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Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR263.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Style
Afro-gastro lodge
Setting
Palmeraie shade
Explore
Created by the owner of gourmande-adored Le Foundouk, Les Cinq Djellabas is a tranquil expanse of olive-tree-shaded gardens in the Marrakech Palmeraie, dotted with 10 secluded, circular lodges – all painstakingly traditional but thoroughly luxurious. And the food is – of course – exceptional.
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Les Sens de Marrakech perfumed room spray
Ten, all suites.
Noon. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Rates usually include airport transfers and a Moroccan breakfast of pastries, yoghurts, hot drinks and juices.
Find inner peace with an in-house yoga session, then head to the small spa, where you can indulge in a number of rejuvenating treatments.
Gardens, free WiFi in the main building (not in rooms), TV room, games room, reading room. In rooms: flatscreen TV, satellite radio, DVD/CD player, minibar, air-conditioning.
Go for one of the deluxe suites, which have glorious claw-foot tubs with garden views (ask for the farthest from the main building to enjoy the most secluded stay).
Dive in to the swimming pool in the middle of the garden, flanked by parasol-shaded loungers. (It’s heated in winter.)
This is the sort of place where being spectacularly lazy is very, very tempting – bring a book for days lounging by the pool (and your sunscreen, of course).
Les Cinq Djellabas isn’t wheelchair accessible.
This is one for the grown ups; teens are accepted, but the pool and restaurant are firmly adults-only.
Nab a spot anywhere in the gardens for a particularly magical meal.
Food is the focus: wear something fairly floaty so you can eat your fill (and then some).
Renowned Le Foundouk chef Amine Lamrani and his team dish up modern Moroccan delights in the kitchen – let staff know in advance if you’re planning on dining in. The pistachio crème brûlée is not to be missed, as is the bread made in-house. The traditional pastilla isn’t on many hotel menus in town, but makes an excellent alternative to couscous or tagine.
The lounge is open all day, mostly serving your drinks as you lounge by the pool. Try a Morroquito made with local fig liquor, mahia.
Breakfast from 8am; then, the restaurant stays open till the last guest has finished their supper.
If you prefer to eat in your room, no problem – anything on offer in the restaurant can be delivered to your door.
You’ll find Les Cinq Djellabas in Marrakech’s Palmeraie, a 15-minute taxi ride from the Medina and souks.
Touch down at Menara Airport, not far from the city. There are daily flights from many major European cities, and free airport transfers can be arranged with the hotel.
Regular trains run to other major Moroccan cities, including Tangier, Casablanca and Fez, from the main station in the centre of Marrakech.
There’s free onsite parking, if you dare drive in manic Marrakech. (We’d suggest you leave it to the professionals.)
Arrange a day trip with Les Cinq Djellabas’ concierge and be whisked by 4x4 through Berber villages, the Plateau de Kik, the Ourika Valley or Lake Takerkoust (lunch is provided). Or, head into the heart of Marrakech – a private driver can be arranged.
In need of some time in a calming greenspace after haggling in the markets? Pop on over to Jardin Majorelle, a wonderland of greens, blues, and yellows bequeathed to Marakech by Yves Saint Laurent – head in as early as you can to avoid the daily crowds (we particularly recommend ice cream for breakfast in the small café on site). Over the road, 33 Rue Majorelle sells a stylist-curated collection of local art, designer accessories and the like, and is connected to the Kaowa juice bar, where the life-affirmingly refreshing smoothies will keep you cool enough to haggle with the taxi drivers standing by outside.
Go into town for dinner: Le Foundouk is the obvious choice, of course, and you won’t be let down: it regularly tops where-to-eat-in-Marrakech wishlists. Also in the Medina one of our favourites is Gastro MK at Maison MK (book your table in advance: places are very limited for non guests). Le Tobsil (Derb Abdellah Ben Hessein) is a dark, candle-lit hideout tucked away down a maze of pink-walled alleys – it’s regularly hailed as one of the city’s best meals thanks to its table-filling Moroccan feasts, and they dispatch handy guides to find lost guests and then escort them home afterwards. For pre- or post-dinner drinks, you should find yourself in blingily brilliant La Mamounia’s classic Churchill bar at least once.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this unusual hotel in Morocco and unpacked their babouches and tagines, a full account of their luxury Palmeraie break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick postcard from Les Cinq Djellabas in Marrakech…
Ten circular African lodges dot the verdant Palmeraie garden that is Le Cinq Djellabas – each carefully designed to provide ultimate seclusion and total luxury, while staying interestingly inventive. Every space has an incredible attention to craftsmanship, with local building and decor techniques used throughout (note the tataoui ceiling in the reception, made of woven lauren sticks, and the rammed-earth walls – traditional to the region, but not usually in such luxurious surroundings).
Back out in the grounds, the centrepiece pool is as cool on hot Marrakech days as the Palmeraie setting is calm (plus, it’s an impressive size considering the very limited number of guests). But it’s the food that’s the star, as you’d expect when your hotel and one of the city’s best restaurants share an owner. From the home-baked bread to the decadent pastilla, the menu offers an updated take on classic Moroccan favourites, all perfected by the expert Le Foundouk team.
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