The Country Life Guide to Marrakech: Where to shop, stay and eat
Magical Marrakech is a tale of two halves, says Hetty Lintell, who enjoys both going back in time and its new, design-led focus.
You’d be forgiven for feeling a little trepidation on first entering the main Jemaa el-Fnaa square (main image) in the middle of Marrakech’s vibrant Medina, which occupies Marrakesh’s original fortified citadel, especially after sunset.
The square has a mysterious atmosphere — all fragrant smoke, snake charmers, jittery monkeys and the pungent smell of rich spices filling the air. I’ve visited the city countless times since my university years and although so much has changed, so much hasn’t — but it never fails to surprise.
The best bit? It’s a short, three hour flight from London and for full immersion into a totally different time and place, to a city steeped in history where days are punctuated by the call-to-prayer reverberating off centuries-old walls.
The city can be devoured in a few days with dedication — or over a week, should you wish to take things more slowly.
What to do
Shop for rugs
If you’re staying inside the confines of the Media then you must explore the souk on foot.
Stock up on the finest quality spices or fall for beautiful crockery to decorate walls and dressers at home (and to eat from, of course).
Rugs have been woven by the people of Morocco since the Paleolithic Era and it’s nearly always better value to buy them here and ship them home, than to purchase them at home.
I’ve even been known to bring a spare suitcase with me for rug transportation purposes.
Try the carpet kings Soufiane Zarib and Mustafa Blaoui (warning: there’s no sign on the door).
Set aside a good few hours for proper perusing and then pop next door to Valerie Barkowski for beautiful, tasselled bath towels.
For rugs with a modern edge try LRNCE.
Shop for clothes
For the best, original textiles, head to the city’s industrial district where some of the more trendy designers and makers have factories and boutiques.
I found some beautiful printed dresses in Topolina.
Next, hop along to Marakeshi Life for exquisitely woven, striped kaftans, trousers and shirts. If you ask nicely, they’ll show you the craftspeople at work infront of the looms.
You’ll need to get a taxi to this area — it’s about 20 minutes from the Medina — and you can ask your driver to wait for you, or even to drive you from shop to shop for a small fee.
Where to stay
In the Medina
I would recommend four nights total: two outside and two inside the Medina, at a riad or boutique hotel.
My favourite is La Sultana, where you’ll be greeted by cheerful staff wearing red uniforms and Fez hats and proffering trays of stuffed dates and fresh mint tea (drink this at every opportunity, and pretend not to notice when they add sugar. It’s too delicious).
Behind the unassuming entrance you’ll discover opulent interiors, heavenly indoor courtyards and balconies festooned with bougainvillaea.
There are plenty of places to hide away with a book in hand — and although the hotel was full when I visited, it couldn’t have felt more peaceful. Often the only visible company is a flutter of tweeting birds.
At La Sultana the food is traditional with a twist — fragrant tagines share space on the plate with Italian and French influences.
Bedrooms are named after animals and have an old school charm — the Elephant Suite is the finest of them all though.
There is a proper Moroccan spa (I say ‘proper’ because the hammam is thorough and the massages are gloriously firm). Book in for complimentary yoga on the rooftop (against a dramatic backdrop of the Atlas Mountains) followed by a breakfast comprising traditional berber pancakes and moorish cakes.
El Fenn
The Medina’s grande dame, El Fenn (above), is a 20-minute walk up from La Sultana in more or less a straight line. The legendary hotel, owned until recently by Vanessa Branson, founder of the Marrakech Biennale, is as resplendent now as it ever was (Madonna celebrated her 60th birthday there), with tiled floors made out of camel leather and interiors that vary from one bedroom to the next. The walls are a mosaic of magenta, yellow and forest green, with tortoises wandering about the courtyards and arguably the most breathtaking roof terrace in the city — a restorative oasis with sweeping views over the souks.
El Fenn’s sister property, Villa des Orangers (above), is its quieter but no less glamorous counterpart. A stone’s throw from the Koutoubia Mosque, the star of the show here is the pool, shrouded in trees. The decor is paired back, allowing the Edenic garden — and birdsong — to take over. Bedrooms are ample and generous: the senior suites are duplex apartments with a balcony, a bath and a living room. Guests inclined to digital nomadism may find it hard to leave.
Another standout is the restaurant’s wine list, not always a given in Marrakech (from the whites, try the Vermentino; from the reds, the Malbec), and an elegant, refined menu blending Moroccan classics and European staples (think citrus-infused red tuna tartar and sea bream tajine with baby potatoes cooked in saffron and Kalamata olives).
Out of town
Mes’Lalla, one of three restaurants at the Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech.
Grandeur knows no bounds at the Mandarin Oriental.
Of the 61 ‘rooms’, 54 are private villas with their own swimming pools framed by pristine white, upholstered loungers.
All of the bathrooms are as big as my London flat, boasting tubs for wallowing in and showers that double as steam rooms (excellent, incidentally, for smoothing out creased dresses).
You’d never leave if it wasn’t for the incredible communal pool that meals are regularly served alongside.
Come Easter, the hotel lays out an extensive buffet and a roaming mariachi band. The people watching is exemplary.
Although the Mandarin Oriental group has hotels all over the globe, this Marrakech offering has a real sense of place, down to the astonishing gardens which harbour a kitchen plot that stocks the hotel’s fridges, a petting farm and the Kid’s Kasbah (club).
The spa is one of the largest in the city and treatments are exquisite — to be enjoyed in your own suite.
Where to eat
Plus 61 is all about minimalist design and maximalist flavour. Try the crispy chicken and juicy cabbage slaw (it’s big enough to share). The cocktails are herby, and, dare I say, healthy? Or go for an organic wine…or two.
Dine on the rooftop at El Fenn in order to admire the lovely decor — striped cushions and walls jam-packed with colourful plates. Start with cocktails and nibbles in the bar area before settling down at a table to fish tagine.
NOMAD Marrakech and Imida both serve up incredible and inventive dishes. And they both have wonderful rooftops. Neither serves alcohol, but the mocktails and juices more than make up for it.
