Oasiria-Amizmiz Waterpark — Attraction in Marrakesh Prefecture

I’ve spoken to the hotel manager about the burkini ban, which I was told about by a man when I asked about the hotel pool the morning of my plans. I always swim laps for an hour and I like to wear long sleeved sun protecting swimwear designed for swimming. Men can also wear it in order not to get sun burned. It’s not even a standard burkini, but that’s not the point. And my mom does wear a burkini designed for swimming and we were going to the pool together. Because I was wearing a silk scarf the man found it important to tell me immediately burkini is prohibited.

I basically was told by a man to either strip down to a bathing suit or be rejected. When I kept asking he tried to avoid my questions by telling me there are restaurants at the water park. The manager did tell me the next day that short sleeves were allowed. The guy did not give me that option. I felt shocked, even though I wear a bikini under my swim shirt I don’t want to strip down and definitely don’t want to be told what to wear.

I stayed at the most expensive two bedroom suite and for it to not even be made right, felt inhospitable and borderline islamophobic. For France to ban hijabs and burkinis is one thing, but to then come to an islamic country and do it here as well that’s some guts and entitlement! Forget about diversity or liberty. This is how you oppress muslim women: To answer that other establishments have the same ban does not make it right. It’s straight up discrimination and controlling to tell a women what to wear. The generic answer about hygiene and safety are pure nonsense. I have swimming diplomas and I am super hygienic! Plus I’m only swimming laps not going on slides. But again that’s beside the point.

The manager making a forced round in the morning asking for feedback. When mentioned that swimming is an important part of why I choose this property, she mentioned she would make a note. It was not made right, rather just sorry not sorry, I don’t care. ‘’But I hope you come back’’. So money is happily taken but to make guests actually satisfied, don’t dream about it. This was supposed to be a charme and caractère property, well it lacks both. There are millions of welcoming places around the world. I wouldn’t come back if it was free. DO NOT RECOMMEND! Especially for muslim families. From other reviews of muslim visitors of the oasiria park, I highly recommend management to reconsider their discriminatory rule about protective swimwear that’s designed for...

We often come to the French market here on a Sunday. It’s delightful with lots of great products - clothes, jewellery and fresh produce. Great freshly cooked food. I highly recommend that trip and there’s also a great restaurant called La papillon wit a beautiful garden setting and great food. You could then go swim, probably best to book and bring a long sunscreen as rash vests are not allowed.

I came here at night however to the water park to a party and it was a wonderful setting. I haven’t visited the water park in the day to swim. It looks gorgeous but I regret I cannot frequent it because the French owners ban modesty swim wear of all kinds, even a rash vest and shorts to protect someone fair like me from the sun. I think this is the height of rudeness in an Islamic country and it excludes local women. I was told it’s unhygienic and modesty wear makes western tourists uncomfortable. I think it smacks of ignorant Islamophobia and the French ex-colonialists need to accept they no longer rule this beautiful country - they need to be accepting of women’s right to wear what they feel comfortable in if they want to stay and profit from a business here. They exclude the locals but western tourists are not uncomfortable and can still wear their bikinis and thongs as they so wish. Each to their own, a woman’s right to choose her clothing. It is a lovely venue, just spoiled by their religious intolerance and prejudice - so only three stars for that reason sadly.

UPDATE: thanks for the managements’s clarification on swimwear and what is permitted posted below. Burkinis are made of the same swimwear material as a swimsuit or bikini so this reason is redundant. I would also question your reasoning on hygiene. How is a burkini less hygienic than a thong bikini that’s very design will rise up and transfer any faecal matter in to the pool? How’s a hijab made of swimwear material different to a swimming cap made of rubber. How is a hijab like this less hygienic than some person with long hair shedding hairs in the pool and clogging up the filtration system? You have not convinced me with your reasoning as it lacks logic, therefore I do feel this is a discriminatory policy and that you could do better. I am not Muslim but would love to attend with my female Muslim friends. Please rethink this outdated view and policy as we are in Morocco, not...

This park is 1) over priced and expensive, 2) unsafe and 3) racist. There are local competitors that offer far greater attractions at a much cheaper rate, these are all within the same area and I would suggest readers look around for a better deal and avoid this park and its four slides.

The park is unsafe as there are a limited number of life guards who are inattentive and often on their phones with no regard for their job. Lifeguards were rude, shouted at children and walked away from their posts to socialise with other life guards. There are no locker rooms, instead a single person is in charge of every persons locker and he does not lock them, simply places your valuables in a box and you sign a piece of paper to say you have no right to complain if they go missing - a very strange setup. You get to pay an additional 25DH for this pleasure.

Lastly, and tragically this park hides its xenophobia behind a so called “no burkini” rule. They state that this is due to a) safety as the result of the possibility that the cloth could become stuck on water slides or that the size of the cloth on burkinis causes “drag” which slows people down “dangerously”. Both these reasons are completely false and baseless, water parks in Dubai, UK, USA, Canada and across the civilised world all allow burkinis and have much higher safety requirements that this unsafe park.

The park also stated (in these very comments) that burkinis offer a “hygiene risk” but do not care to explain on what grounds. Do they simply mean that the owner of the park considers those dressed in such attire to be dirty?

In these comments the park also lies by saying that other hotels in Marrakech enforce a burkini ban, this is untrue of 99% of establishments and untrue of every other water park in the city.

Ultimately, at this park men who do not care about safety or a woman’s opinion think that they can tell women how to dress. When I challenged this mentality these men refused to speak to me as I was a woman and instead wanted to discuss the matter with my husband as if I myself was not worthy of being addressed.

Avoid this park...