Marrakech’s Royal Mansour

LTA_Mansour

Rooftop Patios can be used for alfresco dining.

Come December, you’ll have one more reason to visit Marrakech. By then, Royal Mansour will be open to the delight of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. Makes sense; he owns it.

The hotel, which is actually built into the ancient wall of Marrakech, will consist of 53 riads (each ranging in size from 1,400 square feet to a whopping 21,520 square feet), three restaurants and a Moroccan spa. Guests will know they are in the cradle of this enchanting city the moment they set foot inside the hotel with its winding alleyways, water displays and fountains. The entire property was built to recreate a quasi-medina quality.

Riads will further enhance the feeling. Guests can choose from 34 one-bedroom riads, 14 two-bedrooms, four three-bedrooms and the 21,520-square-foot four-bedroom Riad d’Honneur. Different dimensions, yes, but each accommodation is a similar tribute to Moroccan design and sensibility: silks and brocades, ornate tiles, handcrafted wood and antique furniture populate each of the riads. First-floor bedrooms overlook the private courtyard below while roof terraces boast fireplaces and private pools with views of Marrakech or the Atlas Mountains.

Three-star Michelin chef Yannick Alléno will helm Royal Mansour’s three dining venues, which will focus on reinterpreting Moroccan cuisine. We are told that the fine-dining restaurant will be a study in gastronomy. Full-course meals can also be arranged on guests’ roof terraces, which perfectly complements any Marrakech evening.

The 26,900-square-foot spa, we hear, is an authentic Moroccan spa with treatments arranged as moving phases through the building. There are two separate hammams (one for men, one for women) with rooms of varying temperatures: hot, warm, cold. There’s also a swimming pool with a geyser set in the middle.

Guests can fly into Marrakech International Airport, from where the Royal Mansour is a 15-minute drive, or if they want to spend some time in Casablanca beforehand, the city’s Mohamed V International Airport is two-and-a-half hours from the hotel. Luxury travel advisors can contact Director of Sales and Marketing Karim Fehry Fassy ([email protected]; 011-212-6146-4551).

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