January 30, 2007

Africa & Mideast | Morocco | Marrakech

More Moorish

By Mark Jolly

Parisian cool comes to the Moroccan Desert.

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Marrakech is fast evolving beyond a city of riads, souks and medinas. The uber-cool Paris bolthole, Murano Urban Resort, has just opened a sister property here that promises the same glitz but with a Moroccan twist. While building work is still in progress until the end of February, guests are already checking in to the oasis retreat (think: traditional Moorish architecture, state-of-the-art interiors and top-floor suites with huge terraces facing the Atlas mountains). Fifteen minutes from town, it’s but one of a handful of new projects now scattered across the Marrakech hinterland. Nearby, in the Palmeraie Desert, Octogone Hotels recently opened its first of eight luxe resorts planned for Morocco. Upon arrival at the Terre Resort & Spa, guests are armed with cell-phones, in addition to the services of a butler and a private chef. A “small city” of octagonal shaped mansions, the resort claims to be the most innovatively designed five-star property near Marrakech. Richard Branson, who in 2005 turned Kasbah Tamadot into Morocco’s premier palace of indulgence, may beg to differ. Either way, you’ll soon be able to discern the differences more swiftly — the new highway between Casablanca and Marrakech is due for completion later this year.