I’m dozing next to my private pool at one of Morocco’s most opulent new five-star hotels, The Oberoi, as the daily call-to-prayer sounds out across Marrakech. It’s easy to forget we were sweating our way around the city’s famous souks just a matter of hours ago, when we now feel this peaceful. The hotel’s 28 acres of Mediterranean orchards set against views of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains certainly feels worlds away from the madness of the maze-like alleys and bustling markets of the country’s famous former imperial city.
The famed Indian hotel company opened its luxury Moroccan outpost, rather unfortunately, just months before the Covid lockdown in December 2019, so its traditionally-dressed staff often make (semi-)jokes about its three-year soft launch. What a waste that most guests had to wait so long: more than 200 local craftsmen took over 10 years to construct some of the intricate detailing carved into the walls and ceilings of the magnificent main building, constructed on the site of a former 11-hectare farm and designed to look like an ancient Moroccan palace.
