La Mamounia, Marrakech

Beautiful, otherworldly and showcasing the finest in Moroccan food and design, La Mamounia is a world away from the busy souks of the Medina and the wide roads of the new town it sits between: this is Morocco but not as Moroccans know it.

A few years ago lager brand Carlsberg did a series of adverts showing luxury flats, holidays and even ideal girlfriends; the end tagline was always ‘Carlsberg don’t do apartments/holidays/girlfriends but if it did it would probably be the best in the world’. Well if it had done one about hotels it could have used La Mamounia as the setting.

An unceasing number of staff open doors, roll out towels and pull out chairs for you – there’s a reason A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Eva Mendes call La Mamounia their favourite hotel. La Mamounia has it all and what makes it even better is that aside from being a no-holds-barred luxury hotel it also possesses character and history. Originally a stunning 1922 Art Deco creation, between 2006-2009 the hotel was significantly renovated and spruced up. That’s not to say its tasteful roots have been compromised, suites are still decorated with beautiful mosaic tiling and the hotel’s signature scent, combining the aromas of cedar, dates and orange flower, permeates the air. The hotel’s ceilings, made from cedar wood from the Atlas Mountains, are all hand painted, while stepping into the patterned camel skin interior of its lifts is like crawling into a delicious smelling leather briefcase. Like Dorothy clicking together her ruby slippers and finding herself in Kansas, if only there was a way to swoosh your Havaianas (free in every room) together and discover there’s no place like La Mamounia…

For those not wishing to sleep over, the La Mamounia day pass, costing approximately £110, lets visitors have a taste of the high life. And from the welcome in the hotel reception, sinking into sofas and eating the juiciest, sweetest dates along with a glass of refreshing almond milk, oh! is it worth it!

Of course the main pull for day pass users is La Mamounia’s swimming pool. Iridescent tiles that make the water glisten coupled with cushioned sun loungers and an ever ready supply of fresh towels mean there’s no swim quite like it. It would be so easy to stay poolside all day, especially given that lunch at one of the hotel’s fantastic restaurants is included with the day pass. The indoor pool is smaller but no less opulent for it. Day passes also entitle guests to a spa treatment – either a one hour massage or Hammam rub down)- but quite honestly just sitting in one of the fluffy robes poolside or lounging in the Jacuzzi is relaxing enough.

For non water-based refreshment, head to the gardens. The thick garden walls shut out the traffic of the nearby new town and call of the equally close crazy Djemaa el Fna. Only the towering Koutoubia mosque to the north of La Mamounia hints to the chaos and magic of Marrakech beyond the red ochre walls. Olive trees line shaded walkways and a mule pulls along a cart with gardening clippings. Aside from the flowers, there is a full vegetable and herb garden. The petanque court, and to a lesser extent the table tennis tables are constantly occupied by competitive Frenchmen. After a brief attempt at ping pong we settle for delicious, creamy pistachio ice cream from glacier and patisserie Le Menzeh.

A glass of mint tea on the terrace at La Mamounia is a popular tourist highlight and I recommend ordering some of the hotel’s exquisite Corne de Gazelles (pastries with almond milk flavouring, which are also available from Le Menzeh). As the sun goes down, glass lanterns line the steps and the smell of jasmine grows heavy. Inside, Le Bar Italien is the place to be seen for the beautiful and the damned of Marrakech. Essentially a long runway of a bar, the ceiling features a restored mural painting by artist Jacques Majorelle, who also created Marrakech’s Jardin Majorelle. It’s busy and bustling with guests dressed up to the nines, sipping on martinis and listening to the jazz trio like they’re in a Bond film.

Opting for Ronseal ‘does what it says on the tin’ names, restaurants Le Francais and L’Italien boast Michelin-starred chefs but Le Morocain serves up a special atmosphere. I’m not talking Djemaa el Fna madness of the ‘Lubbly jubbly Shakira/Lady Gaga/Spice Girl come eat here!’ kind. The restaurant promises Moroccan classics but with modern twists. Instead of pigeon pastilla, feast on a sublime lobster version: the chicken and apricot tagine, cooked in honey is insanely sweet – and works for it.

It’s only right to end a day at La Mamounia with a nightcap at its most charming, and historic, bar Le Churchill. Named after the wartime British Prime Minister who spent many winters at La Mamounia, the bar is exactly the same as it was all those years back, untouched in the recent renovation. Leopard print carpet and low chairs, bedecked with tassels, padding and far more gilt than you would imagine Churchill would have taken to.

Even the smoky smell of the bar is that of a speakeasy era gone by compared to the rest of the perfumed La Mamounia. Initially pretty empty, the piano duo sings mostly to entertain each other. A EuroMillions mother walks in with her two young daughters about 11:30pm; lip syncing songs as she twirls her party frock-clad girls with one hand, slurping on a cocktail in the other, it’s not your typical bar crowd. I suppose in spite of the bar’s charms, it is still a hotel bar in a basically dry country. Come midnight though and the after dinner crowds are cocktail/Churchill bound.

As the musicians give their rendition of ‘I’ve got you under my skin’ I realise how apt the song is for my feelings about La Mamounia: it’s under my skin. To paraphrase Carlsberg’s copywriters, La Mamounia is the best hotel in Marrakech…

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