The famous one
LA MAMOUNIA It’s the most famous hotel in North Africa, immortalised by
Winston Churchill, who spent hours in front of his easel, capturing the
“paintaceous” views of the distant Atlas Mountains. For years, the former
palace was Marrakesh’s only beacon of luxury, securing the patronage of rich
men and royals, stars and statesmen. It has 57 opulent suites and 171
regular rooms, several restaurants, a gorgeous outdoor pool and a tacky
casino.
If you can’t afford to stay, at least take a look around the gardens: 17
wonderful acres of olives and oranges, palms and peacefulness, created as a
wedding present from a sultan to his son.
Doubles from £150, room-only; 00 212 44 444 409, www.mamounia.com.
La Mamounia will close for several months this summer for a refurbishment
The romantic one
CARAVAN SERAI Even without the excitement of Marrakesh down the road,
this would be well worth a long weekend. Caravan Serai sits on the edge of a
Berber village, looking for all the world like it has sprung straight up out
of the surrounding sand. It’s on an escarpment commanding views across acres
of olive groves, with the white peaks of the Atlas frozen along the horizon.
You’ll feel a million miles from anywhere, especially at night, yet you’re
only a 15-minute cab ride from town (and there’s a free minibus).
Caravan Serai has 15 rooms, each with a terrace or a patch of garden and nine
with working fireplaces. There are also two suites, with private plunge
pools. There’s a biggish heated pool at the centre of the hotel, around
which tables and banquettes nestle, plus a hammam and a roof terrace.
Doubles from £85 B&B; 01380 828533, www.caravanserai.com
The family one
CLUB MED LA PALMERAIE This offers all the in-house action you would
normally expect from Club Med — huge pool, even bigger buffet, tennis,
pitch-and-putt, a spa. But the great thing is, it’s just a 20-minute shuttle
ride from the souks and the snake charmers, the storytellers, acrobats and
fortune-tellers on the Djemaa el-Fna. In other words, it’s the ideal
compromise option for families.
La Palmeraie’s 40 acres of grounds also contain a new and utterly tranquil
oasis modelled on a riad, with 60 suites. Each has a private garden or roof
terrace, and several interconnect for families. It’s a boutique hotel, but
with child-friendly larks nearby.
Doubles from £164 (£49 per child aged 4-11), inclusive of food, wine, sport
and entertainment, or £249/£73 for Le Riad. The best deals are packaged with
flights; 0845 367 6767, www.clubmed.co.uk
The budget one
DAR AL SULTAN There are cheaper places, but why slum it when you can
get the height of style for the price of a British B&B? Within the walls
of the medina, tucked down labyrinthine side streets, this small
19th-century riad has been given a full makeover — it has already graced the
pages of German Vogue. Three oblong rooms overlook a small inner courtyard
with a birdbath-sized plunge pool. The house feels delectably private, but
you can call on the attentive services of the young Swiss owner, Romain.
Guests are free to use the well-equipped kitchen, or dinner costs about £13
a head and is served by candlelight, either indoors or on the roof terrace.
Doubles from £59, B&B, with airport pick-up, or £221 a night for the
whole property; 00 212 44 386 783, www.daralsultan.com
The cool one
DAR LES CIGOGNES At least 250 Marrakesh riads now welcome paying
guests, and about half of them like to think they’re the trendiest. But this
pair of 17th-century merchant’s houses — bang opposite the Royal Palace and
restored by Charles Boccara, the city’s hotshot riad converter — gets our
vote every time. Behind its anonymous-looking wooden door lies a
glass-roofed courtyard, complete with gurgling fountain, orange trees and
exquisite filigree plasterwork. The dark wood and creamy stone can look a
bit austere by day, but at night they are illuminated with scores of candles
and are a picture of romance. The riad packs in an exotic hammam, a tiny
boutique, a restaurant (dinner costs £23), and a roof terrace with umpteen
fruit trees.
Doubles from £100, B&B; 00 212 44 382 740, www.lescigognes.com
I want to go
Getting there: British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) flies
year-round from Heathrow (from Gatwick and Manchester until May and again
from October); from £129. Or try Royal Air Maroc (020 7307 5800,
www.royalairmaroc.com) and Atlas Blue (www.atlas-blue.com). Flights take
about 3½hr.
Tour operators: Cadogan Holidays (023 8082 8311,
www.cadoganholidays.com) has three nights at La Mamounia from £771pp,
including BA flights from Heathrow and transfers. Or try Best of Morocco
(01380 828533, www.morocco-travel.com) or Pettitts (01892 515966,
www.pettitts.co.uk).
Further information: www.visitmorocco.com.
