12 Best Boutique + Luxury Hotels in Marrakech, Morocco - AFAR

"Enter the Royal Mansour and you’re entering a showcase of Morocco’s best artistry and craftsmanship. Every design detail is exquisite, every curve of carved plaster flawless in its execution, every zellij tile perfectly laid. But the Royal Mansour is, of course, so much more than this. From the second you pass though the huge horseshoe arch, flanked by smiling doormen in elegant red capes, you know you’ve arrived somewhere very, very special. Rooms here are not mere rooms. Every one of the 53 accommodations is its own three-story riad, entered via an internal tiled courtyard and topped with a sun terrace and pool. The gardens are filled with fragrant orange and silvery olive trees, and the large central swimming pool is a dreamy spot to while away an afternoon. Some of the city’s most elevated Moroccan cuisine, like Berber tagines and pigeon pastilla, can be found at La Grande Table Marocaine, and at French restaurant La Grande Brasserie, celebrated chef Hélène Darroze brings her culinary magic to dishes like warm Oualidia blue lobster salad and duck parmentier with green olives and lemon confit. The Royal Mansour is located conveniently close to the Medina, but no one would be blamed for never stepping outside its hallowed halls once they find themselves within the hotel’s comforting embrace." - Nicola Chilton