Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses

A former Hilton turned rose garden

The hotel occupies the former Hilton International Rabat, built in the 1970s. The French group Accor completely rebuilt it as a Sofitel, its luxury brand, and reopened it in 2010 as the Jardin des Roses. The decorator Didier Gomez designed the interiors and the architect Karim Chakor the façade and grounds, around three Moroccan elements that recur throughout: water, roses and amber.

Water greets visitors in the lobby, in black marble pools; a moucharabieh pattern (carved wooden latticework) is traced in the marble floor. The eight-hectare Andalusian park, with its rose garden and a eucalyptus wood, surrounds the hotel, a few minutes from the Royal Palace. This garden is what sets the address apart from the city's other large hotels: you lunch on a terrace facing the park, the Sunday brunch is set up there, and in summer the Pool Lounge serves its cocktails among the trees.

Which room to choose

Rooms and suites look over the gardens or the city and start at 35 m². The windows are fitted with pierced wooden panels in the manner of moucharabiehs, which slide away to open the view. Bathrooms have Lanvin products and every room has a Nespresso machine.

• For a couple, a garden-side room is enough; the calm of the park matters more than the size.
• For a stay with extra service, Deluxe Club rooms and suites give access to the Club Millésime, the top-floor lounge: private check-in, refreshments and treats through the day.
• For a family, the hotel has 18 connecting rooms and 8 large family suites. Children under 12 sharing their parents' room stay free, with breakfast.
• For a longer stay, the diplomatic suites are the largest in the hotel.

Restaurants known across the city

Several of the Sofitel's restaurants are well-known Rabat addresses and also draw local diners.

• El Patio, a French-inspired brasserie, opens onto the park like a winter garden, with a terrace facing the palms; it serves Mediterranean food with a list of fine Bordeaux wines.
• Golden Fish takes its name from the legend of a fish said to live in a spring at the Chellah, Rabat's ancient and Marinid necropolis; the dining room, in watery colours, looks over the pools.
• Al Warda ("the rose" in Arabic) serves Moroccan cuisine.
• So Lounge is the place for evenings and celebrations.
• The Amber Bar, all marble and dark tones, serves champagne and cocktails, with live music; Café La Galerie serves afternoon tea.
• On Sundays, the Sunday Garden Brunch is laid out in the garden by the pool; in summer, the Pool Lounge serves cocktails in the park.

Three pools and the spa

The garden holds two outdoor pools: a large hexagonal pool surrounded by palms, and a heated rectangular pool that can be used in any season. A third pool, indoors and heated, is in the spa, under a glass roof.

The spa covers 1,300 m². Stucco arches frame the hydrotherapy baths, and moucharabiehs screen the massage beds. There are hammams, a jacuzzi, duo massage suites and a relaxation area overlooking the gardens. Treatments combine Moroccan rituals with products from the French brand Cinq Mondes: black-soap scrub, clay wrap, and a rose-petal manicure. The spa is open from 9 am to 9 pm.

Sabaro's view

For whom: couples and families who want a large city hotel with a garden, pools and spa; travellers who like a hotel whose restaurants have a life of their own.

Strengths: the eight-hectare park and its rose garden; three pools, including a heated outdoor one; a complete spa; varied restaurants; a 4.5/5 rating on Tripadvisor from nearly 3,500 reviews.

Good to know: the hotel is large and hosts weddings and conferences, with fourteen rooms seating up to 1,000 people; some reviews mention uneven room upkeep, and value for money there is rated 4.1/5. For a quiet stay, ask for a garden-side room away from the function rooms.