ampr fyi: for the weary kind

August 6th, 2010

This week’s installment of AMPR’s FYI comes from Tim Monaghan.  Originally from Delaware (yes, really), he’s been with AMPR for almost three years after a stint teaching at a boarding school in the British countryside.

Overnight flights can go one of two ways, and they inevitably affect the mood of your trip.  There are those of us who have no trouble stumbling into a deep sleep no matter where we are.  Then there are those of us who need absolute darkness and peace – two things hard to come by on an airplane.  So for the latter, on arriving in the early morning hours at our given destination, we might not be that bright-eyed, chipper traveler we fancy ourselves to be. We are that dreaded kind of traveler – the weary kind.  Enter Royal Mansour Marrakech to ease the pain.

Offering a service that can be found with no other hotel in Marrakech, the Royal Mansour experience begins as soon as you touchdown on Moroccan soil. No matter which class you were seated in on the plane, once you are in the hands of the Royal Mansour it is first-class from here on out. Immediately after disembarking the plane, guests are greeted on the tarmac by an airport representative and escorted into a special lounge. Here you’ll be offered refreshments like minty and sweet Moroccan tea while an airport attendant takes your passport and baggage claim ticket.  A few moments later, the attendant returns with your passport all stamped and escorts you through the airport – neatly avoiding EACH AND EVERY line. Out front, conveniently in the very first parking spot, naturally, a driver from the hotel is waiting with your luggage to drive you to the property in an elegant black Mercedes.

After a brief drive you and your sleek Mercedes take a right turn and pull through an opening in the medina wall that was created especially for the magnificent entrance to the Royal Mansour Marrakech. Who is that standing out front? It is your butler of course, waiting to welcome you and show you to your riad.  And your bags? Don’t give them a second thought, they will be there before you are – all part of that Moroccan medina magic. Well, that Royal Mansour magic at least: while you are en route to your riad so, too, are your heavy bags via an extensive network of tunnels that runs beneath the property.

Butler dismissed, bags unpacked, jaw picked up from the floor after taking in the intricate and elaborate design of the three storey house you temporarily call your own. Time to head up to the third floor of the riad, the private terrace.  Slip into your bathing suit and enjoy the warm Marrakech sun before taking a dip in your own plunge pool – an amazing cure for the weary traveler.

And when it’s time to go home, don’t be too sad. That incredible treatment you received at the airport when you arrived? Yes, you guessed it, it all happens in reverse – ah!

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