The Oberoi Marrakech

By sheer number the most common form of high-end accommodation in Marrakech has to be the riad, the famous courtyard houses of the medina. And in some ways the palatial Oberoi Marrakech, on its 28 acres of gardens nearly a half-hour’s drive from the heart of the city, couldn’t be more different. It’s inspired by the Medersa Ben Youssef, a 500-year-old Islamic college that is revered as one of Morocco’s finest pieces of traditional architecture. And over its grounds ramble not a mere handful of rooms, but nearly a hundred rooms, suites, and villas, some of which are large and lavish enough to feel a bit like riads unto themselves.

If you know India’s Oberoi hotel group, you’ll know they don’t go in for half-measures. This particular Oberoi is a stunner, monumental in its public spaces and exceedingly elegant in its private ones. The spaces are generous, the appointments are top-quality, and the views, of the Atlas mountains and the estate’s gardens and orchards, are sublime. And while the general standard of service in Morocco is quite high, Oberoi takes it to another level, staffing the hotel with a veritable army of local professionals.

An extravagant spa with an Ayurvedic program is present as a matter of course, as are three restaurants: the fine-dining Moroccan restaurant Siniman, the Mediterranean restaurant Tamint, with its views from the terrace, and Azur, the lighter poolside option. There’s no question it’s a departure from the norm in Marrakech — but many guests will find it to be a welcome one indeed.