Marrakech has seen an extraordinary expansion in its hotel accommodation in the past 20 years. Today, visitors can choose between palatial estates or tiny riads (traditional town houses) and still enjoy the same levels of luxury and service.
Royal Mansour
This remarkable project is without a doubt the most luxurious hotel in Marrakech. Guests stay in exquisite traditional riads within the royal compound. There is also a sublime bar. Servers come and go via a modern complex below ground level, and meals appear in your room as if by magic.
La Mamounia
The Grand Dame of Marrakech is this Art Deco hotel within the city gates. Here, Winston Churchill came to paint after World War II and Sarah Jessica Parker stayed at a villa in the gardens while filming Sex and the City II. Sorrento’s famous Don Alfonso 1890 runs the excellent Italian restaurant.
La Sultana Marrakech
La Sultana is made up of five old riads, with 28 rooms decorated in wood, marble and Moroccan tadelakt (plaster). In between are little courtyards, and there’s a lovely rooftop terrace from where you can see the Royal Palace, Koutoubia Mosque and Atlas Mountains.
www.slh.com/hotels/la-sultana-marrakech-hotel
Riad Kaiss
Close to Djema el Fna souk, this beautifully restored house provides a rare opportunity to stay in a historic riad. It used to belong to the harem favourite of 12th-century sultan, Moulay Yacoub. There are only nine rooms plus a hammam, spa and swimming pool.
Fellah Hotel
Fellah combines riad accommodation with authentic food and a library that is open to local villagers. The hotel was opened by former stockbroker Redha Moali who, after the stock market crash of 2008, decided he wanted to give something back to the world.
– Adapted from article by Adrian Mourby for Silverkris.