Walking along the busy thoroughfare of the Imperial Kasbah quarter — right by the main tourist attraction of Saadien’s Tombs — you wouldn’t guess that you’d be walking past one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, the La Sultana Marrakech.
Marrakech is an aesthetic dream but there is so much more to this magical city than meets the eye. Once you enter the arched Bab Agnaou gates of the old city, you are immediately bombarded with a visceral plethora of sights, sounds, and smells. It is as exhilarating as it is exotic, and once you get to the heart of the Medina, it becomes clear that this city functions on a set of rules that is unique to anywhere else in the world.
From the outside looking in, you’d wrongly assume that the La Sultana Marrakech would be just another Riad, once inside however, and you’d immediately see that you were mistaken. One step into the hotel’s lamp-lit gilded alleyway and you are instantly transported to a time of sultans and princesses. Instantly enveloped in an air of opulence and luxury that will embrace you until check-out.
Inside, you are led through an arched hallway that opens up to the hotel’s grand courtyard. The awe-inspiring space is home to the hotel’s heated outdoor pool and also serves as the breakfast area and as one of the hotel’s dinner venues. It is filled with a myriad of tropical flora and opens up to a large seemingly open-space skylight which draws just the right amount of sunshine in.
The hotel is divided into five riads, the brick-covered Riad Almohad which is housed in the main courtyard, the pink byzantine-style Riad Scheherazade, the Riad Saadia, Riad Sabaa, and the Riad Bahia where we stayed. The hotel has 28 bedrooms and suites, and each one is a reflection of various historical motifs that work to stunning effect. The golden bathrooms are a thing of glory, and it is almost impossible to resist spending an evening enjoying a relaxing bath in this beautiful space.
We had dinner poolside at La Table La Sultana, as a ‘sintir’ player serenaded us in the background. Diners at La Sultana are spoiled for choice and have the option to choose from its French or Moroccan menus. The hotel has a philosophy of ‘Terroir Cuisine’ which showcases 100% locally sourced organic ingredients, and you can certainly taste the difference.
The staff at La Sultana are absolutely faultless. From the moment you check-in, when you are greeted with Moroccan mint tea and dates on the roof, to check-out when you are given a little gift to send you on your way, the staff make you feel like royalty. If you ever get the chance to visit La Sultana, we can assure you, it’ll be an experience unlike anything else in the world.
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