Inside Morocco’s Most Instagrammable Hotel | The Escape

Follow in the footsteps of legendary influencer Bryanboy with a stay at the dreamy Mandarin Oriental hotel in Marrakech, which boasts a new restaurant helmed by celebrated chef Akrame Benallal

Instagram feeds are littered with shots of influencers pulling poses in far-flung destinations. But when a cluster of the world’s most discerning tastemakers chooses to sync their agendas and convene en masse at a hotel, one’s curiosity can only be piqued.

The occasion: the 40th birthday extravaganza for fashion influencer extraordinaire, Bryan Grey Yambao, aka Bryanboy. The destination: the Mandarin Oriental in Marrakech, with his #InventingBryan-themed bash a playful nod to the infamous Morocco trip in Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Guests included fellow influencers Susie Lau and Caroline Daur, who count a collective four million-plus followers.

Steeped in culture and history, Marrakech, with its mystical medina, ornate architectural gems and enchanting gardens, has proven a popular destination with personalities across the decades, from Winston Churchill, who declared the city “the last paradise on earth,” and Yves Saint Laurent, whose ashes were scattered in the Majorelle Garden, to Talitha Getty and Madonna, who dressed as a Berber queen to fête her 60th birthday there. And since the borders reopened in early February, jet-setters have been flocking to the ancient market city, which made The New York Times’ annual list of travel destinations: 52 Places for a Changed World.

Located in the city’s Palmeraie district, a hop away from the new shopping district of Gueliz and the trendy Hivernage neighbourhood, the Mandarin Oriental, nestled in 20 hectares of olive trees and gardens, is a veritable urban oasis. Accessed by a tree-lined avenue evoking traditional Moroccan palm groves, the site’s impressive lobby, with its sleek dark columns, black and white geometric tiles and shallow golden pool dotted with sculptures, opens onto a panoramic vista of the site’s tranquil ponds and landscaped gardens, backdropped by the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.

Designed by French duo Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier, this elegant haven, with its rustic-chic décor melding sandy stonework with subtle Berber and Andalusian-Arabic influences, stands out for its mix of privacy and entertainment spaces. Plus, the heavenly nature fix.

Step into the site’s lush gardens – alive with birdsong and the sound of rustling palms, and perfumed with the scent of some 100,000 roses dotted in amongst giant cacti and wild grasses – and already you start to unwind.

Peppered throughout the grounds, a constellation of 54 secluded luxury villas – accessed through Moorish-style wooden doors, and deemed “shockingly” spacious even by Bryanboy’s standards – offers guests a heavenly, indoor-outdoor riad experience.

All rooms open onto a central patio with a private crystal-clear pool and jacuzzi, seating areas and sunbeds for sipping mint tea in the sun or shade, and an outdoor kitchen where the restaurant team can rustle up dishes at guests’ requests. Inside, the calming black and cream décor is offset with artisanal accents, such as a tadelakt plastered walls etched with Berber motifs, vibrant mouth-blown vases and handwoven wool rugs. Comfort abounds, from the white cotton babouche slippers and elegant marble bathrooms with underfloor heating and hot tubs to the WhatsApp-able dedicated butlers.

Guests may hop on bikes and wend through a network of nature-themed pathways leading to the villas which are outfitted with one or two bedrooms, with the option for families or groups to join villas via a connecting door. Alternatively, nine suites in the main building come with terraces and private plunge pools with views over the romantic landscape while, for those looking for calm and serenity, two Infinity Pool Suites with individual courtyards and, as the name suggests, heated infinity pools offer direct access to the site’s spa.

And what a spa! Throughout the day, a trail of plush bathrobe-clad guests flows toward this well-being sanctuary whose design alone – a tribute to the ancient mosques and cathedrals of Andalusia, including spectacular red-brick, high-arched corridors and a sun-drenched black-and-white ornamental pool leading off the reception – soothes the senses. Amenities include an indoor pool giving onto the garden, two luxurious hammams, a fitness centre, a yoga studio, and hair and beauty salons. Treatments include a Digital Wellness Escape massage, a Tangerine Delights hammam with a full-body massage using products from the marocMaroc range and a Rosy Sensation scrub and wrap ritual.

For little ones, meanwhile, the Kids’ Kasbah club – located between the chef’s vegetable gardens, which for the adults is also the starting point for the resort’s cookery classes, and a petting farm – offers everything from yoga classes to craft activities based on local culture, such as carpet weaving and pottery workshops.

For anyone motivated enough to leave this peaceful paradise, leisure activities include shopping tours in a customised motorcycle sidecar, museum and garden visits, and a caftan personalisation experience with local artists. Early birds may also rise at dawn to take a hot-air balloon ride offering aerial views of Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains. Or why not follow in the footsteps of Bryanboy, who moved his party to the desert for a camel ride experience at the Terre des Étoiles eco-lodge?

Back at camp, meanwhile, the Mandarin Oriental’s dining options are equally rich in variety and cultural influences. There’s the Pool Garden, where guests may sample alfresco Mediterranean-inspired dishes using produce sourced on-site. (In line with its eco-oriented approach, olive oil harvested from the resort’s centuries-old olive trees is also used in the spa’s beauty rituals, while the fruits of the prickly pear found in the garden may be sampled in the restaurants’ ice creams.)

In the hotel’s East wing, the newly opened Shirvan Café Métisse, helmed by French-born chef Akrame Benallal, presents a tastebud-tingling modern take on Morocco, blending Mediterranean, North African and oriental influences. (Think lamb chops marinated with harissa, Lobster Pastilla, roasted cauliflower infused with orange blossom and tahini and 12-spices oven-roasted marinated seabream.)

In the opposite West wing, Ling Ling, which boasts a spacious outdoor terrace, lounge and bar, offers contemporary Cantonese cuisine blended with the Japanese Izakaya concept. To a high-energy mix mastered by Pathaan Ahmad, Music Director at Hakkasan Group, guests may sample small plates served in a shared format, with dishes ranging from whole Peking duck and crispy tiger prawns with wasabi sauce to vegetable black truffle rolls. To get a taste of the vibe, take a scroll through the Instagram party diary of – you guessed it – #InventingBryan.

For more information, visit mandarinoriental.com

Photography: Thiebaud Faix. Max Libertine Unspladed An Supplied

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s May 2022 issue.