La Mamounia

We had a wonderful stay at La Mamounia. The hotel is beautiful, and the pool and garden feel like a peaceful oasis. The service throughout was exceptional – every member of staff we encountered was kind, attentive and genuinely helpful.

A truly memorable experience from beginning to end. We very much hope to return one day.

Thank you to the entire team for making our stay so special.

I stayed here in March with a group of 14 people on a photographic expedition of Morocco.. La Mamounia has always been on my bucket list and I was excited to stay there and planned to return with my husband later in the year. Aspects of the stay were disappointing so I don’t know if I would return.

Arrival The hotel was informed that our arrival would be at 15.30. We had travelled several hours and were looking forward to checking in and relaxing. We arrived, were seated in the reception area and were brought tea and dates. We then waited and waited for our keys for over an hour. The reception was chaotic as if they weren’t expecting our arrival but they had known about this for several months and we had confirmed our arrival the night before and that morning. At 17.15 I still didn’t have keys to my room, I was eventually given keys to a suite over looking the pool. Other members of the group had rooms of varying sizes and locations in the hotel. Ii only saw one which was a deluxe room which was lovely with a terrace overlooking the gardens.

Reception Area This is very dark and vast with several seating alcoves around it, presumably to accommodate guests checking in who have to wait. It was also very modern which surprised me. We had stayed in other hotels during the week that seemed to be more historic and authentic than this area of the hotel.

The Suite The suite consisted of a lounge, bedroom, walk in wardrobe and two bathrooms and a large terrace. It was filled with antiques and beautifully decorated. A bottle of champagne and chocolates arrived which was much appreciated. The bathroom was quite small and the shower spilt water all over the floor making it very slippery. The controls in the shower needed to be replaced as the evening shower was freezing cold and the morning shower boiling hot. The hairdryer was very old fashioned too with no nozzle. Turndown service was good and I slept well. The terrace overlooked the pool but the main road is visible and close to the hotel so it could be noisy. The hotel though was built long before the road became busy so I can hardly complain about that.

The bar The bars at the hotel get very busy, and we had drinks before dinner in the main bar. Service was very slow and we eventually went to the bar and ordered the drinks ourselves but they still took time to arrive. A few of us went into the same bar after dinner and again we had to order the drinks ourselves from the bar because, despite the bar being quiet there weren’t many staff around.

The Italian Restaurant The hotel prepared a special set menu for us with a variety of dishes. They were all delicious and plentiful and the service very attentive. The restaurant is cool and spacious with lovely decor and comfortable seating.

Breakfast Breakfast is by the pool with a help yourself buffet and à la carte options to order. Two of us had breakfast together so we weren’t seated in a big group. Breakfast was rather chaotic, nobody came to take our order for hot drinks and when they eventually did they didn’t arrive. I ordered an egg white omelet ( which was in the menu) and they forgot to bring it. I had to ask three times where it was and eventually it arrived. The breakfast area wasn’t that busy so I was surprised the service was so slow.

The hotel and grounds The hotel has some fascinating areas, a photographers dream and the grounds are lovely. There is a gallery of signed photographs of all the famous people who have stayed at the hotel which is interesting.

Location

The location is perfect, only 20-30 minutes from the airport and an easy walk into the town and medina.

Staff A mixed bunch. The Moroccan people we encountered during our weeks tour were absolutely lovely, couldn’t do enough for us, especially the Berber people. Some of the staff at La Mamounia were charming but others were rather aggressive. My colleague and I had a late flight back to the U.K. and were leaving the hotel around 6pm. The hotel wouldn’t give us a late check out so we went to the medina for the day and then relaxed by the pool. Twice we were asked why we were occupying the sunbeds ( it was a cloudy day so hardly busy ). We explained we were residents and were waiting to check out.

La Mamounia is a beautiful hotel but I having stayed there once, I don’t think when I return to Marrakesh, I would choose to stay there again.