Few hotels in Morocco carry as much history as La Mamounia in Marrakech. Dating from the 1920s and set opposite the Koutoubia Mosque, it is often described as the city’s grande dame, and its gardens are as well known as its rooms.
A palace garden turned hotel
According to Wikipedia, the site was once a palace and garden given by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah to his son, Moulay Mamoun, in the 18th century, which explains the hotel’s name. The building was designed by architects Henri Prost and Antoine Marchisio and blends Moroccan architecture with Art Deco. Sources differ slightly on the date: the project is dated to 1923, while Wikipedia says the hotel opened in 1929.
Its gardens cover roughly 8 hectares (about 20 acres), with orange and olive trees, according to the Famous Hotels guide and Wikipedia. Winston Churchill was a regular visitor and painted the gardens; the Famous Hotels site quotes him calling the place “the most lovely spot in the whole world” in 1943.
Restoration and today’s hotel
The hotel closed for a three-year renovation led by designer Jacques Garcia and reopened in September 2009, Wikipedia reports. Further work in 2020 refreshed the main building, restaurants, bars and pavilions, with chefs Pierre Hermé and Jean-Georges Vongerichten each redesigning a restaurant.
- Rooms: 135 rooms of 30 to 45 square metres, per Wikipedia
- Suites: 71 suites from 55 to 212 square metres
- Riads: three private riads of about 700 square metres each
- Extras: a spa, a health club and colonnaded courtyards
Room counts vary between sources and may change, so check with the hotel before booking. Famous guests listed by Wikipedia include Charlie Chaplin, Yves Saint Laurent, Nelson Mandela and Paul McCartney.
Visiting Marrakech
The hotel sits at Avenue Bab Jdid, close to the medina. Film fans heading to the city next month may also like our report on the Marrakech International Film Festival, which runs November 20 to 28.
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