Royal Mansour Marrakech

Marrakech

Marrakech, facing the snow capped peaks of the High Atlas Mountains, is a must visit city for anyone coming to Morocco. Behind the mud brick ochre colored ramparts of the Medina, Marrakech possesses a rich architectural heritage including numerous palaces and mosques, the most famous of which is the Koutoubia mosque which dominates the city from it 70 meter high minaret.

The colorful souks with their exotic aroma of spices, the ongoing street attractions at the Place Jemaa el-Fna and the Majorelle and Menara gardens are all popular places to visit in the “red city,” as it is often called.

Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravides dynasty, this prestigious city is a privileged destination for tourists for its cultural wealth, for the landscapes surrounding it and for its very special atmosphere.

Marrakech is a sensual experience thanks to its light, its fragrances, its tastes and especially its people.

A palace for the ages

Facing the original ramparts, a few steps from the Place Jemaa el-Fna,the Royal Mansour is one of the kingdom’s most sumptuous palaces. Built in the purest of Moroccan traditions, the entrance to this seemingly thousand year old site is through a narrow private street. Located on a 3.5 hectare property, surrounded by its own ramparts pierced by gigantic doors, the Mansour was designed as a traditional medina.

53 riads separated by quiet, narrow streets, fountains, patios and lush gardens form a city within a city. Commissioned by King Mohammed VI, the hotel-medina recalls the origins of this imperial city. Entrusted to the country’s finest craftsmen, three years were necessary to create this modern marvel with its ancestral allure.

Behind the five ton bronze doors, one discovers a unique site, an oasis of unsuspected luxury. The suites, or rather the riads, are exact replicas of traditional houses. Built on three levels, facing the interior, the rooms are built around a central patio and its fountain. Living rooms, a kitchen, library and dining room are thus bathed in natural light although constantly in the shade, making the area a veritable refuge from the heat.

Each riad has one, two or three bedrooms with sumptuous marble bathrooms, a small garden and a rooftop terrace with a small swimming pool, all of which are enclosed by walls for total privacy. In the riads, just as in the common areas, the precious materials used, the finesse of the realization and the exceptional creativity of the Moroccan craftsmen make each one a veritable jewel.

The traditional tadelakts, the delicate zelliges, finely carved stone, the sculpted ceilings, the black, white, ochre, blue or green marble, the tooled leather, silks and crystal hangings make each space a work of art in and of itself.

Traditional know-how and creativity reach the summits in the spa. Totally made with iron, decorated with the finesse of lace work, and white marble, the spa looks like an immense white aviary. In its 2,500 square meter surface, an extremely wide range of treatments and activities are proposed including traditional hammams, massages, saunas, hydrotherapy, gymnastics, etc.

Guests can stroll around the property through flowered lanes with subtle fragrances, and the murmuring of the water flowing from the fountain as the only noise. And when the sun sets slowly behind the ramparts, they can choose between one of the two restaurants directed by the three starred Parisian chef, Yannick Alleno.

The Grande Table Marocaineproposes delicious traditional Moroccan cuisine and theGrande Table Française’s original dishes created exclusively for the Royal Mansour, are earning it the reputation as one of the truly “Grandes Tables” in Morocco.

An excellent spot to end the evening is the bar whose white ceiling, braided with gold leaf, and its filtered atmosphere, is in perfect harmony with the rest of this five star palace.