Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Character and identity

Set on 49 acres of olive groves and Moorish gardens just outside Marrakech, this is a low-slung garden estate rather than a city hotel, with the snow-dusted Atlas Mountains as a backdrop and more than 100,000 roses scenting the grounds. Accommodation is exclusively villas and suites, each blending Berber and Arab-Andalusian detailing with a calm desert palette; villas come with walled gardens, plunge pools and shaded dining terraces. The spa runs to private gardens, vitality baths and two hammams. Service operates in the polished, anticipatory Mandarin Oriental register, but the mood throughout is relaxed luxury.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The defining feature here is the estate itself: 49 acres of gardens and groves, villa-only accommodation with private pools, and a genuine sense of seclusion ten minutes from the medina. Book it if you want Marrakech as a base for relaxation rather than immersion, and choose a villa over a suite to access the walled garden and plunge pool that make the property sing.