Located only moments from the bustle of Tangier’s Kasbah and Medina, once through Villa Mabrouka’s heavy carved wooden doors and into its lush, vibrant gardens – constantly filled with birdsong and gentle breezes – you are transported immediately into the feeling of paradise.
Transformed from a former private home into a cosseting and elegant hotel by the esteemed British designer Jasper Conran, Villa Mabrouka is the perfect escape whether spending time on your own or with a group of family and friends. The villa with its two crystalline swimming pools comprises three restaurants, a rooftop coffee / cocktail bar and three beautifully decorated garden pavilions ideal for private dining.
An all-day menu of light, seasonal dishes emphasises market-fresh Mediterranean ingredients. From daily caught fish and seafood, served simply grilled, as a crispy fritto misto or in a light bouillabaisse-broth, to locally grown fruit and vegetables transformed into crisp, flavourful salads, refreshing side dishes, delicious desserts and soothing sorbets, everything including traditional French breads and moreish sweet biscuits is prepared in house.
Conran’s vision has embraced the clean-lined simplicity of the house’s 1940s modernist architecture while bringing to it the quiet eccentricity and traditional service of an English country house, the yesteryear romance and magic of the Riviera’s early 20th century golden era of travel, as well as Conran’s contemporary taste for refined understatement and exquisite craftsmanship.
Floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors allow a dazzling natural light to flood through the house’s generously proportioned rooms and across sweeping terraces, connecting the interiors with the verdancy of the gardens and the bright blues of Tangier’s glittering sea and sky outside. It brings to Villa Mabrouka an easy, comfortable airiness, the perfect backdrop for Conran’s elegant approach to design that brings together the softness of flowing voile curtains, intricate fretwork, brass hardware and veined marble, with the tactility of rattan, mother-of-pearl marquetry, leather and reed rugs, antique embroideries and ancient tiles.
Villa Mabrouka is a warm and inviting setting for dinners, parties and family occasions. The Gazebo, with its hand painted interior, set above the pool and looking out onto the lawn and gardens can accommodate up to 8 people. Up to 12 people can be seated in the Pavilion D’Été with its open fire and view on to the pool, lawns and garden.
Tangier has a temperate Mediterranean climate, quite unlike other parts of Morocco, with warm summers and mild winter months:
March to May has lows of 11oC/55oF and highs of 20oC/67oF.
June to August has lows of 18oC/64oF and highs of 27oC/81oF.
September to November has lows of 15oC/60oF and highs of 24oC/75oF.
December to February has lows of 13oC/49oF and highs of 17oC/62oF.
L’Hôtel Marrakech is a privately owned riad set in the heart of the ‘red city’s’ Medina. L’Hôtel is conveniently close to the vibrant Jemaa El Fna square, the bustling Souk and nearby the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque. This historic 19th century riad, originally the central part of a Caidal palace, comprises six spacious suites, surrounding a uniquely wide courtyard garden and heated swimming pool. This charming retreat combines delicious food, great comfort and service whilst capturing the elegance of hotels of the 1930s. Owned by Jasper Conran, the riad combines superb Moroccan craftsmanship with pieces of antique furniture, textiles, lighting and art from his collection, making it feel more like a home than a hotel.