It is the only oasis north of the Atlas Mountains and the emblem of a city of eternal spring, with green palms against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.
Haven of jet-set villas since the 1960s, the Palmeraie of Marrakech continues to attract vacationing desires, even if its hold has waned over time.
While waiting for the results of the protection and development programs – nearly 600,000 palm trees have already been replanted under the aegis of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Environment – the 11th century oasis remains a nursery of beautiful addresses less than 20 minutes from downtown.
"Feet in the water and head in the fire of the sky" according to an old Arab proverb, beautiful gardens prosper there, come what may, in the shade of the date palms according to
a unique art of living, revisiting the Arab-Andalusian heritage.
Here are five places for a timeless break or a most glamorous wedding!
To discover
Trips to Africa: tailor-made tours, hotels and stays from our partners
Ksar Char-Bagh: Moorish palace in complete privacy
Ksar Char-Bagh and its 15 suites on 3.5 hectares in the heart of the famous Palmeraie of Marrakech.
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A paved path that spins without warning between goats and sheep before getting lost in a dusty stretch of track and here you are… at the Alhambra in Granada!
All things considered of course.
If the sumptuous central patio with colonnades carved around a long basin is inspired by this monument of the Arab-Andalusian civilization, the Ksar Char-Bagh is above all an intimate place: only 15 suites make up this small palace of Moorish built in a 3.5 hectare park with a very long swimming pool (34 meters long) heated in winter, the chef's vegetable garden, billiard room, bar/library (more than 1000 books...) in the English club style and large lounge/ cozy smoking room with fireplace.
A residence where you feel comfortable: all with private garden or terrace,
What we like:
the opulence of the volumes associated with an elegantly sober decoration made from natural materials (wood, leather) and antique furniture and the regularly organized dinners with chefs.
Which suite to book?
One of the four suites (two on the ground floor, two on the terrace) with a small private swimming pool (heated).
Special madness, the Tower suite with 2 bedrooms, and huge terrace with swimming pool and 360° panoramic view of the palm grove (magical at sunset).
Note: the opening of two 550m2 villas (5 bedrooms) at the beginning of December.
At what price ?
From €450 for a suite with garden or terrace, €770 for a suite with private pool, €1,100 for a 2-bedroom apartment with private pool, including airport transfers and breakfast.
Ksar Char-Bagh Djnan Abiad La Palmeraie, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
Such.
: +212 524 32 92 44/ (0)6 61 91 72 33.
Palais Ronsard (Relais & Châteaux): unique and dreamlike
The decoration is therefore often loaded and generous in objects, it is a bias.
The eye is constantly feasting between nods to Art Deco and Orientalism.
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This is a unique place in Marrakech: this Relais & Châteaux opened in 2019 by Adriana Ohanian Karembeu and her husband is unlike any other address!
Halfway between the family home and the mansion, the Palais Ronsard is at the crossroads of all memories, in turn colonial residence, Tuscan villa or Moroccan palace.
Baroque or Art Deco, often oriental, the interior architecture signed Gil Dez is exuberant but without excess, including in the 22 vast suites (60 to 80 m2) and six private pavilions (115 to 175 m2) elegant with their decor revisiting the European design under the Moroccan prism.
No children, at least below 12 years old, in order to preserve the tranquility of the places where the animation is voluntarily reduced.
And a tasty cuisine of taste: the chef, originally from Nice,
What we like:
the cocooning spa with only 3 cabins with very professional treatments, the extreme refinement of the detail and the comfort of the accommodation and the poetic gardens planted with 8,000 Pierre de Ronsard rosebushes.
Which room to book?
The 4, a suite-like Prestige bedroom with a small intimate garden or a senior suite (upstairs) for sunsets over the palm grove
At what price ?
From €500 the “Prestige Room” (70m2 with terrace), €600 the Suite (85m2 with terrace), €800 the senior suite, €850 the Pavilion (115m2) including breakfast.
Palais Ronsard, 7, Lieudit Abyad Municipality Ennakhil, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
Such.
: +212 622 51 05 06.
Read alsoWE TESTED: Palais Ronsard in Marrakech, the expert opinion of
Le Figaro
Les Deux Tours: boho chic oasis
Everything here calls for voluptuousness, in a relaxed chic atmosphere.
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In a sometimes sparse palm grove, it is an oasis of incredible luxuriance, where charming buildings designed by the architect Charles Boccara are scattered.
Ponds planted with papyrus, quivering seguias (irrigation canals), patios, terraces, vaults and arcades buried in the vegetation where the 41 rooms and suites are nestled.
We love getting lost in this area of three hectares punctuated by a long swimming pool (28m x 5m) heated to 28° in a sustainable way (the biomass boiler is powered by olive pomace) and gentle tree-lined lawns where invite large copper beds and a gleaming barber's chair... Everything here calls for voluptuousness, in a relaxed chic atmosphere, laziness rises in indolence, gluttony in virtue: the table mixing Moroccan cuisine,
What we like:
the mix of Moroccan craftsmanship, touches of ethnic decoration such as the poles of Berber tents, and
60's
and
70's
furniture , and the spa area with its ultra-cozy rest room opening onto a garden .
Which room to book?
A Junior suite to take advantage of spacious volumes (approximately 40m2) and, for a higher budget, one of the "Pool suites" with private swimming pool (heated in winter at an additional €50/night).
At what price ?
From €225 for the Classic room, €267 for the Junior suite, €522 for the Pool suite, including breakfast.
Free shuttles 3 times a day for the city.
Hotel Les Deux Tours, circuit of the Palmeraie, Douar Abiad, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
Such.
: +212 5 24 32 95 25.
Tigmiza Boutique Hotel & Spa: the look of a kasbah, the luxury of a boutique hotel
Beneath its kasbah-like appearance nestled in a beautiful verdant park, this 28-key boutique hotel plays the card of sophisticated decoration.
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In the family of the owners of the Tigmiza Boutique Hotel & Spa, the father is a Ponts & Chaussées engineer, the mother a decorator and painter and the daughters an interior designer and hotel manager.
That is to say if the good fairies leaned over his cradle!
Beneath its kasbah-like appearance nestled in a beautiful verdant park, this 28-key boutique hotel plays the card of sophisticated decoration - profusion of ceilings painted in the tradition, marble and antique-style furniture: the sense of detail is the hallmark from an ultra-tidy place.
Ten skilfully themed suites (Chinese, Majorelle, Art Deco, etc.) of good size (45m2) revolve around a pretty central patio planted with banana trees (and a 15m x 5m swimming pool heated in winter), the rest being divided between three pavilions (80m2),
What we like:
the warm common areas like the English bar, the rooftop/bar, the outdoor play area for children, practical for families.
Which room to book?
A villa for more privacy with a special mention for the royal villa of pharaonic dimensions with a private spa combining a small hammam and a treatment room.
At what price ?
From €200 for a suite, €220 for a pavilion, €450 for a 1-bedroom villa and €550 for a 2-bedroom villa, including breakfast.
Tigmiza Boutique Hotel & Spa, Bab Atlas, Palmeraie, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
Such.
: + 212 662 846 441.
Jnane Tamsna: artist's house
The decoration mixes Moorish and West African inspiration.
Jean Cazals
Neither Marrakech red ocher nor grass.
Contrary to the clichés, this boutique hotel displays its five buildings with bright yellow arcades in a three-hectare estate cultivated in the style of the
jnane
(market gardening) traditional.
Anthropologist, ethnobotanist and long-time aware of environmental issues, Gary Martin, the owner of the premises makes it a point of honor to grow organic vegetable gardens and orchards.
An authenticity in resonance with the decoration signed by his wife, Meryanne Loum-Martin, mixing Moorish and West African inspiration.
“Dakar, “Céladon” or “Indian”: all different, the rooms are warm and comfortable in a minimalist register (no TV, minibar or tea/coffee set), a bias.
Meals, made from organic products, are taken in the beautiful dining room or around the main swimming pool (16.5 m), one of the five (including 2 heated) in the area.
New this fall, the cozy Garden Bar with library, lounge, and product shop (honey, natural cosmetics,
What we like:
the warm atmosphere of a guest house (the owners live on site) who like artists.
Which room to book?
A “large” bedroom upstairs opening onto a terrace in the trees or a suite.
At what price ?
From €205 for a “small” room (25m2), €395 for a “Large” room (42 m2) including breakfast.
Jnane Tamsna Boutique Hotel & Organic gardens, Douar Abiad Palmeraie, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
Such.
: +212 524 32 84 84.
