Royal Mansour
Marrakech may not be the first choice that comes to mind for relaxation due to the bustle of the world famous medina. However, Behiye Hassan explains why The Royal Mansour has got it covered
The stunning courtyard was the first surprise when we arrived at The Royal Mansour. The large doors of the hotel entrance open to reveal the courtyard lobby with traditional Moroccan tiles, stunning floral displays, sweeping curtains and a beautiful water fountain.
The next surprise came was when we arrived at our superior riad which was set over three floors with a living area, kitchen, en-suite bedroom, two small patio areas and a private roof terrace with plunge pool.
Another surprise was that considering the five-star property is just a 15-minute drive from the Marrakech medina, the grounds were so quiet and peaceful you would be forgiven for thinking you were much further out.
Owned by the king of Morocco, the Royal Mansour has been voted the number one Top Hotel in Africa and number six in the world by the Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards 2017.
The five-star resort takes exclusivity, luxury and privacy to outstanding levels. Their astonishing, spacious and opulent riads are connected by pathways set within a private medina that mirror the city’s souks.
The 53 riads offer a total of 78 bedrooms and these include 34 one-bedroom superior and premier riads, 14 two-bedroom Privilege Riads, four three-bedroom Prestige Riads and one four bedroom Grand Riad.
Each riad has a private roof terrace with plunge pool while larger riads also have a Bedouin tent, open fire and private hammams. A 24-hour bespoke butler service is also available for the Privilege Riads.
Your accommodation is just one of many ways you can recharge at this resort. At the start of this year they unveiled one and a half hectares of lush landscaped gardens that include a large pool with loungers, seven pavilions that are available for day rental and the new all-day Le Jardin restaurant and bar. It also offers exclusive pavilion spa treatments guests can enjoy poolside.
The Royal Mansour spa, voted Favourite Overseas Hotel Spa at the 2017 Conde Nast Traveller Readers' Travel Awards, is also surrounded by beautiful gardens. The entrance is at the bottom of marble steps, lined with candles and accompanied by the sound of running water to guide you up to the reception.
The stunningly designed white reception greets you with a fountain full of flowers and four waiting areas. The spa is home to the resorts hammam, indoor pool and the fitness and wellness centre.
There is also the Spa Tea lounge where guests can enjoy light meals and a range of speciality teas and wellness drinks. For an exclusive experience there is the three private Spa Suites each unique with its own hammam, a plunge pool with a terrace, a hair dressing area and a relaxation area.
The authentic hammam offers three signature treatments; The Hammam Evasion, The Hammam Temps pour Soi and The Hammam Lumière sur le corps.
All include a deeply cleansing full body scrub, which uses a traditional Kessa mitt and black soap scrub to leave your skin refreshed and revitalized and bringing your body and mind back into harmonious balance.
Hammam treatments have several benefits and these include enhancing deep relaxation and rejuvenation while reducing stress and anxiety physical and emotional detox, helping nourish skin and hair and the deep heat and steam can also speed up metabolism and blood flow.
We tried the 60 minute Hammam Evasion and can certainly vouch for the benefits above. We spent the rest of the day feeling relaxed and refreshed.
The spa also offers massages, facials, beauty treatemnts, manicures and pedicures by Bastien Gonzalez. The famous podiatrist combines both medical and beauty for treatments to make sure they are as comfortable and relaxing as possible.
Whether you choose to hide away in the privacy of your own room, relax poolside in one of the outdoor pavilions or unwind at the Royal Mansour Spa you are guaranteed to feel revitalised and a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of work.