Luxury and a sense of history are the hallmarks of La Sultana. This sprawling hotel consists of five riads, all of them decorated in a different style signifying various historic periods, resulting in a 28-room boutique hotel full of character.
Perfectly located inside the royal quarter of the Kasbah, in the ‘golden triangle’ between the Royal Palace and the Saadian Tombs, with which it shares a wall. Set back from the main thoroughfare, it is blissfully quiet inside. The Djemaa el-Fna is just a 10-minute walk away north, or the doormen will assist you in finding a taxi on the main street. Airport transfers and fast track through customs can be arranged, but is expensive.
This sprawling hotel consists of five riads, all of them decorated in a different style signifying various historic periods. The pale pink Riad Scheherazade drips with intricate stucco work and nice zellij tiling typical of the Saadian era, while the brick-lined Riad Almohad (set around a large pool) echoes the royal granary that once stood here when the Almohad Dynasty ruled. Jewel-coloured Riad Saadia is clad in carved cedarwood, while Riad Sabaa is a vision of all-white stucco and marble set around a large whirlpool bath. On top of this, the hotel’s décor mixes Moroccan and other African artefacts in an exotic, bombastic style. Some of it works to gorgeous effect, while some feels rather incongruous.
La Sultana’s staff rank among the nicest purveyors of hospitality in the city. In keeping with the hotel’s décor, they all wear classic outfits, which looks gorgeous against the rich décor. They also manage to maintain a discreet presence whilst always being on hand to assist guests when they need it.
Doing this is harder than it looks when there is such an array of facilities to manage: a full-service restaurant, both downstairs around the pool and upstairs on the terrace, a cookery school, a gym, a solarium with sun beds and service, and a pink-hued spa with bathing pools set amid a colonnaded hammam which conjures visions of Cleopatra at bath time.
There are 28 rooms ranging through six categories, from large Prestige Deluxe double rooms to the huge Exclusive Suite, which comes with a secluded salon, his n’ hers bathrooms and a secluded terrace. They are all configured and decorated differently with bold colours, lots of decorative detailing and rich, textured fabrics. Generous swagged curtains shade stained-glass windows, walls come in crimson and aubergine colours and huge brass lanterns cast dizzying shadows across comfortable king-sized beds.
Enter the bathroom and you find yourself in a mini Roman temple complete with arched ceilings, columns and high-sheen marble finishes and brass basins. There’s substance behind the style, too, including soundproofing in the walls, cosy fireplaces, free non-alcoholic minibars, satellite televisions, iPod docks and DVD players.
This is what it means to be spoiled for choice. Do you dine in the lantern-lit courtyard, or up on the terrace overlooking the Saadian Tombs? Should you opt for the French menu or the Moroccan Discovery menu? Would you prefer the house-made duck foie gras, or the Moroccan bastilla (pigeon pie layered in filo pastry) so subtle it could blow away. Prices are high for the old city, but the food and setting are perfect.
For lunch, a subtle Mediterranean menu is served at tables on the roof terrace, and there’s also the option of joining one of the house cookery classes, hosted at professional cooking stations beneath a gazebo on the roof. Breakfast in the brick-lined Almohad patio is a genteel affair with a delightful buffet of fruit, pastries, breads, cheese and charcuterie, followed by à la carte options of Berber omelettes and eggs any style. That said, at this level, the additional £19 charge for breakfast feels unwarranted.
Yes, there is one specially adapted, ground-floor room and a lift to access higher floors. There are some small steps to access the Almohad patio where the restaurant is located, but help is on-hand.
Suites can accommodate an additional bed (charged at £58 per night), however, there are no specific activities for children with the exception of a junior spa package, which is tailored to young skin and parent-and-child treatments.
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