Mandarin Oriental Marrakech

A villa with a pool for every stay

Mandarin Oriental Marrakech opened on 3 October 2015, the group's first hotel in Africa. It occupies 20 hectares of olive groves and gardens on the Route du Golf Royal, with the Atlas as a backdrop, about ten minutes by car from the medina and about 15 minutes from Marrakech-Menara airport.

The resort has 65 accommodations, each with its own outdoor space and pool. The villas, with one or two bedrooms, each have a pool in their own garden: a one-bedroom villa is plenty for a couple, a two-bedroom one suits a family. The suites, smaller, have a private plunge pool, and the Two-Bedroom Panoramic Suite looks out over the Atlas. If the spa is the main draw, the Two-Bedroom Spa Villas connect to it directly.

A butler looks after every villa and suite. Some have a fireplace, welcome on winter evenings; connecting villas can house a family or two couples. Meals can also be taken at home: in-villa dining runs 24 hours a day, with a private chef, a barbecue or a Moroccan meal on the terrace.

From garden to table

Much of the produce served comes from the resort's organic vegetable garden, run on permaculture lines, with composting, local varieties, beehives and insect hotels. Guests can take a Moroccan cooking class with the chefs, or the Honey Masterclass: a hive visit with the in-house honey sommelier, followed by a honey-themed lunch.

The restaurants cover very different ground:

• Amensi celebrates Amazigh (Berber) culture: shared tables, regional dishes and vegetables from the garden, by chef Hind Nebgane, with a terrace over the gardens;
• Ling Ling by Hakkasan, the Cantonese restaurant of the Hakkasan brand, serves dim sum and Peking duck carved at the table; in the evening a resident DJ and guest artists play on the terrace, and a "Hidden Party" night comes round every month;
• Pool Garden serves Mediterranean food by the pool at lunchtime;
• The Tent, an open-air lounge inspired by Berber tents, serves cocktails and tapas at sunset.

An art studio in a former warehouse

The resort has turned a former warehouse into an exhibition space, M.O Studio. The raw volumes were kept and a glass roof lets in the light. The programme, put together with Galerie 208 and its founder Patricia Chicheportiche, gives pride of place to Moroccan and African artists; every year, during 1-54 (the contemporary African art fair), the studio is part of the fair's programme. The lobby corridors host smaller shows, mostly Moroccan photography.

Spa, family and commitments

The spa covers 1,800 m². It has six treatment rooms, including a couple's suite and a single suite with vitality baths, and a Thai treatment room, each with a private garden; there is also an indoor pool, hammams whose architecture draws on Andalusian mosques, a yoga studio and two meditation gardens. The spa and gym are open to guests aged 16 and over.

For children, the Kids' Kasbah runs daily workshops inspired by Morocco: bread in a traditional oven, mosaics, gardening, pottery, biscuits with the pastry chef. There is also a small farm with goats, tennis and padel courts, and bikes for all ages, baby seats included, to explore the estate. On arrival each child receives a welcome bag with Itto, the hotel's goat mascot as a plush toy, whose sales support the charity Education for All.

The resort was the first in Morocco to be certified against the standards of the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council, the international body that sets sustainable tourism standards).

Sabaro's view

For whom: couples and honeymooners who want a private pool, families who want space, travellers who like to alternate quiet and lively evenings.

Strengths: a private pool or plunge pool in every accommodation; a butler for each villa; the vegetable garden and its classes; M.O Studio; the medina about ten minutes away.

Good to know: Ling Ling by Hakkasan is lively in the evening, with a DJ; the spa is for guests aged 16 and over.

Our advice: for a honeymoon, a one-bedroom villa is enough, since its pool is already private; for a family, a two-bedroom villa or two connecting villas, close to the Kids' Kasbah.