It nestles behind ramparts in warm, ochre tones, just like the city itself. A miniature, labyrinthine medina in the heart of city: the Royal Mansour Marrakech has been witness to changing seasons for over a hundred years and its precious, artfully imagined interiors have played host to royalty and celebrities from the world over. This rare resort is a sensorial experience in the truest form, very much like the heady city its located in.
And it all states with a ballet of fragrances that begins as soon as you cross the wall, with the scents of orange trees and jasmine wafting across a six-hectare estate whose 53 beautifully appointed riads are the stars of the show. At the bend of a palm-tree-lined driveway or the corner of an alley punctuated by stone fountains, private residences serve as bedrooms. True homes in their own right, they range in size from 140 to 850 square metres – the largest, the Royal, reaches 1,800 square metres, an architectural extravaganza where arts, crafts and impeccable service converse in perfect harmony.
250 contemporary works signed by the great names of Morocco's contemporary art scene aside, it's the work of Moroccan designers and craftspeople that makes up the rich décor. Colourful zellige tiles, ornamental ceilings chiselled in cedar wood, precious marquetry and artistic ironwork all play their part, taking attention to detail to new heights. The riads even have their own furniture curators, supported by a brigade of upholsterers and mosaic masters. But the wonderful world of Royal Mansour Marrakech would be incomplete without its stellar service: precise and attentive to the desires of its clientele. The magic happens when your assigned butler enters your riad in the most discreet way possible – that is, via the underground system built on a plan parallel to the hotel, allowing staff to move around unseen. On every floor of every riad, a back door facilitates this exquisitely discreet circulation.
But it's not just the hotel's riads that attract global tourists: The Royal Mansour Marrakech boasts a 2,500 sqm spa that offers some of the city's most luxurious treatments, from scrubs and facials, to traditional massages and hammam experiences. Encased in an all-glass orangery, the pool feels at one with the lush gardens beyond and guests can also indulge in yoga and pilates.
Behind the 12th-century walls, the gardens of the Royal Mansour Marrakech are designed like an Arab-Andalusian oasis that's unlike any other hotel in Morocco, both in scale and also bio-diversity. The work of Spanish landscape gardener Luis Vallejo combines fragrant orange groves, rose- and hibiscus-lined paths and century-old olive trees. The Nest, a belvedere-like restaurant perched in the heart of the canopy, is a rare experience, where you can lunch or dine five meters above the ground, on Asian-inspired dishes.
At La Grande Brasserie, a completely different culinary score begins. Since this autumn, Michelin-starred chef Hélène Darroze has been at the helm, transforming La Table into a large-scale brasserie inspired by French gastronomic traditions. "What a great Parisian brasserie has in common with a palace of a thousand and one nights such as the Royal Mansour is the theatrical dimension that takes you into a world of its own," she explains. This is evidenced by the cutting room, the bread and ice cream cart and the impressive flambé, worthy of the great French brasseries. The weekly menu, with braised beef cheek bourguignon on Thursdays, lamb shoulder parmentier on Saturdays and Basque fish soup on Tuesdays, but above all the Sunday chicken. A Sunday dish par excellence, it features a yellow moorland chicken, brioche-crusted with mushrooms under the skin, flat-roasted and accompanied by mashed potatoes with hazelnut butter. A cherished family tradition, served under the Moroccan sun to the sound of birdsong. Priceless. royalmansour.com
