For a lot of reasons, La Mamounia is a unique hotel, a masterpiece of the Arabic Andalusian architecture. The first reason making La Mamounia a unique place is that while being located within the heart of Marrakesh old city, La Mamounia spans over 13 hectares including 8 hectares of gardens. The second one is something that can hardly be described, something that only guests that stayed there can really feel, a mix of luxury, refinement, exclusivity and high level of service…
Arrival at the hotel
La Mamounia is located only 15 minutes from Marrakesh Airport. You can even in the background see planes going over Marrakesh from your terrace but don’t worry, you won’t be disturbed by aircraft noise.
We arrived on a sunny day at La Mamounia. Our taxi left us in front of the main entrance. Immediately, someone picked up our suitcases and we forgot about those until we reached our suite where they had already been delivered. Then we got through a nice alley made of mosaic tiles and surrounded by majestic palm trees. This is only the beginning of a unique journey.
The elegance of place is directly shining while crossing the palace doors. Traditional Moroccan art blends with genuine luxury of today. The result is as welcoming as magnificent. A spellbinding perfume is floating in the air.
At La Mamounia, the check-in is smooth. No need to stand in a wait queue. You are escorted to a cozy lounge area where you can relax while the check-in is completed for you. After that, you are given a nice leather card holder that contains your room keys and some documents related to the hotel.
The Executive Suite
Our executive suite is located on the fourth (and last) floor of La Mamounia. We reached it after a pleasant walk in the nice corridors lit by torches.
The decor of La Mamounia executive suite is unique. You’ll find it nowhere else. From the floor to the ceiling, every detail catches the eye. Let’s make a tour of this incredible suite!
First, when you enter, you have a corridor with on its left, a powder room followed by the dressing. The dressing is really nice fully made of wood with some nice orange leather covered drawers (the orange is the color of La Mamounia). There is enough space in the dressing for two suitcases. There is a safe deposit box in the dressing.
I need to tell you a short anecdote that will show you the level of service you can expect at La Mamounia. In the evening, we got out for the dinner without closing the safe deposit box. This is the first time this happens to me, I was certainly so relaxed there that I completely forgot about it. When we came back after the dinner, the safe deposit box had been closed for us and there was a note left to let us know about it. This shows you the level of attention they pay to the guests staying there.
The entrance corridor ends up on the living room which includes a large corner sofa, a table, a minibar and a TV set. It is opening on a large terrace. Then on the right, you can reach the bedroom and the bathroom.
In the living room, we had the pleasure to discover nice welcome gifts such as a bottle of red wine, few fruits (fresh ones were delivered every day) and some delicious Arabic pastries.
For the bedroom, it includes a very comfortable king size bed, the best we had during our whole journey in Marrakesh. There is also a TV set in the bedroom. An impressive number of channels are available but to be honest, we haven’t watched TV there, we had way more interesting things to do at La Mamounia!
The suite is full of technology. From the bed, you can automatically close the shutters, turn off the lights and turn on a softened light in the bathroom if you need to wake up in the night. Then the air conditioning can be controlled separately for the bedroom and the living room. It can easily be switched off.
We enjoyed spending some time in the bathroom. This beauty is all dressed with white marble from Italy. It includes separate toilets with a bidet, separate rain shower, freestanding bath tub with feet and two marble sinks. La Mamounia bathroom products are available in good quantity. Another detail I have seen nowhere else, there are two sets of bathrobes : two fluffy bathrobes and two waffle lightweight bathrobes. So you can opt for the one you prefer when you get out of the bath.
Two pairs of flip-flop are available in the dressing if you have forgotten yours and you want to get to the spa or the swimming pool. Then regular slippers are also available in the bathroom.
One of the key advantages of this suite is the terrace and its associated view. The terrace is very large, along the living room and the bedroom. It includes comfortable deck chairs where we spend some time admiring the view. Our suite was offering an unobstructed view over La Mamounia gardens, Marrakesh old city and the Atlas Mountain in the background. Needless to say that this is the best view we could have from a hotel room in Marrakesh.
It is hard to describe all the details of the decor of this executive suite. The materials, the colors and the textures used are making it really cozy and luxurious. It is the right balance between the local tradition and few soft touches of modernism. The result is outstanding and comfortable. We can’t see any smooth wall, every single corner has been enhanced with a panel, a tile, a molding or a sculpture, handmade zeligs and mosaics. This is a permanent pleasure for the eyes and a true enchantment to stay in this suite. We can see there all the talent of Jacques Garcia and all the craftsmen that participated to the renovation few years ago.
The soundproofing of the suite is perfect. We couldn’t hear any noise from the corridors, the nearby rooms or the outdoor. Then, inside the suite, the air conditioning is very silent, a good indication of the high level of maintenance of La Mamounia hotel.
Catering
The breakfast can be taken at the pool restaurant. What a nice start of the day to enjoy a breakfast next to the pool with the sun and the palm trees in the background. The breakfast is set as a buffet with a large offering of salted and sweet foods. I especially enjoyed the cakes, the Viennese pastries and the sliced fruits. The number of options available in this breakfast buffet is amazing. But what is even more amazing is that the quality is quite consistent. So at La Mamounia, you have both the quantity and the quality! This was one of the best breakfasts, if not the best, we had the opportunity to enjoy in our journey around the world.
For the lunch, we have been twice to the Italian restaurant with its menu designed by Michelin Starred chef Don Alfonso. The luxurious decoration is really nice, made of red velvet. The meals are well presented. This is a gastronomic restaurant. I especially enjoyed the desserts! The Tiramisu and the chocolate ice creams are enough to justify a visit to this restaurant!
It is also possible to have a lunch at the buffet offered next to the swimming pool (at Le Pavillon de la Piscine) but we haven’t tried it.
For the dinner, we have tried the two remaining restaurants, the French and the Moroccan ones. Again, both offer a gastronomic cuisine. The Moroccan restaurant is located in a separate building in the garden. The tables are dressed in an open courtyard with a fountain. We could listen to traditional music while enjoying refined meals such as the assortment of Moroccan salads, the briouats and the mixed grill.
The French restaurant is located next to the pool and you can have a dinner indoor or outdoor. We opted for an indoor dinner as the temperature was quite hot on that evening. The meals served are really refined and tasty. The desserts have a creative design. Really enjoyed this restaurant as well.
- French restaurant
- Moroccan restaurant
- Assortment of salads
- Mixed grill
There are five bars at La Mamounia. We suggest you to order a Virgin Mojito. We took a couple of those while relaxing around the pool, really refreshing! Also had a melba peach at the Italian Bar (you can have light snack there), was really nice and sweet. Next to the lobby, there is the Churchill bar (dedicated to Winston Churchill who used to be a regular guest of La Mamounia) with its nice cozy atmosphere. There is also a bar in the garden where you can have pastries and ice creams and then a Moroccan bar at the Moroccan restaurant.
Activities
La Mamounia is not a regular luxury hotel, it is unique. This is also true for the activities. The first obvious activity to stroll through the garden. It is so beautiful. Made of long alleys bordered by century-old olive trees and majestic palm trees, the garden is well maintained by hundreds of gardeners. Colors and perfumes are coming together to create a nice staging that really delighted us.
In the garden, we played the bocce ball on what is probably the most exclusive bocce ball court in the world. The hotel provides the balls in a branded holder, nice! There are also two clay tennis courts in the garden. Last but not least, a kitchen garden with multiple kinds of vegetables is visible in La Mamounia garden. The restaurants are using the products from the garden.
The spa includes a very nice indoor heated swimming pool and a jacuzzi. There is also an outdoor swimming pool. Both pools are heated and water is disinfected with ozone.
We had a relaxation massage at the spa in a duo treatment room. Argan oil was used during this massage. It left the skin very soft. Overall the massage was very relaxing and pleasant. The spa decoration is an illustration of the luxury and refinement displayed in the rest of the hotel.
Gamblers can get to the Grand Casino La Mamounia which is located next to the hotel. There, table games such as poker and black jack are available as well as regular slot plays. I have found there the same felted atmosphere that can be experienced at La Mamounia hotel. If you get there, make sure to follow the casino dress code (no flip-flop, no sneakers and no short).
Then if you want to visit Marrakesh, La Mamounia hotel is next to the famous Koutoubia and the Jemaa El Fnaa square.
The pool of the La Mamounia is absolutely relaxing. We really enjoyed spending some time there. The water temperature is perfect and it is wide enough to be able to swim without being disturbed by others guests. The bottom of the pool is covered with glass paste scales, really amazing! You may lie around the pool or in the gardens if you wish. The staff will make sure that you feel relaxed.
Conclusion
A stay at La Mamounia in Marrakesh is like a dream. We heard a lot about La Mamounia before staying there but we weren’t really expecting what we have experienced there. It is really something you can only experience when you stay there. La Mamounia brings in a new dimension of luxury, something really unique you won’t find anywhere else.
La Mamounia is undoubtedly one of the best hotels in the world. For the time being, it is the best luxury hotel where we have stayed since we have launched Olielo. We have been the privileged witnesses of the perfect hotel stay experience, really worthy of its international reputation. We only wish we will be able to enjoy the same experience again in the future because it is really the perfect end to end hotel experience!