The best hotels in Marrakech and wider Morocco

After its independence from France in 1956, Morocco, and specifically Marrakech, the fourth largest of the historical Berber Empire's Imperial Cities, took off as a hippie mecca for artists (Andy Warhol), Hollywood starlets (Rita Hayworth), film directors (Alfred Hitchcock shot scenes for The Man Who Knew Too Much here) and the musical jet-set with The Beatles and the Rolling Stones enjoying rest and hazy 'relaxation' in the maze-like alleys of this medieval medina.

Into the eighties, the expatriate arrivals and investment continued when Yves Saint Laurent bought the colonial Majorelle Garden (where his ashes are now buried). Meanwhile, Patrick Guerrand-Hermès – former cavalryman and great-great-grandson of the luxury brand's founder Thierry Hermès – bought Ain Kassimou, a late 19th century estate originally built for Leo Tolstoy's daughter Olga, which Guerrand-Hermès transformed into the Royal Polo Club de la Palmeraie with the help of the dapper, super-secretive and publicity averse American garden designer Madison Cox.

Now in the 21st century, Maroc is on a roll and the city is riding a renaissance as a destination for the in-crowd. Kate Moss? Check. Ralph Lauren? Check. The Delevingne clan? Check. Carine Roitfeld and Matthew Williamson doing karaoke at 3am? Check.

Isn't it time you joined them?

Fly

Flights from London to Marrakech begin at around £85 return via British Airways from Stansted, Luton, Heathrow and Gatwick. You can also fly from other UK airports and most flights tend to be just under four hours long. Flights to Fes and Casablanca.

Where to stay in Morocco: The best hotels

Staying near the Medina has its perks, but if you really want to get the best of both worlds while in Marrakech, we’d recommend finding a dose of tranquillity at one of the resorts a bit further out. Our favourites for this? The Fairmont Royal Palm and Oberoi.

Backed by the snowy peaks of the Atlas Mountains, the Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech is a definitive retreat; all manicured, gorgeous expanses and equally manicured, gorgeous guests. Far enough from the city centre to have one of Marrakech’s best and biggest golf courses, yet close enough you can shuttle door-to-door in 20 minutes, it is as suitable for first-time visitors as it is for those with pages of Moroccan stamps in their passport.

Guests can choose to stay in luxurious rooms, suites or villas (the latter of which often come with their own pool and/or hammam), but the hotel’s myriad activities mean you’re likely to spend more time out than in. The spa, for example, is a destination in its own right. Inspired by traditional Moroccan riads, the rooms wrap around an interior courtyard garden, offering a huge number of indulgent treatments celebrating the culture and traditions of North Africa. Ritual hammam baths and Ghassoul clay body wraps are the “obvious” choices, but the MarocMaroc and Natura Bissé treatments are among the best we’ve ever had.

In addition to a number of gorgeous semi-Olympic pools to get your lengths in (there’s even a semi-private one in the country club, surrounded by palm trees and fragrant bougainvillaea, which hotel guests have access to whether they’re getting a round in or not), active travellers can work up a sweat in one of the Royal Palm’s four clay tennis courts, two brand-new padel courts, or its squash court, all of which are tucked behind an uber high-tech gym. Personal training is also available, should you want to explore everything from boxing to oriental dance, too.

And given its four restaurants are nothing short of spectacular, you just might want to. During our stay, we devoured saffron-infused Moroccan-style risotto at Capricci (complete with caramelised onions and sauteed almonds), Fakharit Laham (beef fillet marinated with seven spices, with roast vegetables and a pineapple crust) at Al Aïn, and more sushi than one could possibly need to consume – all of which were superior to any version in recent memory. With many of its restaurant options also available in-room, guests staying for a week or two won’t be lacking in variety or quality.

Families will love it, too, with a kid’s club quite literally unlike any we’ve seen in the world. Rather than being a room you feel not-super-great about dropping your little ones off, Fairmont’s kid’s club is ultra-luxurious, with non-stop activities catered to its tiny guest’s needs and preferences (art classes, cooking classes, et al). They even host luxe New Year’s parties to match those enjoyed by their adult guests. Long story short, we couldn’t imagine anyone could find a way not to fall in love with this hotel. Km 12 Route D'Amizmiz, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.

Set around a twenty-minute drive from the city centre, The Oberoi is the epitome of a luxury spot, combining impressive architecture, open ceilings, large marble courtyards and walkways, and some of the most picturesque gardens we’ve come across on our travels. You’re welcomed immediately by a central water feature which is adorned with a bright burning fire decoration, and the same level of opulence carries throughout the hotel.

Away from the main area, the majority of rooms give you plenty of privacy, set a short walk away and normally housed in their own private villas, some of which even include a private pool. In reality, there’s really no reason to ever leave your villa and, thanks to the in-room dining, you could technically enjoy a completely private escape, should that be what you’re after. The main pool still feels calm and isolated, with enough space that you never really feel near another group, and a poolside restaurant where you can get drinks or a casual lunch. For activities, you can also loan bikes, play on the clay tennis courts or head to the gym and spa complex for a treatment, yoga session or just to unwind with a view.

For dining, we’d definitely recommend trying Rivayat, one of the hotel’s restaurants that’s been created by Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai, serving some of the best Indian cuisine we’ve tried. The entire offering at the hotel is truly immaculate, but there’s also the option to head into the city thanks to the regular shuttle service that’ll drop you centrally. The hotel can also help you arrange taxis back at your leisure, and there’s plenty of knowledge and expertise from the concierge if you need a few recommendations or advice for where to go while you’re out and about.

It’s hard to quite capture the grandeur of The Oberoi in a few words, but it really is one of those places that you need to see to believe. Think five-star luxury, times that by ten, and then imagine even more opulence on top. Prepare for Morocco to be your new favourite destination if this is where you’ll be staying. Marrakech Route de, Rte d'Ouarzazate, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.

When you combine the best of Morocco’s rich culture and heritage with the best of Asia’s hospitality you are met with Nobu Hotel Marrakech. The brand's first hotel venture in Africa, and hopefully not its last, pops off in a big way. Located in the heart of Marrakech’s ‘Golden Triangle’, in the Hivernage district, you're just moments away from the city’s vibrant and bustling Djemaa el-Fna, so you’re not too far from all the action. Said action can also be viewed from the rooftop dining and pool area which features panoramic views of the city, the Atlas Mountain range and the Koutoubia Mosque.

You can’t stay at Nobu Marrakech and not dine at the world-renowned Nobu Restaurant, which serves all the signature dishes that Nobu is known for – Rock Shrimp Tempura, Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno, and my personal favourite, Black Cod Miso – served alongside new dishes created by exec chef Nobu Matsuhisa, using locally sourced flavours and ingredients. You can also dine on the rooftop, which features a Nobu sushi bar as well as seasonal Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes.

Perhaps the most memorable aspect of Nobu Marrakech is the Pearl Spa and all it has to offer. This spa is the most expansive out of all the Nobu Hotel spas, at a huge 2,000 square metres, and you will find all the traditional amenities; jacuzzis, steam baths and saunas. There is also a hammam, because what Moroccan spa is complete without one? The largest of the hotel’s three swimming pools can also be found here, and at 25 metres long you can swim laps before or after one of the many treatments available.

The interior of the hotel is something to admire. Designed by illustrious architect and designer Jacques Garcia, the interiors are a mix of modern Japanese complemented by traditional Moroccan elements. Think lanterns, local artwork, intricate tile work and mosaics. With 71 suites across three floors to choose from, their junior suites offer a sense of calm after you’ve stepped back inside from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. Upon arrival, you will receive the best of Moroccan snacks and ample amounts of Moroccan chocolate that are replenished every time you return to your room, so you are never without. And that alone is reason enough to come back again and again. Av. Echouhada et, Rue du Temple, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco.

Marrakech may be the best-know and most-visited of Morocco's cities, but at a mere four hour flight from London, there's plenty of incentive to discover other parts of this North African country — as you might island hop in Greece. There's the capital of Rabat, the spiritual capital of Fez and the port city of Casablanca made famous by the Hollywood film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. About an hour's drive from the latter, you'll find the ancient fortresses of El-Jadida, the colourful art town of Azemmour and the gargantuan sprawl of riads that make up Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort. A veritable palace of recreation, this newly-renovated beachfront property boasts, to name but a smattering: an 18-hole golf course, 15 bars and restaurants, almost 500 rooms and suites, a decadent spa, a petting zoo, and the largest casino in all of North Africa.

To be bored at Mazagan is an impossibility: for sun-seekers, the pool-dominated Grand Riad and Atlantic Ocean-fronted beach are on par with any 5-star sun traps of their kind, while the restless can find horse riding, quad biking, zip lining and surfing on the grounds. Kids, meanwhile, can amuse themselves on the slides in their own dedicated pool, and teenagers can mingle in the youth nightclub or at laser tag.

It's true that children are well catered for here, yet those who usually seek out adults-only vacations should by no means discount Mazagan: the separate kids' areas mean the beautiful pool, restaurants and beach retain a serene ambience, particularly at Sel de Mer, the exquisite fish and seafood restaurant that is the jewel in the resort's culinary crown and an absolute must. There's also always the option to escape the world entirely with a jaunt in the cavernous casino, home to almost enough slot machines to cater to every room at Mazagan as well as 344 gaming tables and a healthy amount of roulette stations, both analogue and digital.

Even though it goes without saying, we'll note that the room or suite you return to tops everything else off. Much like the recreation-focused complexes of the US, Mazagan is its own ecosystem: a kingdom that one could comfortably live in. And yet its rooms retain that five-star attention to detail that the grand lobby boasts; the kind you'd expect from even a bolthole in Marrakech. Km 10, Route de Casablanca, El Jadida 24000.

Aman hotels are now globally recognised as some of the leading travel resorts, but it's very much in line with a new wave of luxury that prioritises the experience and the service over any kind of flashy opulence. Each resort has been specifically tailored to its location, opting for designs influenced by the local culture and area to really help you feel immersed in your setting in the most impressive way.

Around a twenty-minute drive from Marrakech city centre, Amanjena proffers a sense of paradise, housing slightly fewer guests than other hotels nearby so it feels quieter and more private. From the moment you enter you’ll notice the magnificence of the building, one of the most impressive hotels we’ve come across, with sweeping lawns and gardens, expansive pools and water features, and restaurants and bars woven into the property so that it feels more like a home than a hotel. The rooms are all designed as small private villas with Berber carpets, tiled floors and high ceilings that really enhance the luxury feel of the stay. In many of them you’ll have your own private garden spot, with some even featuring private heated pools that let you really take in the landscape with views over the nearby golf course.

Around the property there’s plenty to keep you busy, whether you fancy a spa treatment, taking a dip in the pool, heading to the gym or playing a game of pétanque or tennis, but one of the things that makes Amanjena stand out is the wealth of experiences on offer. Particularly impressive is the desert experience, easily the highlight of our entire trip to Marrakech, taking you out to the Agafay desert (just a 40 minute drive away) where you’ll be given the chance to ride camels or dirt bike, followed by a private dinner under the stars. Think local cuisine, traditional music and the chance to relax fireside. It's a definite must.

Whether you’re after an active holiday, one spent touring the city or one that just involves immersing yourself in a relaxing oasis, Amanjena has really got it all, creating the perfect luxury experience in a stunning location. Km 12, Route de Ouarzazate، Marrakech 40000, Morocco.

With hotels so perfect that the very words 'Mandarin Oriental' have become synonymous with unparalleled luxury, it should come as little surprise that this Marrakech edition would be one of the most spectacular residences in the city. Situated 20 minutes from Djemaa el-Fna (the city’s main square), this 50-acre property is a tranquil urban oasis. Marrying Mandarin Oriental’s signature pared-back style with local flourishes, the low-impact, terracotta buildings are nestled among palm, orange and olive trees, shimmering pools and fragrant gardens scented by more than 100,000 roses.

There’s a spa (complete, of course, with a Moroccan hammam), three restaurants, two pools, and an astonishing array of activities on offer, not to mention the perfect-for-children petting zoo and the organic vegetable patch, from which the chefs take fresh ingredients from daily. Breakfast out on the veranda at Le Salon Berbère is a relaxed but civilised affair. Work your way through a pot of coffee or Moroccan tea and order a plate of Msamen (Morrocan pancakes), a decadent omelette or simply help yourself to the abundance of fresh fruit piled high on the marble tops. Come nightfall, stop again at Le Salon Berbère for an aperitif, where the vibe after dark is more champagne bar than breakfast. Dine at Ling Ling, the Chinese restaurant from the Hakkasan team, or head to Mes'Lalla, where the Moroccan menu with modern touches mirrors the wider Mandarin Oriental aesthetic.

While the stunning grounds, impressive facilities and top-tier service are all well worth noting, for GQ, it’s the pool villas that take this hotel from great to exceptional. The palatial villas (of which there are 54) are mind-blowingly beautiful. The Oriental Pool Villas centre around a private pool and spacious courtyard, with a jacuzzi, kitchen, sitting areas (including a fire pit, which the staff will happily light for you half an hour before you retire back to your villa), and then the indoor rooms all symmetrically placed around its rectangular circumference.

The two bedrooms are perfectly lovely, but it’s the master bathroom you’ll fantasise about for months after your stay. The grand circular bath takes pride of place, but the walk-in steam shower and the marble double sinks are impressive, too. The average hotel room could fit inside this bathroom comfortably. These two-bedroomed villas are perfect for two couples sharing or for a family, but if you’re travelling as a two, fear not. The Mandarin Pool villas are the same but with only one bedroom. Route Golf Royal, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.

It’s impossible to imagine when entering the five-star La Mamounia’s magnificent gardens – where leaves twice as big as your head collide with vibrant flowers, and which have hosted the likes of Saint Laurent and Elton John – that the dust and riot of the souks is a mere five-minute walk away. In La Mamounia’s quiet, sheltered grounds (which contain over 1,200 plant species), with paths snaking through the foliage to who knows where, you can get lost at your leisure, with many activities to be enjoyed along the way: from playing a game of secluded ping pong one moment and jumping into the huge outdoor pool the next, before tending to one of the property’s many resident cats. This is a hotel for guests who have all the time in the world.

GQ recommends staying in one of the hotel’s impressive three-bedroom riads, ideal for holidaying couples or family. Equipped with a private kitchen and your own dedicated butler, the riad – complete with an outdoor pool and rooftop seating area with views over the gardens – offers the experience of a private hotel within a hotel. Upon arrival, a joyous spread of treats is laid out on the varnished tables in the dark, cosy sitting room with plush green-velvet sofas and fringed lamps. Graze on walnuts and Turkish delight, macaroons and sweet biscuits, along with honeyed milk in glass jugs, before trying to find the bedroom within the maze of wooden-panelled corridors leading to one door after another, each one bringing you first to a walk-in wardrobe, a second sitting room, or a third bathroom. You’ll lose your partner within moments, which can either feel like a liberating achievement or a right nuisance, depending on your mood.

After a buffet breakfast by the pool (try the frosted Pierre Hermé croissants), make a booking at La Mamounia spa: an intimate, silent cove of darkness where therapists go about their business in hushed whispers and you can barely see your feet on the ground. The one-hour massage is a must, followed by time spent in the sauna and steam room.

For dinner, and for one of the city’s most romantic experiences, it’s essential to sample traditional Moroccan cuisine with local produce from the vegetable garden at the hotel’s most authentic of its four restaurants, Le Marocain. Here, Berber musicians serenade you in your individual, curtained booths that protect you from neighbours’ spying eyes and the waiters who come and go. The pastilla stuffed with almonds and pigeon will make you contemplate moving to this heavenly city for good. Avenue Bab Jdid، Marrakech 40040, Morocco.

For all the five-star splendour that Marrakech has to offer, there is one scene-stealing city idyll more famous than all the rest. Built over more than three years by 1,200 craftsmen, the Royal Mansour is a pad quite literally fit for a king. Something of a pet project, the hotel was conceived by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and is used by his Majesty to host his own visitors. Located in the centre of the city, the Old Town’s high pink walls shroud the Royal Mansour fairytale from view, but inside it’s gates you’ll find a palace laid out in the style of a medina, centred around a jaw-droppingly beautiful, open-roofed foyer, with meandering pathways that wind from riad to riad. The smell of citrus wafts from the lemon and orange trees that line the walkways, while the tranquil trickling of water soundtracks every step.

Even the most modest of the 53 rooms are three-floor riads. Step through the heavy wooden door and materialise, as if by magic, in an mosaic-tiled private courtyard, which leads onto a magnificent sitting room with carved cedar wood and beaten bronze. On the desk guests will find gold embossed personalised letterheads. Upstairs is the lavishly decorated bedroom, complete with the softest sheets GQ has ever slept in, and a marble bath big enough to swim in. Then at the top is the roof terrace and private plunge pool.

Every riad comes with its own butler, who uses the separate staff doors on each floor to slip in and out of the rooms unnoticed. These doors connect the labyrinthine tunnels and staff areas that keep the Royal Mansour a wonderfully discreet, well-oiled machine. Attention to detail is such at this hotel that the housekeeping staff literally brush the silk and suede rugs into straight-lined submission. Airport transfers are taken in one of the hotel’s two Bentleys, complete with a bilingual, astonishingly polite and proper white-gloved driver.

The food at the Royal Mansour is, of course, outstanding. There are three restaurants, a tea lounge, two bars and a fumoir. Breakfast outside in the gardens is a perfectly lovely affair, but the restaurant you’ll remember is La Grande Table Marocaine. Feast on traditional Moroccan dishes with Michelin-style flair as a Moroccan quartet play amid surroundings so ornate you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d walked onto a film set. Hidden among the Moorish gardens you’ll find the pool area and accompanying restaurant Le Jardin. Order a lemon sorbet mojito from one of the waiters – all wearing white fedoras – and kick back on the pillowy loungers, each lined with two gigantic, silky-soft towels. Rue Abou Abbas El Sebti، 40000, Morocco.

Marrakech may be known for its charming riads and luxurious hotels, but one of most serene and private ways to spend a week in this dusty paradise is to rent a villa. Villa Azzaytouna (Arabic for olive), is part of a three-villa estate owned by hotelier Brian Callaghan OBE in Palmeraie – a moneyed suburb just 20 minutes from the Medina. The 5,000 square-metered villa is a magical terracotta hideaway from the frenzy of Marrakech, and caters to Moroccan design with simple furnishings pepped up with finishing touches from the souks: from Berber benches to antique pots.

The house – which is catered for by the wonderful house manager Maria, as well as a private chauffeur and several chefs and waiters who will prepare each meal of the day – sleeps six in three spacious double bedrooms, each with its own outside courtyard. The two main bedrooms – kitted out with long Moroccan nightgowns and pointed orange leather slippers – have their own private plunge pool and large sunbed in the shade, as well as a giant indoor circular bathtub, which one can almost do laps in.

Outside, amid the lavender and orange blossom, you’ll find a beautiful 12.8 metre pool with loungers and white and green Indian daybeds covered in cushions and topped with a straw sun hat, as well as a ping pong table for the restless.

The villa’s pièce de résistance is the sunken Berber tent: large enough to host a party for 30, yet cosy enough for intimate drinks between four. The cushioned seating, with blankets come dusk, is perfect for a sundowner and nibbles served by the villa’s staff, before enjoying a three course meal (featuring everything from chicken tagine to fresh fish and fruit) in the main dining room.

A few steps from the tent is the villa’s own tiny private spa, which offers unlimited 30-minute complimentary treatments for guests – from facials to manicures and massages. One therapist caters to groups of four or less, and two caters to groups of six. Bookings are made over a light buffet breakfast of fruit and classic Moroccan pancakes, as well as eggs on request. Villa Ezzahra, Marrakech 40016, Morocco.