GreenLife Marrakech

We’ve said before that your choice of location in Marrakech essentially boils down to the busy medina vs. the more suburban Palmeraïe, but in fact there’s a third option on the fringes of the city. Ourika, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, is where you’ll find GreenLife Marrakech, a small and luxurious eco-resort that uses its rural location to great advantage in creating an experience that’s extraordinarily tranquil and immersive. It’s an unusual name for a hotel, but one that turns out to be entirely apt — green isn’t the color most of us associate with Morocco, but this is a hotel that’ll change that.

The fourteen rooms and suites are all outfitted in a lavish traditional style, and all open directly onto the literal kind of green life — either a terrace overlooking the gardens, or a spectacular view of the Atlas Mountains themselves. Space is plentiful, as are the comforts, and while it’s a small hotel, it’s large enough to have its own spa, complete with treatment rooms and a traditional hammam. Lunch is served by the poolside, and dinner is an extravagant affair featuring all of Morocco’s signature flavors. And from here you’re scarcely a half-hour from Marrakech proper, and even closer to the Moroccan countryside — it’s the ideal jumping-off point for an Atlas Mountains adventure.