Royal Mansour Marrakech

A medina within the medina

The Royal Mansour began as a personal project of King Mohammed VI. It opened in 2010, after the work of more than 1,200 Moroccan craftsmen, the maâlems (master artisans) of zellige, carved wood, chiselled plaster, tadelakt and wrought iron.

The idea is the hotel's own: rooms give way to riads, and corridors to lanes. The hotel recreates a small medina, with flowering alleys and carved doors, and each guest stays in a whole riad, a house of their own built around a courtyard. The 53 riads rise over three levels: courtyard and living room on the ground floor, bedrooms upstairs, and a roof terrace with a private plunge pool on top, looking out over the medina and the Atlas.

Service runs underneath. Underground galleries link the kitchens and service areas to every riad, so butlers, housekeepers and florists arrive without crossing the lanes. For guests, that means near-empty alleys and service that appears when called.

In the Michelin Guide's 2026 selection, the Royal Mansour Marrakech received two Michelin Keys (the Guide's hotel award, which has three levels). It belongs to a small Moroccan collection that also includes the Royal Mansour Casablanca and the Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay, on the Mediterranean.

From Superior Riad to Grand Riad

All the riads share the architecture of a Moroccan house; what changes is the number of bedrooms and the service that comes with them.

• Superior Riad (15 riads, 140 m²) and Premier Riad (19 riads, 175 m²): one bedroom, for a couple or a solo traveller. The ground-floor living room has a fireplace, the bathroom is in marble, onyx and porcelain, and a retractable glass roof covers the courtyard on rainy days.
• Privilège Riad (14 riads, 430 m²): two bedrooms, several living rooms, a bar and a butler. This is the category for families with children and two couples travelling together.
• Prestige Riad (4 riads): three bedrooms, a private hammam, Moroccan salons, a bar and a library.
• Grand Riad (1,800 m²): a one-off residence with a private entrance through the Olive Tree Courtyard. It has its own garden and pool, four bedrooms, a hammam, a library, a billiard room, a lift and, on the roof, a plunge pool, a bar and a gym. A butler runs the household staff, who live on site.

For a couple, the Superior Riad is enough: it already has the courtyard, living room, bedroom and roof. The Premier Riad adds space. Beyond one bedroom, the choice is mostly about how many of you there are.

Luis Vallejo's garden

At the foot of the ramparts, on the west side of the medina, the Spanish landscape architect Luis Vallejo designed just over two and a half hectares of gardens, inspired by Arab-Andalusian gardens and traditional irrigation channels: kiosks, geometric beds, fountains.

The outdoor pool measures 30 m by 20 m. Seven private pavilions of 45 to 80 m² surround it, a welcome refuge in the summer heat. Le Jardin restaurant serves Asian- and Mediterranean-inspired food under the pergolas, sushi included; in the evening its bar takes on a lounge mood.

The garden also has an organic vegetable plot that supplies the kitchens, and a medicinal herb garden for infusions. Under a glasshouse, an artist's studio hosts painting, pottery and embroidery classes. The hotel opens its pool to non-resident day guests.

Four restaurants and a spa under glass

Four restaurants share the big names:

• La Grande Table Marocaine: traditional Moroccan cooking, with chef Karim Ben Baba;
• La Grande Brasserie: a French brasserie with a menu by chef Hélène Darroze; afternoon tea is served here too;
• Sesamo: the Italian restaurant of the Alajmo brothers, multi-starred Italian chefs, in a Venetian-palace setting; tasting menu in the evening, 7 to 10.30 pm;
• Le Jardin, by the pool.

Private tables also let you dine alone in a salon, with a Moroccan, French, Mediterranean or Asian menu composed to order.

The spa covers 2,500 m² over three levels, around a white atrium screened by wrought-iron lacework. It holds the hammam, treatment rooms, a hair salon, a gym and a heated pool under an orangery-style glass roof. Treatments use Sisley, marocMaroc, Intraceuticals, Subtle Energies and Dr Burgener; the podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez has his hand and foot studio here, exclusive in Morocco. Visiting practitioners offer traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine), naturopathy and osteopathy.

With children

Le Jardin de Lila is the club for children aged 4 to 10, set back in the garden beside the pool. The programme introduces Morocco: craft workshops, a first taste of Arabic, sports, treasure hunts through the hotel's "medina". The hotel also runs cooking, pastry and mixology (juices and cocktails) workshops, open to guests and visitors. For a family, the two-bedroom Privilège Riad is the right size; a "family escape" offer includes it from three nights.

Sabaro's view

For whom: honeymoons, special occasions, families and groups of friends who want a whole house, with palace service, within walking distance of Jemaa el-Fna square.

Strengths: every unit is a whole riad with its own courtyard and roof; service runs through underground galleries; 2.5 hectares of gardens inside the medina; two Michelin Keys.

Good to know: prices are among the highest in Marrakesh, and the entry category is already a 140 m² house on three levels, with stairs. The rooftop plunge pool is for cooling off; to swim, head to the garden pool or the spa pool.

Our tip: for two, the Superior Riad gives you the essentials; spend the difference on dinner at La Grande Table Marocaine and a spa treatment.