trach500

I am thinking of doing a vacation to Marrakech in the spring. Does anybody have recommendations on where to stay? Looking for something modern, trendy, etc. similar to a MO or W type.

Pauldublin

amanjena springs to mind.

Kagehitokiri

comparing MO and W??

W = Murano Oriental Resort (from $365)

i guess Amanjena (from $900) would be what you mean by MO

Dar Seven (from $220) is a more contemporary/modern Riad

and http://www.habibihomes.com/ has a couple modern rentals

also >
http://www.departures.com/articles/b...-mod-marrakech
John Smith / 371909

Raffles

IN Marrakech or OUTSIDE Marrackech?

If you want a riad inside, then Villa Des Orangers is one of the best bets. Others get mentioned in the same breath, but I've stayed at VdesO and can highly recommend it. Location is great and you get airport transport, breakfast, lunch, mini-bar and laundry for free.

Outside town, you've got the Aman plus a number of other places of varying quality. As long as you avoid the Palmerie Golf Resort, where I went for a conference a couple of weeks ago!

Personally, I would do a couple of days at a riad in the centre like Villa des Orangers and then a couple of days in a property outside the city. This will save you the hassle of driving into and out of the city every day - you can dedicate those days to sunbathing or mountain activities.

limelight

Villa des Orangers is properly lovely. Another excellent option would be Riad Farnatchi (especially Suite 1 or Suite 5). It's very small (like all the Riad properties), beautifully decorated, and has and a real sense of place.

Kagehitokiri

huh, didnt remember Riad Farnatchi (from $400) being that contemporary, cool ^

http://www.riadfarnatchi.com/eng/suite1_new.htm

its definitely well regarded here

(Villa des Orangers is more traditional)

FLYaway3x

I prefer La Mamounia

Kagehitokiri

(renovation transitioning from traditional/classical to art deco)

grumbler

I think Farnatchi still gets its share of celebrities, though it is not "contemporary". Having stayed there (in Room 1) - and then experimented with other high end places in the Palmeraie, I would go back to Farnatchi in a heartbeat (especially if the Manager, Lynn, is still looking after things).

I have not stayed at Mamounia since the reno - but before the reno, there was no way I would go back.

eutow

I spent a few days at Farnatchi, and then at Amanjena, and that was an enjoyable combination. I liked both properties very much, and would certainly recommend them.

jwurz

Can someone please PM me the email address for GM of La Mamounia, Didier Picquot.

Best,

JW

mecca138

Looking to spend 2 nights IN Marrakech. Since this thread is a bit old, can some of you experienced FTers please recommend somewhere nice for our first time there? Is it still the La Mamounia and the Villa des Orangers? Since Amanjera is outside of town and we only have 2 nights, we will probably skip it. Your help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Groombridge

My favorite riad in the media is Riad Farnatchi, where the service was terrific and the design exquisite, leveraging, but not slavishly, the Moroccan aesthetic and traditional craftsmanship, and wedding it to a contemporary sensibility.

Next time I go to Marrakech, though, I'll want to stay at the Royal Mansour, funded by the Royal Family with no expense spared. I just spoke with a former GM of Amanjena and he raved about the quality of every aspect of Royal Mansour--from the cutlery to the food to the design.

bluebird09

Consider the risk before going. Many hotels offer actually great promotions (e.g. luxurylink.com, lhw.com). This may speak for a lack of tourists.

http://www.moroccoguide.com/about-mo...gs-dangers.php
last suicide bombers were only in 2007. So at least, this won't happen. http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...ySecurity&pg=2
and for general dangers: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...975.html#crime
And don't speak French.

But if you ever love risk, why not take the risk of getting ripped off by a taxidriver. They're cheap & considered to be safe.

Because I'm almost sure that you can't get it any better than at the Amanjena. But I didn't stay at the other properties here so I don't know the Riad Farnatchi etc. -> Just by hearing the sound of the video on their webpage, I don't wanna go again to Marocco at all.

wripro

Royal Mansour is definitely the place to try. Expensive though.