Marrakech is Morocco’s breakaway success, a desert trading town that parlayed its bold character, exotic souqs and sun into tourism gold. It was Youssef ben Tachfine, the Amazigh warrior-king from the High Atlas who recognised the city’s strategic location and built the iconic red-earth ramparts in 1062. Subsequent Moroccan dynasties of Almohads, Saadians and Alawites fortified and embellished this desert stronghold with a kasbah (castle), gilded palaces, glorious gardens, qissaria (covered markets) and foundouks (trading houses) paid for by the wealth of trans-Saharan trade.
They also invested in fabulous riads, Marrakech’s signature courtyard mansions set around an internal garden which provide the city’s most atmospheric accommodation. Meanwhile heritage hotels like La Mamounia – built to accommodate wealthy travellers when the railway arrived in the 1930s – boast five-star facilities. In the 1950s and 1960s, Marrakech’s fame increased thanks to a steady stream of heiresses and rock stars, who sought out discreet villas and louche parties in the high-walled villas in the palmeraie (palm grove). Now, Marrakech is Morocco’s premier tourism destination with the finest properties in the country, including big-name resorts, golf courses and a requisite Four Seasons. So why not see what all the fuss is about and treat yourself to a stay in one of Marrakech’s 10 best hotels?
The best luxury hotels in Marrakech
At a glance
- Best family hotel: Es Saadi Marrakech, La Mamounia hotel
- Best hotel for couples: Royal Mansour Marrakech hotel
- Best boutique hotel: El Fenn hotel
1. La Mamounia hotel
Marrakech’s iconic hotel, La Mamounia wears its centenarian age with grace. Sitting at the edge of Medina, this public palace manages the impossible task of being both exclusive and popular, providing the city with a spectacular stage for its December Film Festival, February 1-54 Art Fair and starry celebrity weddings. The decor is Moroccan high glamour starting with a monumental contemporary crystal chandelier in the foyer. This vibe follows through to the gold-and-green Majorelle bar, a black-marble caviar bar and cinema, and multiple restaurants overseen by Michelin-starred chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Politicians, cognoscenti and celebrities regularly stay in Mamounia’s opulent suites enjoying front-row views of the snow-covered Atlas mountains from their curtained balconies. You may very well catch sight of them on Sunday when everyone packs onto the pool patio for the epic buffet brunch.
Address: Avenue Bab Jdid, 40040 Marrakech
Price: Superior double rooms from £670 per night
Read more: The best riads in Marrakech to stay in for winter sun
2. Royal Mansour Marrakech hotel
The first of the king’s renowned collection, Royal Mansour Marrakech is a showcase demonstrating the excellence of Moroccan arts and crafts. Designed as a medina within a medina, its rooms are in fact multi-storey, mini riads with private patios replete with mosaic-tiled fountains and roof terraces with fireplaces where you can dine beneath the stars. Meanwhile, every space you enter is exquisitely handcrafted, and everything you desire is possible thanks to the country’s best concierge service.
In the four restaurants, you’ll find Michelin-starred chefs Helene Darroze and the Alajmo brothers who guide talented teams delivering French, Italian, Asian and Moroccan menus. While this might sound like a lot, the blousy garden and zen-like atmosphere of the discreetly sequestered estate has a surprisingly soft and relaxed atmosphere.
Address: Rue Abou Abbas El Sebti, 40000 Marrakech
Price: Rates start from 18000 MAD (currently approx. £1,440) per night for two people sharing a one-bedroom riads on a B&B basis, plus airport transfers and Fast Track immigration at Marrakech airport.
Read more: Why you should swap hectic Marrakech for authentic and laidback Rabat
3. Les Deux Tours hotel
Conceived by celebrated Tunisian architect Charles Boccara, Les Deux Tours enjoys his signature design which is inspired by traditional forms and materials. Accommodation comprises discreet four- and five-room compounds with shared pools, while the restaurants, bars and patios enjoy an old-school Franco-Moorish elegance. In the lavender-hued bar this means pin-lights in the domed ceiling that look like stars, elaborate zellij (mosaic) tiled columns and outre brass lamps the shape of palm trees.
Gorgeous as this is, the garden steals the show. It is dotted with terrapin-filled ponds, brass four-poster beds beneath the orange trees and a pride of peacocks who eye the fluffy croissant at your terrace breakfast table. The pool, meanwhile, is one of the loveliest in the city, framed by olive trees and bookended by a terrace restaurant shaded by a thick canopy of honeysuckle.
Address: Douard Abiad, Circuit de la Palmeraie, 40000 Marrakech
Price: Classic rooms from £310, with breakfast included
Read more: Where to go on holiday in Morocco, from Marrakech to Fes
4. Oberoi Marrakech hotel
At the Oberoi, culture and customer service are king, and you’ll enjoy the best of them at this lavish resort situated 20 minutes southwest of the Medina with picture-perfect views of the pink-hued High Atlas. The property centres on an artfully carved plaster courtyard inspired by the Unesco World Heritage Site, Medersa ben Youssef theological school. Around its peaceful pool revolves a well-curated cedarwood library, a sophisticated Moroccan restaurant with a magnificent painted ceiling, a glamorous dark-hued bar and arched apertures that offer glimpses of the rose-filled garden. Here you’ll find clusters of bijou villas tucked amid citrus and olive trees, each with its own garden and plunge pool.
The format works well for destination weddings for which the Oberoi is a favourite. The hotel is also known for its excellent spa, yoga, nutrition and fitness packages, which make full use of the stunning glass-walled spa which sits on its own island in a discreet corner of the garden.
Address: Route d'Ouarzazate, Marrakech 40000
Price: Rooms from £735, with breakfast and airport transfers included
Read more: The Oberoi, Marrakech hotel review
5. Amanjena hotel
The first big international brand to plant a flag in Marrakech, Amanjena set the tone for contemporary resort luxury in the city when it opened in 2000. Designed by Ed Tuttle, the monumental Moorish architecture with its serried ranks of soaring arches interspersed by serene courtyards feels more like a magical desert palace than a hotel. Villa-style rooms are vast with domed ceilings and many have private pools and gardens.
A recent refresh has also delivered an immaculate update, a new Italian restaurant and a movement studio and state-of-the-art gym where visiting practitioners with offer zen-like yoga sessions and wellness retreats. Service is gracious and delivered unobtrusive precision. This is a place for those who value peace and privacy at arm’s reach from the Medina’s frenzied atmosphere.
Address: Route de Ouarzazate, Km12, 40000 Marrakech
Price: Rooms from £1258, including breakfast
Read more: Meet the women blazing a trail through the majestic mountains of Morocco
6. El Fenn hotel
Long the riad of choice for Marrakech’s creative set, El Fenn is as much a living gallery as a hotel. Its 41 rooms and suites jigsaw across 12 conjoined riads, each uniquely styled with bold colours, mid-century modern furnishings and serious contemporary African and Moroccan art drawn from founder Vanessa Branson’s personal collection. Among them there’s a pool patio, a riad devoted to a house hammam and treatment rooms, a guest-only bar and one of the best shops in Marrakech whose mission it is to surface new talent.
The rooftop restaurant and bar also enjoy cult status in the city thanks to their Instagrammable style and unimpeded view of the Koutoubia minaret. Artists and designers regularly collaborate on installations, residencies and creative retreats, ensuring the vibe remains fresh, inventive and ever evolving.
Address: Derb Moulay Abdellah ben Hezzian, Bab el Ksour, 40000 Marrakech
Price: Double room from £305, breakfast included
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7. La Sultana hotel
Luxury with a sense of history is the hallmark of La Sultana, one of Marrakech’s original riad hotels. Privately-owned, this boutique pad consists of several interconnected riads accommodating 28 uniquely decorated rooms and suites. They are supremely comfortable and sport an unabashed maximalist style showcasing Moroccan and African arts and crafts alongside an extensive Orientalist art collection.
Service, too, is smoothly professional, and the facilities are impressive. They include a heated pool, a stunning Roman-style colonnaded hammam, multiple lounges, bars and patios and a sprawling 2000-metre-squared roof terrace with shaded gazebos, a gym, solarium, bar and rooftop restaurant. For those who can’t quite decide between a riad, a boutique hotel and five-star luxury, La Sultana occupies a sweet spot between all three.
Address: 403 Rue de La Kasbah, Marrakech 40000,
Price: Rooms from £479
Read more: Morocco earthquake one year on – can tourism support recovery in the Atlas Mountains?
8. Four Seasons Marrakech hotel
In an otherwise adventurous city, the Four Seasons offers a familiar level of contemporary luxury and seamless, professional service set in 40 acres of lovely, accessible landscaped gardens. Because of that it buzzes with smart young professionals and families who come for the two pools (one is adults-only), three restaurants (Lebanese, Italian and Mediterranean), rooftop bar, various tennis and padel courts, spa, fitness centre, yoga studio and imaginatively-managed kids club.
The 112 rooms and 27 suites also offer great flexibility for families and friends and are styled in a quiet contemporary fashion with subtle Moroccan accents as well as iPod docks, 42in TVs and DVD players. It’s a popular place with a lively atmosphere and a great option for Marrakech newbies who are just starting to discover the city.
Address: 1 Boulevard de la Menara, Hivernage, 40000 Marrakesh
Price: Rooms from £520
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9. Fairmont Royal Palm hotel
In terms of bang for your buck, the Fairmont Royal Palm is hard to beat. It sits in a vast 230-hectare estate, 20 minutes from downtown and feels like a small village with its spacious, meandering layout. For many the highlight is the 18-hole professional golf course, which has a serious academy and is a private members’ club. Guests, of course, have access to its coaches and fantastic facilities, but there are a wealth of other things to amuse you.
For starters, the all-white spa is fabulous with multiple hammams, dozens of treatment rooms and a heated indoor pool. Then there’s the gym and fitness area with its own outdoor pool, coaches and yoga studio – as well as several tennis courts and a great kids’ club. Rooms are equally generous and styled in a smart, contemporary Moroccan fashion with dreamy Atlas views from the balconies. What’s more, the Fairmont is a friendly and easy-going place that hits the resort vibe perfectly.
Address: Km 12 Route D Amizmiz, Marrakech
Price: Double rooms from £265, breakfast included
Read more: Overland from Margate to Marrakech – an art-filled journey across France and Spain
10. Es Saadi Marrakech Resort
This Moroccan-owned landmark resort has roots in the city’s racy 1950s and 1960s, when the Es Saadi hosted the Rolling Stones and the Moulin Rouge-owning founder Jean Bauchet opened Marrakech’s first casino. Guests can choose between a smart five-star hotel, a more lavish Palace hotel, or 10 secluded private villas, each with their own dramatic decor.
At the heart of the 20-acre estate is a huge lagoon pool with an island bar and one of Marrakech’s most extensive spas, with hammams, an indoor hydrotherapy pool and the only Dior Institute outside Paris. Families are warmly welcomed with an excellent kids’ club, while adults gravitate to the Teatro nightclub and casino. Between Moroccan feasts and relaxed afternoons around the turquoise pool, Es Saadi strikes a rare balance of heritage, hedonism and hospitality.
Address: Rue Ibrahim El Mazini, Hivernage, 40000 Marrakech
Price: Hotel rooms from £140; palace rooms from £327, breakfast included
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11. Villa des Orangers
If ever a hotel fulfilled a fantasy of Oriental sophistication, it is Villa des Orangers where orange blossom scents and sublimely stuccoed courtyards centre on still reflecting pools and shaded gardens. The entrance is pure Marrakech drama as you step off the hectic street and make your way down a long corridor to find a fabulous hidden world where you’ll be greeted by gracious service, a sweet mint tea and shown to a deeply comfortable suite filled with vases of roses.
It’s no wonder the historic property slipped effortlessly into the Relais & Chateaux collection just nine months after opening and continues to be favoured by those looking for an intimate experience and refined French-Moroccan food, which is served around the candlelit pool at night. In winter a fire roars in the cosy cognac lounge, where guests play chess on a pearl-inlaid Damascene table, and in summer the action moves to the roof terrace, where you’ll find another pool and guests sipping glasses of cold gris (Moroccan rosé).
Address: 6 Rue Sidi Mimoune, 40000 Marrakech
Price: Rooms from £320, including breakfast, lunch and laundry
Read more: ‘Desertification is our destiny’: How this ancient African city is being buried under Sahara sand
12. Mandarin Oriental Marrakech
Marrakech’s Mandarin sits next to the excellent MACAAL art gallery and several golf courses. It’s so well-equipped that many guests never leave, although there’s a complimentary shuttle to whisk you into town. Once you’ve seen the sumptuous villa-rooms you’ll see why. They are immense and revolve around a private courtyard furnished with an al fresco lounge, fireplace, barbecue and sunbathing area, set around a 10-metre pool and jacuzzi, which you can step into directly from your bedroom.
From this lap of luxury winding paths lead through thousands of roses to the main pool overhung by weeping willows, an extensive gym and beautiful independent spa staffed by Moroccan and Thai therapists. There’s also an art gallery, two tennis courts and an outlet of fine-dining Chinese restaurant Hakkasan, called Ling Ling, where you can sit on a deep terrace overlooking the rose-filled garden.
Address: Route du Golf Royal, 40000 Marrakech,
Price: Suites from £1,125, breakfast included
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Why trust us
The hotels featured in this list have been carefully selected by The Independent's expert travel writers, each with a deep knowledge of the destinations they cover. Paula is a travel journalist who's been reporting on the southern Mediterranean, Maghreb and East Africa, where she grew up, for over 20 years. When picking which hotels to include, she considers her own experience staying in the hotels and evaluates location, facilities, service and all the other details that make for an exceptional stay for all types of traveller.
FAQs
When is the best time to visit Marrakech?
Spring and autumn right up to November.
What are the nicest areas to stay in Marrakech?
For quiet and privacy the Palmeraie (palm grove) can’t be beaten. Otherwise, the western side of the medine near the Dar el Bacha palace is an upmarket neighbourhood.
What currency do I need?
Moroccan Dirhams (MAD).
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