Marrakech is a popular destination for people from around the world. There are other five star resorts and acclaimed riads in the city but people seeking a dream vacation often choose the 100 year old La Mamounia resort for hotel stays. It has been recognized as one of the top hotels in the world by numerous publications and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World organization. The luxury hotel was also featured prominently in the widely watched Anna Delvey docudrama in 2022.

We always hoped to stay there some day after seeing the resort profiled almost four decades ago on an episode of the entertainment show “The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. For our fortieth anniversary, we were able to do so for five nights as part of a trip to Morocco. The palatial design, beautiful grounds, exotic rooms, fine dining restaurants, and many amenities of the resort fulfilled our high expectations.

Background and Location

The hotel’s website presents a compelling story of its history and the owners’ commitment to maintain “the magnificence of modernity and the best of tradition.” The hotel has its roots in the 1700s when one of the Alaouite rulers of Morocco gave a beautiful orchard to one of his sons as a wedding gift. He turned it into a pavilion for garden parties and it served as a royal gathering place for years thereafter. In 1922, the Morocco Railway Company decided to build a hotel there. It hired a French architectural firm to build an Art Deco structure that would incorporate Moroccan architectural features such as Berber tapestries and striking Zellij tile work. The new hotel became a haven for Europe’s aristocracy such as Winston Churchill and artistic people seeking a pleasant retreat.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the hotel was often used as a location for filming Hollywood movies and French cinema, and it attracted eclectic guests including celebrities, rock stars, and the “bohemian jet set”. The last fifty years have seen several enhancements and renovations of the property that expanded the gardens and palm groves, modernized the rooms, redesigned the restaurants and added other amenities, while keeping true to the hotel’s Arab and Andalusian heritage.

La Mamounia has a special location inside the walled medina of Marrakech just beyond the New Gate. Located a short ten minute walk from the Koutoubia Mosque and the Jemaa el-Fna Square, it is one of the best places to stay in the city if you are looking for a central base of operations for site seeing and shopping.

Hotel Design and Rooms

The hotel buildings, grounds, and rooms are luxurious and attractive. The central section of the hotel is a five story rectangular structure with a L shaped wing that extends towards the garden in the rear. Vehicles and people arriving at the front gate pass through security and are welcomed by two finely attired doormen. You then enter a seemingly endless carpeted lobby that includes dozens of couches and private sitting areas where new guests are welcomed and people gather for daily activities and excursions. To the right are a series of attractive and tiled chambers used for refreshments and relaxation. On the left is a long corridor that leads to guest rooms which is finely decorated with cultural items and authentic black and white pictures of the people and places of Morocco’s Atlas Mountain region.

Straight ahead and down a small staircase is a large lounge and bar known as Le Bar Majorelle. Both the comfortably furnished tables inside and the patio couches outside have become a place to see and be seen among expatriates and visitors to Marrakech. The Bar has a dress code and offers a selection of Mediterranean cocktails and light fare along with music from the resident band which plays a mix of jazz and contemporary selections.

Just beyond the patio, you enter a spectacular garden that extends for several thousand feet to the south within the walls of the hotel compound. With palm trees and cactus plants, orange trees, and desert flowers all around, it is a romantic and peaceful setting for guests to take a walk or sit and contemplate nature on numerous benches.

There are 135 rooms and 71 suites in the hotel. A typical Koutoubia Deluxe room is about 400 square feet in size and is furnished with either a king sized bed or two double beds. They are described as being “decorated in a Moroccan style offering a privileged view of the famous 12th century mosque…sometimes from a balcony or terrace.” There is a large tile and marble bathroom with a soaking tub, separate shower, sink, toilet and bidet. Room amenities include free Wi-Fi, an expresso maker, a small refrigerator, climate controlled AC and heat, a flat screen television, bottled water, and boutique bath products. Many rooms look out on the garden to the rear and some face the walls of the compound. For real luxury, there are three exclusive riad apartments with their own heated swimming pools and rooftop terraces looking out on the garden.

Amenities and Relaxations

In addition to the attractiveness of the common areas of the hotel and the garden, the amenities at La Mamounia make it a self contained resort for guests and provide many options for relaxation when you are done exploring Marrakech. Some of these include:

• Pool – The outdoor swimming pool at the hotel is 7000 square feet in size. Around the pool are dozens of lounge chairs, private cabanas, and umbrellas, along with food and beverage services.

• Concierge – The concierge service offered by the hotel is outstanding. They help arrange excursions, tour guides, transportation, restaurant reservations onsite and offsite, tickets for attractions, and even health care needs. Polite and thorough they are the backbone of the luxury treatment provided to guests.

• Spa – The 25,000 square foot spa at la Mamounia has become a destination of its own since many people visiting the city seek a day pass to enjoy the services and ambience of the spa. Described by the hotel as “ a veritable sanctuary dedicated to beauty and well being”, it offers a wide range of therapies, massages, body care, Hamman baths and facial treatments. These include procedures using local ingredients such as argan oil, rose water, black soap and special clays. The spa’s heated indoor swimming pool and lounge area has become a special place for fashion shoots and guest pictures because of its serenity and regalness.

• Shopping – There are ten boutique stores with designer goods and specialty items produced by Moroccan craftspeople throughout the main floor of the hotel. Some of the brands include Yves St. Laurent, Dior, a J.M. Weston shoe store, and a Studio 14 luxury clothing store.

• Fitness -There is a full workout facility located in the garden with all of the exercise machines, yoga classes and personal training needed for body rejuvenation. The two clay tennis courts and the fine instructors provide an excellent athletic experience for guests as well.

• Cinema- There is a small cinema in the hotel that accommodates up to 20 people on comfortable chairs. It shows classic movies and new releases to hotel guests who can order Hermes snacks there.

• Other – Laundry, babysitting and room service are also available.

Dining

La Mamounia faces high expectations from guests when it comes to fine dining and other food offerings. The hotel revamped its restaurants and menus in 2020 by consulting with “some leading names in the world of gastronomy” and renovating its facilities. The results are pretty impressive so far.

Dining starts for most guests with a visit to the Le Pavilion de La Piscine which is a pavilion located next to the swimming pool. With temperate weather most of the year, a sumptuous breakfast buffet is served there al fresco. The breakfast includes unlimited specialty coffees and fresh squeezed juices, followed by omelettes, eggs benedict and other grilled items cooked to order, and continuing with a large selection of hot and cold meats, fruits, yogurts, croissants and breads, cereals, Moroccan specialties, wellness items, and everything else you would associate with a great start to your day. No one misses the breakfast at La Mamounia which is served from 7 to 11 a.m. A buffet lunch with rotisserie cutting stations is served there too from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

For dining in the evening there are four choices. First and foremost is Le Marocain located in a separate building within the garden. Guests are seated around a central courtyard in private chambers with velvet benches and subdued lighting, where an entire Moroccan menu is presented. These include breads and appetizers, followed by local specialties such as lamb and chicken tagines, couscous dishes, salads, and fish, using spices and vegatables from the garden selected by the kitchen. Adding to the experience is a trio of strolling Andalusian musicians who greet each diner and visit each chamber.

The second choice is an Italian restaurant known as L’Italien Par Jean-Georges where “great classics of Italian cuisine are prepared” for lunch and dinner, along with wood fired over pizzas. We thought the pasta and other dishes served there were outstanding by any measure. The third restaurant is an Asian restaurant that includes a wide variety of dishes from southeast Asia and Japan including cold starters and hot appetizers followed by entrees featuring fish, meat, noodles, rice and vegetables. The last choice which is popular with guests and visitors to the hotel is to dine outside on the porch of the Le Bar Majorelle. We found that location to be a comfortable place to relax with mediocre food selections.

For treats and snacks, there is an interesting tea room next to the spa called Le Salon Par Pierre Hermes which provides a Parisian breakfast of limited items in the morning. Tea tasting, cakes, club sandwiches, croque-monsieur, and ice cream along with specialty Pierre Hermes creations such as macarons are available there throughout the day. The other bars located on the premises such Le Churchill in the lobby and Le Club on the top of the Marocain also serve some food.

Summary

To evaluate the experience of staying at La Mamounia is difficult. Many aspects of the hotel are exceptional and everything is quite good. It is not surprising that so many of the people you meet there are returning guests. In addition, the excellent service and genuine concern of the hotel staff for your satisfaction and enjoyment is hard to find today. When you couple these qualities with the beauty, uniqueness and mystique of the surroundings, the outstanding reputation of the hotel for the past one hundred years is well deserved. La Mamounia is likely to be going strong for decades to come.