A Short Guide to Visiting Marrakech

Where to eat, sleep and play

Marrakech is one of our favourite spots for a family holiday: every year, we think about travelling somewhere else, and then end up going back there (sometimes twice in a year, once even three times). It’s a short, easy flight from both London and Venice; the weather’s glorious; it’s very child friendly; and I love those delectable Berber pancakes you get for breakfast, the ones that taste a a bit like a pancake-squashed buttery croissant, and that if you told me right now ‘that’s all you’re ever going to eat from now on and for the rest of your days’, I would probably just give you a hug. Because I really do love those pancakes. I’m quite partial to a tagine too; and love a good Moroccan salad.

Beldi Country Club

Anyway, I digress. But, the punchline is: love Marrakech. And here’s a list of some of the places I love most there.

Where to Stay

One of the swimming pools at Beldi Country Club

Beldi Country Club. We always stay at the Beldi Country Club, which is a ten minute drive (roughly) from the medina and has the luxury of vast gardens, sweeping rose fields and many beautiful swimming pools within the grounds of the hotel. If you’re looking for somewhere polished and sleek to stay, then this is not the hotel for you; but if you don’t mind a little ramshackle charm, then you’ll love it. It’s the dream with children because the atmosphere is so relaxed that they can happily run wild. The decor is simple but charming; and while the service is pretty haphazard, it is always pleasant and friendly. The hotel also has a spa where you can treat yourself to a hammam or massage.

Les Deux Tours. We stayed here on our first trip to Marrakech as a family (before our youngest was born) and loved it. Again, it’s a 10 minute or so drive from the city centre and is set amidst roaming gardens. There’s a lovely, big pool where you can happily lounge the day away and, as an added bonus, you’ll find peacocks and goats in the garden (our son, Aeneas, was particularly delighted with that). I also have especially fond memories of the breakfast buffet which, from memory (and this was some time ago now), involved wonderful yogurts, pots of ambrosial amlou (almond butter mixed with argan oil and honey), as well as piles of juicy dates, and - of course - the Berber pancakes.

Riad Mena. This is where you want to stay for a sexy, grown up weekend: it’s the chicest little riad (only seven rooms) in the heart of the medina with a courtyard garden filled with orange trees, deliciously sweet scented jasmine climbing up the walls, and a fabulous contemporary art collection.

The gardens at La Mamounia

La Mamounia. I first stayed at La Mammounia when I visited Marrakech with my parents as a teen. Back in those days (and we really are talking some time ago, now), the hotel, which first opened in the twenties, was crumbling at the edges rather and all faded grandeur, which of course I loved. Since then, the building has been fully refurbished and has, I can’t help but feel, to some degree at least, lost a bit of its charm. That said, the extensive and immaculately manicured gardens are dreamy; the location, right at the edge of the medina, is right in the centre of things; the pool is magnificent; and if you’re looking for somewhere to stay that is luxurious, has a strong sense of history and a great Club Sandwich (love a good Club Sandwich) then La Mamounia is your top pick.

Where to Eat

Nomad. Nomad describes itself as serving ‘modern moroccan food’: it’s delicious salad-y things, tagines and pastilla, laced with spices and fresh flavours. You’ll want to order everything on the menu. The mood is casual and bustling - but the best thing about it is the view of the city’s skyline, peppered with minarets, from the restaurant’s rooftop terrace.