnaYela states their intention to create a physical, mental and sensual environment, unlike other hotels. This is definitely hinted at within the reviews we have received. 
My husband and I just returned from AnaYela on a three night stay. We had heard about it at first through friends. They had said that the staff were very friendly and helpful, and as this was our first time in Morocco we liked the idea of this. We were very excited about the hotel and we weren’t disappointed. The best things about AnaYela were the heated pool, open to the sky, the meals which you could tell were made fresh and the flying carpet tower, which gave even more character to the riad. Our room was fairly small and the plan of the riad felt a bit off at first – everything closed in to a central patio, but we got used to it and grew to love the cosy, safe feeling it gave. Overall it was a really romantic break which was what we had hoped for, the staff were as attentive as we had been told and helped us to plan quite a lot of our stay, which otherwise we might have been a bit too shy to try!
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 8.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 10.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 9.0 | Value for money | 8.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 8.0 | Overall rating | 8.1 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
I travelled to Marrakech on business and was recommended AnaYela as an elegant and well-located riad for work and play. I think overall this was what I received. The actual hotel rooms were a pleasure to stay in, the decorative order of the place was consistent and felt authentic. Silver lanterns and paintings hang from the walls and the wood carved details were done well.
I’m used to fairly large hotels so at times I felt a little bit uncomfortable with the intimacy of AnaYela’s four rooms. I had most of my meals on the terrace and loved the cuisine but my first lunchtime I sat by the pool which wasn’t the greatest of ideas as there were a couple of people splashing around as I ate and the close proximity of table with pool didn’t feel right!
The wi-fi was really useful for my work and generally the hotel was very quiet so I managed to get on with it without distraction. One day I managed to get out and walked around the city (with a bit of guidance from the staff beforehand), the location I realised is not incredibly central but within walking distance to the main medina, the souks and other attractions. I managed to find a few decorative bits in the market to take back with me, nothing quite as good as the items in AnaYela but close enough! Sadly I didn’t have enough time to explore the area properly, I would like to return to Marrakech and as I enjoyed the duration of my stay at AnaYela I would probably choose the same riad again.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 6.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 7.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 5.0 | Value for money | 7.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 7.0 | Overall rating | 6.6 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
AnaYela is just out of the main centre and a bit hard to find so definitely take advantage of AnaYela’s free pick-up/drop off from the airport or station! But generally its close to the main attractions. We had been to Morocco before but this was our first trip to the big city. Marrakesh is very energetic to say the least and we felt a bit daunted by finding our way around. We stayed at the riad for a couple of nights and appreciated the help the team at Anayela gave us. However we did feel that the location of the hotel and the fact it wasn’t a luxury hotel with an in-house spa and more lounge rooms meant that the price should be a bit lower. However it did have an amazing atmosphere and was obviously trying to appeal to those who want a break from the day-to-day. Generally we really enjoyed our stay but we might think of going somewhere a bit more comfortable and central next time to get our moneys worth.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 7.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 8.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 7.0 | Value for money | 4.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 7.0 | Overall rating | 6.7 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||