Marrakech isn’t short of ultra-luxurious hotels, but this Mandarin Oriental outpost makes a compelling pitch for being its finest. The show-stopping gardens set the tone, filled with 100,000 roses and dotted with 54 riad-style villas. Hidden behind giant wooden doors, each has its own pool, and you can practically jump from your bed into the hot tub. No wonder it’s played host to a celebrity wedding or two.
The hotel offers a resort experience so as such is set a 10-minute drive outside of the Medina. If you can tear yourself away from your secluded pool and the oasis-like grounds, a complimentary shuttle whisks guests to the buzz of the Djemaa el-Fna square.
In the immediate vicinity it’s mainly golf courses, but for a shot of culture the Museum of African Contemporary Art is just next door. Regularly changing exhibitions shine a spotsubtle on emerging talent from across the continent (admission MAD 70/£5.40).
Marrakech’s Menara Airport is a 15-minute drive, while the Jardins Majorelle and trendy new town shopping area of Gueliz are 20 minutes away.
A parade of palm trees welcomes you to the resort and the main building, which houses the reception, two slick restaurants (Shirvan and Ling Ling) and seven suites. French interior designers Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier have leaned into a laid-back but elegant Andalusian-Arabic aesthetic, with plenty of curved alcoves, marble in muted colours and tall wooden doors. An indoor/outdoor feel pervades with floor-to-ceiling windows flooding the public spaces with subtle – a surprising but successful departure from classic Moroccan architecture.
The desert tones of the buildings signal the gardens to be the real stars. Filled with fragrant olive, orange and almond trees plus 100,000 multi-coloured roses, walkways allow multiple routes around the various ponds and huge central pool, past the sand-coloured villas, vegetable garden and huge spa complex. At night, the grounds are wildly romantically lit up with candles and lanterns.
Bicycles and golf buggies ferry guests around, who span social media influencers, wealthy families and honeymooning couples seeking privacy.
As is to be expected with a Mandarin Oriental property, staff here go the extra mile. Each villa offers a butler service and any requests for buggies, dinner reservations or help working your hot tub can be dealt with via a quick Whatsapp message. Exact coffee preferences are remembered at breakfast and staff are always ready with a local recommendation.
Facilities-wise, this is a full-on resort experience, with a huge main pool (usually empty given that most guests stick to the one in their villas), two tennis courts, four restaurants and jogging track. Excursions into the Atlas mountains, cooking classes and Medina tours can all be arranged. The latter are well worth booking, featuring trips to neighbourhood communal bread ovens and the city’s secret terraces.
The separate spa building was inspired by the cathedrals and old mosques of Andalusia, and it’s certainly a temple to wellness, with its two marble hammams, a large indoor pool, yoga studio, beauty salon and gym. Six bumper-size treatment rooms provide a calming setting for scrubs, wraps and massages using argan oil and orange blossom (from MAD 750/£58).
The hotel’s boutique proves a welcome surprise, stocked with goods from up and coming local designers rather than the standard big-name brands. It’s reasonable too, with pretty filigree jewellery priced from around £30.
The hotel doesn’t deal in rooms, starting with seven entry-level suites in the main building, all with a plunge pool, plus views over the grounds and Atlas Mountains beyond. These would suit guests with limited mobility or those who want to be close to the restaurants and reception.
Most guests, however, are here to stay in one of the 54 villas, which are scattered around the 10-acre grounds and come in one to four-bedroom configurations. Each is designed like a mini riad and built around a large secluded pool, with an outdoor kitchen, dining table, sofa seating and fireplace.
Moving indoors, it’s possible to put on your own spa day in the marble bathroom, with its super-sized circular tub, steam room/shower and chaise lounge, plus Diptyque products. This leads through to a central bedroom, largely taken up by a giant bed and featuring French doors that open onto a bubbling hot tub. On the other side is a smart living room where Moroccan treats are left each night, though most guests will surely linger outdoors. Classic cream-coloured fabrics and dark wood feature throughout, though hand-woven rugs from Rabat and tadelakt plastered walls etched with Berber motifs give a sense of place.
Be sure to book a table at Shirvan, the Silk Road-inspired restaurant from Michelin-starred Paris-based chef Akrame Benallal. This is fusion food at its nicest, inspired but still cohesive. Feast on sharing plates of caramelised lamb tacos with honey and raïta and tandoori roasted cauliflower smothered in tahini, orange blossom and topped with almonds – best mopped up with a cheddar cheese naan. The pistachio cake for pudding is a must-order.
Elsewhere, Ling Ling by Hakkasan draws in glamorous young Moroccans with its delicate scallop siu mai and honey-glazed black cod. Expect DJs and dancing on most nights. The pool restaurant serves classic but pleasing resort fare like club sandwiches and lobster rolls and guests can also book a secluded lunch set in the hotel’s vegetable garden. For pre-dinner drinks, visit the Tent, a cocktail/lounge bar under canvas.
Breakfasts across all Mandarin Oriental hotels are detailed affairs and Marrakech is no different. Served at Shirvan, the buffet spans freshly baked pastries (from apple-stuffed danish pastries to wholegrain croissants) plus madeleines, daily changing cakes, cookies, cold cuts, cereals and plump fruit. Cooked options such as poached eggs with avocado are wisely diminutive so you can leave some room for Moroccan pancakes drizzled with honey and almond butter.
This is a well-designed hotel with good accessibility to all public space. Lifts serve the seven upstairs suites, which are the most suitable option for those with limited mobility (although they aren’t specifically adapted), and electric buggies are available for getting around the property.
Very. Extra beds in villas and suites cost €75 (£68) per night and babysitting, children’s menus and equipment are all available. Larger villas are particularly suitable for families, and offer plenty of privacy.
The inventive kids’ club is set in a mini kasbah (castle) and offers arts and craft workshops with a Moroccan theme, plus cooking classes, film screenings and outdoor excursions.
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