Maroc – Le guide exclusif des initiés
Marrakech
Hotels
- L´Hotel – Stylish small boutique hotel in the medina owned by Jasper Conrad
https://www.l-hotelmarrakech.com
- Tarabel – again very comfortable in the medina.
- Riad Sakkan – Again in the medina but very nice.
- El-Fenn – Again in the medina but very nice.
- Izza – Medina close to Dar Yacout
- The Royal Mansour – probably the most expensive hotel in Africa but of course very comfortable with 3 good restaurants –
- La Mamounia –
The old Grande Dame of Marrakech – it was refurbished a few years ago and is very comfortable, 4 restaurants, beautiful garden and only a 5 minute walk in to the big square – Jemma el Fna.
- La Sultana – located in town in the Kasbah – also has a nice roof top terrace and spa.
https://www.lasultanahotels.com
- Ksar Char Bagh – located in the Palmeraie and only about 20 minutes in to town. Very nice boutique hotel. 15 rooms and a few new villas.
– https://www.hotelksarcharbagh.com/
- Palais Ronsard – again in the Palmeraie – very comfortable quite new and good restaurants.
- The Amanjena – The name Aman gives it away – very comfortable and located only about 10 minutes from town – very impressive also has an excellent Japanese restaurant.
https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanjena
- The Oberoi – Again the name Oberoi says it all, it’s a big hotel but of course very comfortable about 20 minutes from town.
https://www.oberoihotels.com/hotels-in-morocco-marrakech
- Casa Abracadabra located off the route de Ourika – 20 minutes from town in the countryside and very peaceful. Also a less expensive option to most of the others.
- The Selman – 10 minutes out of town. Also famous for its horses (possibility to ride them as well) and the Sunday brunch is excellent with a horse show.
https://www.selman-marrakech.com
- Mandarin Oriental – 10 minutes out of town –
https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en
Palais Namaskar – located in the Palmeraie –
- Jnane Tamsna owned by Merryane Loum-Martin located in the Palmeraie.
- Kasbah D’If – located about 30 minutes from town.
- The Capaldi – https://www.thecapaldi.com/ Owned by Ed and Tara Lyall, located about 45 minutes from Marrakech near the mountains, The Agafay desert and the Lake Lalla Takerkoust are also near by where you will find a few good restaurants like La Flouka and Relais de Lac. Good food and very comfortable.
Restaurants
Other than the hotels I have previously mentioned which all have good restaurants I recommend –
- Petit Cornichon – French – in Gueliz
- Vita Nova – Italian – in Gueliz
- Farmers – International in Gueliz
- Nobu – Asían – in Hivernage (also has a roof top bar and restaurant)
- La Paillote – French with a lovely garden 10 minutes out of town and next to Ouasiria water park.
- Café de la Poste – French – in Gueliz – a real classic.
- Royal Golf Clubhouse – International, 10 minutes from town.
- Dar Dar – in the medina roof top bar and restaurant – https://www.rooftopdardar.com/en
- Kabana – in the medina – roof top bar and restaurant – https://www.kabana-marrakech.com/
- El Fenn. Roof top bar and restaurant – https://el-fenn.com/ located in the medina.
- Lo a la Bouche – Gueliz – https://loalabouche.ma/ located in Gueliz.
- Dar Yacout – a Moroccan feast in a beautiful riad in the Medina – https://daryacout.com/
- Ling Ling – Mandarin Oriental – Asian – located 10 mintues out of town. https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/marrakech/la-medina/dine/ling-ling-by-hakkasan?src=loc.local-listings.momrk.ggl
- Nomad in the souk – roof top bar and restaurant – https://nomadmarrakech.com/fr/
- Jad Mahal – Moroccan with lots of entertainment (belly dancers etc) – https://www.palaisjadmahal.com/en
- Comptoir Dana – Moroccan with entertainment (belly dancers etc)
- https://www.comptoirmarrakech.com/
- Barometre in Gueliz – https://www.lebarometre.net/ – good cocktails in Gueliz.
- Plus 61 – https://plus61.com/ – located in Gueliz.
- El Mida – https://lmidamarrakech.com/ located in the medina.
- Les Jardins de Lotus – Mexican fusion. Delicious food, fun atmosphere for a night out, yet also a calm spot to have lunch during the day.
- Bo Zin – https://www.bo-zin.com/ Asian (large garden, oddly chic French vibe for an Asian restaurant) turns into a party as the night goes on.
- Le Salama – magical rooftop for dinner or a drink, food is okay and also one of the few places to get a drink near the main square.
- Pétanque Social Club in Gueliz ia nice for a lunch and a game of Petanque!
- Al Fassia – Famous classic Moroccan. Environment isn’t great, cocktails are terrible, but hands down the best tagine in the city if you want something authentic.
- Le Palace – https://www.le-palacemarrakech.com/ – located in Gueliz.
- Bagatelle – https://www.restaurant-bagatelle-marrakech.com/ one of oldest French restaurants in town (1949 I believe).
- Dar El Bacha coffee and Museum https://bachacoffee.com/en Very atrracive, great for the museum and lovely for breakfast or coffee or lunch.
- Breakfast and Boulangerie – Blue Ribbon Cafe – fresh pressed juices, bagels, breads. Everything on the menu is excellent.
Culture
- Badi Palace https://badipalace.com/
- Bahia Palace https://bahia-palace.com/
Transport
Look no further than Yassine from Connect Travel Services – we use him a lot particularly for the events, he has good clean cars and is reliable. Mention Maria and Alex and you will be well looked after.
Mobile +212661515441
Shops
Maison Blaoui – https://www.best-shopping-marrakech.com/shop/mustapha-blaoui/
Beldi Country Club – a hotel but has some nice shops. https://beldicountryclub.com/
Aya – https://www.ayasmarrakech.com/ In the Mellah. Noramlly a good idea to make an appointment.
Au Fil d’Or, 10 Derb Semmarine, Marrakesh 40000 in the souk.
Beldi Haute Couture, 9 Souk Laksour, Marrakech 40000 in the souk.
L’ourika Caftan, J2H6+CQC, Derb Deffa ou Rbaâ, Marrakesh 40000
Scene de Lin – Rue de Libertie – Gueliz.
Atika – Rue de Liberté, Knock off of Tods & Hermes sandals but a fraction of the price. In Gueliz.
La Gallerie des Tanneurs – Bd Moulay Rachid, leather goods (bags, belts, shoes for men and women).
De Velasco – Ave Hassan 11, Beautifully made Moroccan clothing for men and women in Gueliz.
Gallery Birkemeyer – located in Gueliz.
https://www.marrakech-riad.co.uk/2014/02/birkemeyer/
Villa Rental and Sales
Please check www.apvillas.com for rentals and www.kensingtonmorocco.com for sales – we have over 200 properties for rental across Morocco and a much wider selection for sale. Contact Alex on WhatsApp +212 6 76 88 73 76 or alexpeto@me.com and you will be well looked after.
Events, weddings and parties
Please contact Maria www.partymarocmarrakech.com or on WhatsApp +212 6 51 29 71 45 or maria@partymarocmarrakech.com she is very experienced and highly organised.
Golf
- Palm Ourika – https://palmgolfmarrakechourika.com/
- Royal Golf – also has lovely club house and restaurant. – https://royal-golf-marrakech.com/language/en/homepage/
- Noria Golf Club – https://frmg.ma/en/noria-golf-club-marrakech-2/
- Assoufid – https://assoufid.com/
- Samanah – https://www.mysamanah.com/en?utm_source=google&utm_medium=wix_google_business_profile&utm_campaign=15063814962712915624
Water Parks
Oasiria – next to La Pailotte restaurant – 10 minutes from town and also close to The Selman hotel and The Beldi Country Club – https://www.oasiria.com/ also for most of the year a good Sunday food market.
Tennis
- Atlas Tennis Club – off the route de Ourika https://atlastennispadelmarrakech.com/en also has paddle courts. 15 minutes from town.
- Royal Tennis Club of Marrakech , Rue Oued El Makhazine · +212 5 24 43 19 02 In the center of town.
Flowers
For most of year we have plenty of roses in our gardens but the Marche Central in Gueliz is not a bad option if you need to buy flowers.
Donkey Sanctuary
Jarjeer – https://www.jarjeer.org/ about 20 minutes out of town and particularly fun for kids and if possible make a donation as it’s a family run sanctuary out of love and kindness to the animals.
No visit to Marrakech for those who have not been before is of course a visit to the Yves St Lauren Gardens and Museum – Jardin Majorelle but book ahead and try to get there early as it is the biggest tourist attraction in Marrakech with around 1m visitors a year so you can wait in line for a long time if you do not…. https://www.jardinmajorelle.com/
Spas
- The Royal Mansour is the best but book ahead particularly in high seasons as residents get priority –
- La Mamounia is also good – same rule applies – book ahead as the residents get priority
https://mamounia.com/fr/?utm_medium=google&utm_source=MyBusiness
- Ksar Char Bagh –
https://www.hotelksarcharbagh.com/ In fact most of the hotels I have mentioned above have good spas.
Night clubs
- Babouchka – https://www.babouchka-marrakech.com/en
- Epicurien – https://linkio.it/epicurien
Agafay desert
The Agafay desert is only an hour´s drive from Marrakech and fun for a night but is more like the surface of the moon than rolling sand dunes – whilst the Sahara is a good 8 – 10 hour drive from Marrakech but there are options of flying to Zagora for example.
https://thewhitecamel.com/https://www.lapause-marrakech.com/
Montagnes de l'Atlas
- Olinto
- Kasbah Bab Ourika – owned by an English man – Stevie Skinner.
- Kasbah Tamadot – owned by Richard Branson
https://www.virginlimitededition.com/kasbah-tamadot
- Kasbah Toubkal –
https://www.kasbahdutoubkal.com
Hot air ballooning over the Atlas Mountains
I cannot say I have done this but bring warm clothes if you choose to do so and it’s a very early start!
Sahara Desert
Dar Ahlam – as mentioned previously the Saraha is a long drive from Marrakech. Dar Ahlam is a very nice hotel halfway from Marrakech to the desert near Skoura (just over the Atlas Mountains) – good to spend a night and then they take you on to their private desert camp. I would also recommend thinking about a flight on the way back from Zagora.https://www.darahlam.com/
Essaouira :
Essaouira is on the coast about 2.30 hours from Marrakech. Good shopping and great kite surfing – fun for a night or two…
Hotels
Restaurants
- Taros https://taroslounge.com/ great for a sunset cocktail.
- Vagabond https://www.oceanvagabond.com/en/essaouira-morocco-2/ on the beach – nothing fancy but quite nice.
Oualidia :
Oualidia is located on the coast approximately 3 hours from Marrakech – great for sea food lovers.
- https://www.lasultanahotels.com/ expensive but very nice.
- https://hippocampeoualidia.com/ the cheaper option but also on the beach and nice.
Tangier :
Hotels
- Villa Josephine – https://hotel-villajosephine.com/
- Villa Mabrouka – https://villamabrouka.com/
- Le Mirage – https://lemirage.com/
Restaurants
- Morocco Club – https://elmoroccoclub.ma/
- Tangerino – https://www.facebook.com/restauranttangerino/?ref=ts#
- Lócean – https://oceantanger.com/ on the beach about 20 minutes south of Tangier.
- Casa D Italia – a real favourite for the Tangerino´s!
Agadir :
The Fairmont – located about 20 minutes north of Agadir on the beach in Taghazout Bay. Agadir itself is not a city I recommend but this hotel is nice. www.fairmont.com
Fez :
Fez is a northeastern city often referred to as the country’s cultural capital and has probably the oldest medina. https://riadfes.com/ Good hotel.
Casablanca :
Not a city I would recommend a visitor spending much time in but the Hassan II Mosque and these two restaurants are good and the Four Seasons Hotel is good.
Rabat :
The capital of Morocco – to be honest not a city I know well and rather diplomatic but ifyou want go the Four Seasons is good.
Chefchaouane :
If you are in the North of Morocco a visit to Chefchaouane is worth a night or two. Known as the Blue City. Charming town in the mountains about 2 hours from Tangier.
The last thing I would like to add is Morocco may look like a small country in the context of Africa but it is not! So do not try to see everything in one holiday. I have lived here for a long time and still have not managed to cover all the country. Pick either a trip in the north or in the south but trying to do both in a short stay is a mistake.
