With its mild winters and sunny Mediterranean mid-season, Marrakech offers a unique atmosphere that awakens the five senses. Between the Medina and its lively alleys where craftsmanship is king, its luxury hotels and its popular riads for travelers, discover some of our good addresses in Marrakech of this city at the foot of the Moroccan Atlas.
Jewel of Morocco, Marrakech is a flagship destination for an exotic holiday under the sun. With its unique smells, small local shops and many activities, the red city has nothing to lack in charm.
Where to stay?
One of the most beautiful spa hotels in Marrakech whose reputation is well known, La Mamounia reigns over the red city for more than 100 years. On both sides, Moroccan architecture is in the spotlight, updated in an ultra-luxurious way. Carved plaster, zellige, marble, leather armchairs, light effects, arabesques… The details are perfectly worked in the many common areas of this large hotel with 135 rooms and 71 suites that reflect all the elegance of Morocco. Several riads with swimming pool are also offered. The hotel’s gardens, surrounded by palm trees and lush vegetation, encompass the large outdoor swimming pool adorned with mosaics. A games room, cinema and wine bar entertain guests who have something to eat. Indeed, the five-star hotel has several restaurants, including an Italian, an Asian and of course a traditional Moroccan. The experience is completed by a wonderful wellness area of 2500 m2, widely considered as one of the most beautiful spas in the world. A setting worthy of the Thousand and One Nights which includes a huge swimming pool, hammams, jacuzzi and treatment cabins. A very good address in Marrakech.
Another luxury hotel: the Mandarin Oriental Marrakech. This resort nestled in an olive grove and gardens made of palm trees and roses reveals sublime swimming pools where the swim is quiet. Between tradition and modernity, Berber style and contemporary design, the setting offers 65 rooms and suites as well as private riads. Cut off from the hustle and bustle of the city, it houses four restaurants and bars, with the Shirvan, the Cantonese Ling Ling by Hakkasan, a table in a vegetable garden or the ‘Mediterranean’ by the pool. Recognized as the best spa in the world in 2024, the temple of well-being combines Andalusian heritage with Moroccan traditions. Not to mention the typical scents that emanate and take us far, very far, in relaxation.
Like an Arab-Moorish palace, the Selman Marrakech pays tribute to the Arabian thoroughbred, this breed of horses that is the pride of the country, and has its own stud. There are 55 rooms and suites but also 5 villas, as well as one of the most beautiful hotel pools and a spa signed Chenot which has developed only 6 in the world. In 2024, the Selman also had the pleasure of welcoming Michelin-starred chef Jean-François Piège to its restaurants, which include La Terrasse, the Pool Bar, the Assyl Moroccan table and the Pavillon.
In the heart of Marrakech’s Palm Grove, the Two Towers, designed by architect Charles Boccara has only 41 rooms and suites marked by orientalism in a beige camaïeu. The invitation to travel continues in the bar and restaurants, with the Pergola, Salammbô and the Yoshi Bar. Hammam, spa and treatment rooms integrate the spa.
Where to eat?
If the previously mentioned hotel restaurants are safe values in Marrakech, the red city is full of exceptional culinary addresses. Sahbi Sahbi, a good place in Marrakech, celebrates the cuisine handed down by women from generation to generation. With its open kitchen and wood fire, the table reveals a perfectly executed Moroccan map in a cozy setting. Favorite for the work on sauces that harmonize every element of tajines and couscous. More authentic, the Café des Epices has a terrace on the mythical Place des Epices. La Maison Arabe is another flagship address of Moroccan cuisine, where tajines are enjoyed on the romantic and local terrace.
We can also mention the La Grande Table Marocaine in the hotel Royal Mansour, Noujoum in the hotel Izza Marrakech, Villa Aaron or Le Jardin. Not to mention the small restaurants of the Medina which, for some, do not pay mine but whose dishes are made as at home with fresh products from the market.
A true institution in Marrakech, the Grand Café de la Poste is dedicated to French cuisine. All in a place full of history, once a postal relay – hence its name. More international and Asian, the Bô Zin is well known by lovers of festive restaurants. The signature dish? La gazelle qui pleure, a Thai beef fillet with tamarind-coconut sauce.
For lovers of Italian food, we recommend La Trattoria, the temple of Dolce Vita in a Moroccan riad. For more than 50 years, this restaurant has put Italy in the spotlight, with a delicious grilled octopus and cream of cauliflower, pasta with shrimps and sautéed courgettes or ravioli with beef and lemon confit.
What to do?
It’s hard to get bored in Marrakech. The mandatory spot during a visit to the red city is the Jardin Majorelle created in the 1920s by the French painter Jacques Majorelle and embellished by the couple Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. This garden of cactus, palm and bamboo is known for its iconic Majorelle blue.
In the historical Medina, the Bahia Palace, the Medersa Ben Youssef site, the Saadiens Tombs, the Dar el Bacha Museum or the El Badiî Palace immerse travelers in the Moroccan heritage and culture of Marrakech. You can also get lost in the Medina and its food, clothing and handicraft markets. A shopping paradise! It is often at this time that we regret not having taken a second suitcase in the hold…
The Jemaa el fna is certainly very touristy but easily walks during a walk in the Medina. The opportunity to taste a fresh fruit juice and eat some snails cooked on site.
For a vintage motorcycle and sidecar tour in more confidential places and secret places away from mass tourism, call the travel enthusiasts Marrakech Insiders and let yourself be guided! Several tropical oasis-style private clubs, such as R’Matt, are located a few kilometers from the city. The opportunity to stroll on a sunbed facing swimming pools and surrounded by gardens and palm trees.
To finish the stay, we get up at dawn and book a hot air balloon flight. Marrakech, the desert and the Atlas are then revealed in a total calm, sublimated by a sunrise that makes just incredible colors bloom in the Moroccan sky.
Read also : Le Château de Léognan: luxury stay and spa in the heart of the vineyards near Bordeaux
Featured photo : © La Mamounia
