Royal Mansour Marrakech: A Private Medina of Riads

Few hotels announce their ambition as quietly and completely as Royal Mansour Marrakech. Commissioned by King Mohammed VI and opened in 2010, it was built as a medina in miniature: a network of private riads, each with its own courtyard and rooftop, linked by gardens and underground passages, and hand-finished by hundreds of Moroccan artisans over several years. It sits within the ramparts of the old city, moments from Jemaa el-Fnaa.

The dining is as considered as the architecture. La Grande Table Marocaine, overseen by multi-starred chef Hélène Darroze, is often called the finest Moroccan restaurant in Africa, while her La Grande Brasserie reinvents the French table from breakfast onward. Sesamo brings the contemporary Italian cooking of three-Michelin-star chef Massimiliano Alajmo, an entrant on the World's 50 Best list for the MENA region, and Le Jardin sets an open-air Asian table within the Arab-Andalusian gardens.

Beyond the table, a vast spa and traditional hammam, riad-style accommodation, and gardens designed in the great Marrakchi tradition make the property a world apart within an already storied city. It is a place that rewards staying in as much as venturing out.

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