Marrakech has long been and probably always will be the entry point for a first visit to Morocco. It has the history, the beauty, the legends, and the decadence. The Red City remains one of the most fascinating, most dizzying places on earth. Its major sights are busier than ever; Yves St. Laurent’s stunning, midnight-blue Jardin Majorelle now requires timed tickets (purchased in advance) for entry and a good deal of patience for navigation. And getting caught up in the swirl of humanity in the snake-charmer-filled evening market in Jemaa el-Fnaa is part of the point.
A few scars of last year’s earthquake are still visible, but the city’s appeal has hardly wavered. And while the Palmeraie — the manmade, greened-up palm tree “oasis” in the desert surrounding the city — is home to ever more luxury resorts that claim to offer the best of both worlds, a better idea is spending some time in the urban center before heading completely outside the city. Thankfully, a growing number of stylish hotels, and some classics that keep getting better with time, are making that combination easier than ever.
MARRAKECH
Even in the busiest areas of the medina, riads and guest houses offer peaceful sanctuaries behind closed doors. They’re designed around quiet courtyards, often with decorative fountains but sometimes with proper swimming pools, and stylish rooftop restaurants like crowns. Alternatively, some larger hotels in the newer part of the city offer easy access to the medina and more extensive hotel services.
IZZA
Near the edge of the bustling medina, the newly opened riad IZZA bills itself as a house of friends. Overall, the design pays homage to socialite-architect Bill Wills, one of the creative spirits who shaped the city’s louche, exotic side in the 20th century. Its 14 rooms are named after other creative “freedom seekers” of the 1960s and ’70s, most of which were part of that aesthetically adventurous world. Hence the rooms have names like Grace (Jones), Marianne (Faithful), Jack (Kerouac), Cecil (Beaton), and Yves (Saint Laurent, the top suite). Despite the nostalgia, the rooms have modern comforts (even if some are on the snug side, with the beds nestled in between two walls) and the art is aggressively contemporary. The collection aims to be one of the world’s leading permanent exhibitions of digital art. Along with works by emerging artists, the curators sourced pieces from leading digital gallery fellowship.xyz and prominent NFT collector Studio137.
Nobu Hotel Marrakech
The Nobu hotel group’s specific style of Zen somehow fits in perfectly in Marrakech’s fashionable Golden Triangle, an upscale neighborhood that mixes modern conveniences with proximity to the medina and Jemaa el-Fnaa. Inside its striking cylindrical tower, the Nobu Hotel Marrakech’s 71 suites are spacious and subtle, blending Moroccan craftsmanship — studded-leather consoles, filigree-metal lamps — with Japanese influences like calligraphic art. Of course there’s a Nobu restaurant, with all the expected classics like rock shrimp tempura and black cod with miso. The rooftop garden, with its swimming pool, restaurant, and bar, has 360-degree views over the city and the mountains beyond.
ATLAS MOUNTAINS
Less than an hour’s drive from Marrakech, the foothills of the Atlas Mountains offer cooler temperatures, natural tranquility, and some cultural illumination thanks to the surrounding Berber villages. Although the epicenter of the 2023 earthquake was here, the new Olinto hotel was relatively unscathed, and the owners of Kasbah Tamadot used it as an opportunity to undertake renovations. It quickly became clear that the best way to support rebuilding efforts was to come and spend tourist dollars. The genuine hospitality never so much as wobbled.
Olinto
Following the success of La Maison Arabe in Marrakech, Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa opened Olinto about two years ago. The intimate, nine-room hotel occupies a lovely spot at the foot of the High Atlas, just above the Berber village of Imlil, and is the living epitome of quiet luxury. The nine pavilions are surrounded by olive groves, roses, oleander, and fragrant pines; inside, they are timeless tributes to local craftsmanship with colorful fabrics, inlaid-brick ceilings, custom leather headboards, and utterly gorgeous carved doors to the wardrobes and washrooms. Service is warm and generous, and meals are simple but top quality.
Kasbah Tamadot
If Olinto offers quiet luxury, Sir Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot sets out an opulent fantasy. The name Tamadot means “soft breeze” in the local Berber language, and the hotel benefits from those, as well as its views over a valley and Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. For now, the accommodations include ten glammed-up Berber-style tents and a new collection of villa-style riads, each with two bedrooms, a rooftop terrace, and a private pool. Later this year, the design-forward hotel rooms in the main building will reopen with new decoration emphasizing traditional Moroccan furnishings and antiques. The new restaurant offers Moroccan tagines and international fare.
AGAFAY DESERT
An hour from Marrakech in the other direction, the Agafay Desert is an increasingly popular spot for unplugged overnights or day trips. Many people go for a couscous lunch, a camel ride (a camel photo-op — let’s be honest), and some serious sunbathing, but there’s a growing number of rustic-luxe hotels for those who want to spend more time decompressing after getting caught up in the sensory overload of the city.
La Pause
Now busloads upon busloads of tourists come to the Agafay Desert for lunch, but it wasn’t always that way. La Pause was a pioneer, first welcoming day trippers for a meal, then gradually adding accommodations over the years. Now even with some stylish neighbors, it remains one of the most appealing places in the area — and it more than lives up to its name. There’s no choice but to pause here, because not only is there no wifi; there’s also no electricity. This makes for a particularly romantic stay, as the mud houses are lit with lanterns and candelabras, and dinners in the garden are illuminated by bonfires, candles, and lamps.
Caravan by Habitas
The Tulum-based boho-chic group, Our Habitas, chose the Agafay Desert for its first hotel in Africa, which it opened a few years ago. Caravan Agafay’s accommodations include a collection of rustic-luxe “explorers’ tents” with outdoor lounge areas and larger tented rooms with wood furnishings and eco bathrooms. In keeping with Our Habitas’s lifestyle positioning, there are ample wellness offerings including regular yoga and meditation classes, spa treatments using native ingredients, and programming including Moroccan tea ceremonies at sunset, visits to local artisans, and evening DJ sessions.
Featured image courtesy of Kasbah Tamagot; Travel Curator may earn a commission from product or booking links on this page
