WE LOVE Royal Mansour in Marrakech

Royal Mansour: a palace turned into a fleet of suites in the heart of Marrakech – just the place for a weekend break

CARVED cedar wood, intricate mosaics, stained glass, inlaid marquetry, silk, velvet, suede and crystal, the Royal Mansour is not exactly understated. But then, what else might you expect from a former palace commissioned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco that has been artfully and elegantly turned into a hotel? Or, more accurately, into a collection of private residences as, twisting and turning through and around courtyards and terraces, paths lead to 53 individual riads, all tucked away down unassuming alleyways or hidden behind secret doors, opening up on to opulence within. The Royal Mansour may only be a five-minute walk from the Jemaa el-fnaa, a market square that is essentially the city centre, where acrobats, dancers, poets and musicians gather among the traders, but behind the hotel’s walls all is calm, surrounded as the riads are by almost four hectares of fragrant Moorish gardens, the only sound being water trickling from the fountains between the palms. You could easily spend your entire stay here without leaving the hotel – there is a vast spa, four restaurants and a pool so beautiful it almost puts the geometric flower beds to shame – and there is a gentle serenity that wafts on the breeze along with the scent of the lemon trees in bloom. A true city break in every sense of the word.

NEED TO KNOW

Riads start from £900 per night. Visit royalmansour.com or email reservations@royalmansour.ma