La Mamounia – Marrakech

An unforgettable journey to an Arabic hotel. Here, the architecture, surroundings, gardens and legends make the word “splendour” sound little more than banal.

—

Winston Churchill and the American president Franklin D. Roosevelt walked upon this tile and marble floor when they visited Morrocco for the Casablanca Conference in 1943. What destinies were mapped out for the world from the hotel’s balconies as they contemplated the snowy peaks of the Atlas mountains and the terracota of the Old City wall surrounding imperial Marrakech? It is said that the English Prime Minister was much more than an simple habitué of the hotel, passing many of his winters there, painting to his heart’s content. It is said that he considered it “the best place in the world”.

And the walls worked on by the delicate hands of artisans, the artistically painted ceilings,the lights of the lanterns that project magical shadows over the floor, the splendour of luxury shops, almost discreet among the vastness of the corridors, the subtleties of excellent service with which guests are received, would befit Cleopatra, herself: camel’s milk and dates. Exotic? Yes, but nothing compares to the feeling of entering the glamorous world frequented by the international jet set. Flicking through the guest book is almost like walking on a global Walk of Fame. Reagan, De Gaulle, Nelson Mandela, Princess Caroline of Monaco and Sarkozy; Omar Sharif, Sharon Stone, Sylvester Stallone, Charlie Chaplin, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Orlando Bloom; the Rolling Stones at the end of the swinging ‘60s, Elton John and Julio Iglesias.

[DDET READ MORE]

It is easy to imagine Alfred Hitchcock filming The Man Who Knew Too Much in these surroundings, a mixture of Art Deco and Arabic Chic (created for the palace by Prost and Marchisio when it was turned into a hotel in 1923), or the diva Marlene Dietrich, when she was filmed in the 1930s, strolling through the magnificent gardens that gave its name to La Mamounia.

But it is not only history and stories that make this one of the most famous hotels in the world. After closing for three years for a “face-lift”, La Mamounia reopened at the end of last year with a new image created by the acclaimed French designer Jacques Garcia. 136 rooms, 71 suites and three riads with a kitchen and private pool, recreated in the style of exhuberant Oriental palaces (Garcia´s trademark) are perfectly combined with the hotel’s imposing Moorish architecture.

Corridors and small courtyard gardens lead to the various bars and to the three restaurants, two of which are run by chefs who have two Michelin stars apiece.To appeal to all different tastes, La Mamounia boasts the local tastes of Le Marocain, three floors among the gardens with a view of the Medina, the culinary art of chef Alfonso Iaccarino (from the famous Don Alfonso 1890 of Sant´ Agata, in Italy, who is in charge of L´Italien, and the sophistication of Le Français, run by Jean-Pierre Vigato, the celebrated owner of Apicius in Paris, which boasts a sublime menu and service to match. Furthermore, breakfasts and lunches with a Mediterranean flavour can enjoyed in the absolute tranquility of Pavillion de La Piscine, situated at the side of the outdoor heated swimming pool. If you have a sweet tooth, all your desires will most certainly be satisfied in the Tea Room or by the pastries and ice cream of Le Menzeh, an oasis set in the garden.

It is impossible to limit the surroundings of La Mamounia to one palette of colour. The contrasts between the Majorelle blue (the French artist Jacques Majorelle designed some of the hotel’s ceilings), the traditional tiles and the garden’s orange trees, whose sweet scent refreshingly permeates the air, create an intense journey of the senses. A short distance away, one can hear the Imans summoning people to the Mosques, and the town square Jemaa El Fna square buzzes with activity. Beyond the gardens of the palace another world exists, the real world.

Avenue Bab Jdid, Marraquexe
+21244388600
www.mamounia.com
€400€ – €5670

[/DDET]

by Patrícia Brito

—