Once a legendary restaurant in the shadow of the Bab DoukkalaMosque (Hemingway and Churchill both dined here), La Maison Arabe was transformed into the medina’s first boutique hotel in 1998. Yet aristocratic owner Fabrizio Ruspoli was very aware of its illustrious heritage and pulled out all the stops to ensure its original charms were not lost. Local artisans restored the bejmat tiles, tadelakt walls and chiseled plaster ornaments; the result a welcoming yet luxurious city sanctuary that whispers nowhere else but Marrakech. And, of course, the seventeen guest rooms are equally authentic, their bathrooms carved from marble or granite and their living areas often enhanced by delightful little enticements like private terraces and wood-burning fireplaces. Meals are served in the romantic tangerine-andblue restaurant; theMoroccan cuisine of such a standard that the hotel operates half-day cooking classes. But if all that seems like too much hard work, you can simply take the 15-minute shuttle-bus ride to a 2½ acre walled paradise with rose gardens, olive orchards and a 60-foot-long swimming pool.
ACCOMMODATION: 9 ROOMS & 8 SUITES.
ACCESS: 15 MINUTES MARRAKECH AIRPORT.
CHILDREN: NOT ACCEPTED UNDER 12.
3 NIGHTS: FROM £330 P.P. IN THE LOW-SEASON.
MEAL PLAN: BREAKFAST INCLUDED. |
