Morocco is a mysterious and enticing country in North Africa whose cultural heritage has gained a dash of Gallic charm from its significant French influence. Equally, despite globalisation, ubiquitous here as elsewhere, Morocco has preserved its unique indigenous culture, character and customs. Some may be intimidated by this country's unfamiliarity. However, at Kommersant UK we can affirm that after a short stay at the five-star La Mamounia Hotel, there's only one thing to be frightened of; the unparalleled nature of the experience means trips to other establishments will seem lacklustre and spartan by comparison.
We are indebted to ICONIC ESCAPES for organising our trip to Morocco. The company works with its local partner Morocco Unlimited who, from the moment of booking, catered to my family's every whim. It was only thanks to ICONIC ESCAPES that we were able to visit the five-star La Mamounia hotel, known as one of the most luxurious in Marrakech and all Morocco and which not every traveller, even among the most well-heeled, has a chance to stay at.
La Mamounia holds four stars from the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide, a recommendation which guarantees a high standard of service. It's always intriguing to visit top establishments, especially when expectations match reality, leaving you unable to dispute the high rating. Incidentally, ICONIC ESCAPES is a member of Forbes Travel Guide, so booking with them ensures heightened attentiveness from the hotel’s general manager.
From the very beginning of La Mamounia’s history, outstanding characters have chosen the hotel, such as the politicians Charles de Gaul, Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela, Helmut Kohl and Margaret Thatcher, the actors Kirk Douglas, Charlie Chaplin, Tony Curtis, Marlene Dietrich, Omar Sharif and Nicole Kidman and also Yves Saint Laurent, Andy Warhol and Zinedine Zidane. It goes without saying that it's pleasant to be in such illustrious company!
There were three of us on the plane; I was with my wife and child. The flight from London to Marrakech takes around four hours. We were met at the airport, from where our transfer and arrival at the hotel were carefully overseen. We were given an upgrade; we had booked a standard room and this was bumped up several categories to the Agdal Suite.
The hotel is on the grounds of a former royal palace and its luxurious gardens, bequeathed in the 18th century by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah to his son Moulay Mamoun, for whom the hotel is named. The complex was designed by the architects Henri Prost and Antoine Marchisio, who boldly combined traditional Moorish motifs with French art deco. Work began almost 100 years ago, in 1929.
In September 2009 La Mamounia reopened after three years of reconstruction. Red, yellow and black shades now predominate its design. LED panels have been installed to aid navigation. The hotel has now been decorated with works of Moroccan art, including beautiful mosaics and examples of North African calligraphy.
La Mamounia has 135 rooms, (30-45 sq metres) 71 suites (55-212 sq metres) and three private riads, as traditional Moroccan homes with internal garden courtyards are called. Our suite was reminiscent of the chambers of an oriental palace; spacious halls with carved wooden panels on the walls and a marble bathroom with a view of the Atlas Mountains.
As expected, the staff of La Mamounia are polite, attentive, quiet and unobtrusive, adding to the spellbinding One Thousand and One Nights atmosphere. It would seem the hard work of maintaining an enormous hotel is done by genies and not ordinary mortals. In fact, we had our own personal genie, a polite butler with whom we could discuss any request and receive an answer to any query.
The grounds of La Mamounia are enormous; hectares of historical parks and gardens form a fragrant oasis amidst the dust of the bustling city. The hotel is located in the historical centre, near the famous Kutubiyya Mosque and Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, within the walls of the old town, known as the Medina, the old part of town which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the best place to see all the five-star TripAdvisor locations and then escape the heat and the jostling crowds to return to the comfort of the hotel. From here, it's not far by cab or foot to the Majorelle Garden, which once belonged to Yves Saint Laurent, the Manara Olive Grove, the Marrakech Museum, the Saadian Tombs and the city’s market, or souk.
In a 1935 letter to his wife, Winston Churchill wrote of the hotel: “This is a wonderful place, and the hotel one of the best I have ever used.” Marrakesh was one of the British politician’s favourite retreats, where he painted his best landscapes. Now a popular bar in La Mamounia bears his name. During his stay at the hotel in 1973, Paul McCartney wrote the song “Mamunia” and in 1992, the pianist Randy Weston composed “Marrakech: In the Cool of the Evening” while staying here.
Time and again, La Mamounia has appeared on the silver screen. In 1956, for instance, on the hotel grounds, Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Man Who Knew Too Much, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. Several scenes of the Netflix hit Inventing Anna unfold here.
Of course, La Mamounia is not the kind of hotel where travellers just sleep between sightseeing trips. During your first days here, you just want to stay put, relaxing in your room or walking the gardens, endlessly photographing the beauty and eagerly awaiting breakfast, lunch or dinner in one of the four restaurants with their varied decor.
At first, we went to Le Marocain, where dishes of traditional Moroccan cuisine are presented with a modern interpretation. We ordered pigeon pastilla with sweet almonds as starters (these pies are served in Morocco at weddings as a delicacy). Our main dish was lobster tajine, followed by Gazelle Horn almond biscuits for dessert, served with Moroccan mint tea. Pure magic!
Our child had not fully appreciated the merits of these gourmet delights, so the next day, pasta was requested. We obliged by dining at the Michelin-starred L'Italien par Jean-Georges. It was soon apparent that this was not a simple Italian bistro but an haute cuisine restaurant, with its opulent selection of antipasti, grilled fish and burrata, perhaps surpassing the best restaurants I have seen in Rome.
On the last day, we visited L'Asiatique par Jean-George, which combines a thousand and one flavours selected from the cuisines of different Asian countries; noodles, dim sum, sushi, miso, tom yum and fruit sorbets. All this fusion cooking is served in a cosy Moroccan interior.
At La Mamounia, you can have breakfast or lunch by the swimming pool, surrounded by luxurious greenery and palms, or even in a marquee. Visitors can also enjoy bars within the hotel, such as Le Churchill cocktail bar where jazz is played in the evenings, Le Lounge Marocain terrace bar, Le Salon de Thé par Pierre Hermé for tea and Le Bar Majorelle for coffee or a nightcap.
We also swam in the two luxurious swimming pools, one indoors and the other open-air. For some reason, I found them evocative of the film Prince of Persia. We visited the Hamman and the spa, which gives a Moroccan twist to hair and body care with black soap and argan oil. Of course, all the cosmetics at the hotel are premium quality, from the hotel’s own La Mamounia brand, so you can safely leave your sponge bag at home.
As with any five-star hotel, there is a gym here equipped with ultra-modern equipment and a boutique selling local products and souvenirs.
The icing on the cake was the guided tour of Marrakech ICONIC ESCAPES and Morocco Unlimited organised for us on our second day. Rather than a trip to the main tourist honeypots, we’d asked for an in-depth look at local life. We were provided with a comfortable V-Class Mercedes for transport. The English-speaking guide led us down the twisting passages of narrow medieval alleyways and to the most charming markets, showing us the city from an intriguing perspective. Without overburdening us with dates, he told us about the country's history, its famous sites and the distinctive character of people’s daily life in the town and the villages around…
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Whether fortunately or unfortunately, La Mamounia is not a hotel for everyone and it can't be booked on the usual sites. The most convenient way to arrange a stay here is via the exclusive ICONIC ESCAPES community, membership of which is by invitation only.
ICONIC ESCAPES develops and curates individual journeys based on personal preferences, offering first-class service and exclusive itineraries. More than just a tour agency, it is a premium tourist consultancy. The ICONIC ESCAPES team of experts selects and creates unforgettable adventures for you, which, as you can imagine, would be impossible to replicate on your own.
