Marrakech’s best kept secret
Located in the heart of the city of Marrakech, in Morocco, this legendary hotel opened its doors in 1922. The place got its name by its gardens, that were named by prince Moulay Mamoun, the son of the Sultan Sidi Mohamed Horseradish Ben Abdellah.
Nowadays, the Hotel Mamounia (special category "Grand Tourism") features 171 rooms, 57 suites and three apartments, all with an exceptional view to the gardens, the ponds or the outskirts of the hotel. Also it is necessary to emphasize its nine restaurante/bars, a casino, ballrooms, business centers, ponds, tennis court, squash, golf course, luxury spa and several boutiques.
One of the best world-wide known suites is the Churchill Suite, named given after the english statesman. He visited the hotel very frequently and he always requested to stay in the same room. The suite is decorated in English style, with Chesterfield furniture, just as Churchill liked. It has documents and authentic photographs of the minister and with all the original furniture of the time when he was here, this suite is like a small museum in honor to that great character. In the room we can also find his original umbrella and hats.
The Menzeh Suite is the an exact copy of a traditional house in the Moroccan style, with a balcony that faces to the temple of Koutoubia. The walls were built out of mosaic, and the floors were carved manually. The luxurious carpets hang of the walls like color cascades, and the cedar bed completes the sensual decoration of this room. Of course, we could not miss the Nuptial Suite, Suites 1930 or the 19th Century suites, nevertheless what calls the attention the most in the Hotel Mamounia is its gardens, which already existed long before there was a hotel in mind. These romantic and luxurious gardens offer to their visitors a great variety of flowers, plants, trees, birds and, first and foremost, an enormous spiritual peace. Plenty of people take a walk to meditate though these gardens. Covered with roses, dalias and exotic plants, the gardens of Hotel Mamounia offer a romantic evening to the couples that want to listen to the song of the birds or simply be there for at one of the most spectacular sunsets of the world.
The gourmet Boujemaa Mars took the position of Executive Chef of the hotel in 1987. Like one of the most important culinary professionals of Morocco, Boujemaa offers a completely different menu for each one of the nine restaurants of the hotel. Each restaurant has a different concept and decoration, but what does not change it is the exquisite quality of the dishes. There is a a restaurant for each palate: Italian, International kitchen, French and, of course, the main restaurant of the hotel offers a typicall Moroccan menu.
Many movies have been filmed at this exceptional hotel, amongs them Eric von Strohein’s Alert au Sud, Morocco, with Marlene Dietrich, and the Man who knew too much, with Charlie Chaplin, amongs others.
Text: Anaís de Melo ± Photo: La Mamounia