LWSY Marrakech Part Four > Great Gardens at Palais Namaskar

On my continued quest to explore all the most wonderful places to stay in Marrakech, I had arrived at Palais Namaskar for a weekend at Pool Villa No.1. I had already been in the city for 4 nights (staying at El Fenn, Four Seasons and La Sultana) so travelling back out of the Medina to this perfect oasis was a welcomed treat following our time in the hustle and bustle of the city.

Just a 30 minute car ride from Marrakech Menara Airport (or a 25 minute drive or so from the Medina), you can lock yourself away for days if you wished to do so. In short, you could fly to Marrakech, be collected by the hotels private car and stay in the hotel grounds for days without wanting to leave. On the other hand one evening if you did want to go into the Medina (do!), it’s really not so far. Perfect hotel right? We were staying off season, when the heat really kicks in, so the hotel wasn’t at full capacity, but with a layout like this place, you’d hardly be short for personal space even if it were.

As we arrived in our modest little local cab to the giant entrance gate, our luggage was swept away from us and we were invited into Espace T, the contemporary hotel lounge for a very swift check-in. The next few minutes are my favourite of any hotel stay. To the room! Where will I be staying? Honestly always the most exciting bit, the great unveiling. Well, wheels off I was speechless. As you walk along the pools of of still water you can feel your shoulders drop instantly. The Moorish arches and tranquil pools are framed by the stark beauty of the Atlas Mountains, you feel like you could walk on the water beneath your feet.

Our first clue to our suite (although yes I knew where were staying) was the walk along the graceful and serene limestone pathway lined with bougainvillea. Any one of these pathways could have only landed us a Pool Villa, and we were so excited to see for ourselves how beautiful these Villas were. I’m talking honeymoon heaven.

Think total secluded luxury. As you push open the giant Moroccan doors, palms and lush greenery tilt over the still waters of the ornamental lake (I say second pool! One for you, one for your lover/friend) and within that, your heated floating pool.

Designed by renowned French-Algerian designer Imaad Rahmouni and owner and creator Philippe Soulier, architecturally the space is incredible.  Blending Moorish architecture with calm and colourful interiors (maybe a little over heavy on the damask for my liking), we’re talking 12 acres of pristine seclusion. Squishy grass so bouncy you feel like you’re on a film set.

As you can see above, walls of glass open onto the garden, fragrant with orange blossom and jasmine, and you have the Moroccan sunlight flooding into your bedroom windows in the early morning. The most blissful way to wake up no? At 127 sq m you’ll not be short on space here.

Each of these private luxury villas has a living room and master bedroom, an indoor and outdoor dining area, mini bar, coffee machine, gorgeous bathroom with 2 giant glass doors which open onto an outdoor bathroom, bliss when soothing any overexposed bods! Just be aware it takes a long while to fill. But once you’re in you could watch the stars for hours…

As we arrived just after lunchtime we were eager to dive not only the pool but the in-room menu. What a killer menu they offer too. Best club sandwich we’ve ever tasted, and I’ve tried a lot of room service menus in my time! I must mention the outdoor furniture here for a warning though (and this is purely a design criticism), see below the seat cushion and on the arm rest of the day bed below, WARNING > they are metal strips which heat to a such a temperature, both our legs were branded for a few days after we sat here. So be careful! So dangerous!

Thank you to Kilpatrick PR for supplying me with such a wonderful selection of sun skincare for my trip (my packing list post shall be posted next week)…

The Bedroom

The Living Room. We requested for a iPod dock to be brought to our room which was fab. All we needed as the TV channels weren’t as international as you would expect. Fab mini bar and daily fruit to keep us happy during the day time…

Early evening we took a walk around the grounds, exploring the pool, spa and gym…

Our Villa entrance…

The hotel comes into a completely different light in the evening. Each room in our villa bathed in glorious lighting, with separate controls for the gardens and pool area. We decided to stay at the hotel for dinner on both nights, so we took a stroll around the grounds again once the sun went down, and had some time to have a glass of wine by the pool before walking over to the restaurant. Be careful to stick to the pathways though otherwise you might find yourself knee deep in water…

We chose to dine outside of course, the restaurant design is very modern with layers and layers of pattern and colour. Perhaps not so in keeping with the elegant architecture, the outside dining areas were far more subtle and easy on the eye. The restaurant offers 3 experiences, Le Namaskar, a Moroccan French inspired menu inside the restaurant, Le Sawadee offers a Thai menu (which we had on both nights) and La Table d’Antoine, the ‘dip and dine’ poolside lunch menu.

Time for a stroll back to the villa, I wonder what turn down has left us on our pillow…

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Good morning Marrakech. How glorious to wake up in such a secluded space.

Coffee, magazine, bikini, check. Time for a little pool time before breakfast…

Breakfast is a rather glamorous affair here. Be warned, the Namaskar breakfast for 1 could feed a family of 4. Restrain yourself on day one if you know you’re here for more than a night. We had a too many plates, not enough table space situation, and the only way out was to eat. Also check out the main pool below, if you fancied you could just roll into that after breakfast if you needed a little break before heading back to your own pool. Heaven.

Back to No. 1

Loved the Palais flip flops..

The outdoor bath…

The perfect reading spot early evening…

Yes we did use the gym, killer TechnoGym kit too…

The spa. Anything you could want in the most blissful environment…

Sunset on another lazy day, it was time to get ready for dinner…

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Our final morning at Palais Namaskar, today we were checking out for our last night in Marrakech. Next stop,  Amanjena.

Coffee and emails in bed, I was ready for my morning swim…

On reflection, staying here at Palais Namaskar, the hotel really is a wonderful weekend destination. A place to relax and unwind. The Deluxe Rooms are as equally beautiful as the Villas (Namaskar and Pool), and for anyone staying in the Villas I get the feeling they would stay by their own pools so this really is a very intimate hotel. The Palaces (Mountain, Water and Pool) offer three and four bedroom properties, with private pools and terraces. Perfect for families or groups of friends.

The hotel also arranges excursions from hot air balloon rides, desert experiences, guides, golfing, quad biking and even night experiences under the stars. I can’t imagine there is anything they wouldn’t be able to arrange.

I was staying at Palais Namaskar as a guest of the hotel with thanks to the Oetker Collection and Perowne Charles Communications.

Thank you to Lucy Gallagher, Lucy Robinson and Romaric Blanvillain. Thanks also to Damson PR and Kilpatrick PR for my skin care, Ranieri, and Globe-Trotter and Smythson for my beautiful luggage.

Palais Namaskar, Route de Bab Atlas, No.88/69, Province Syba – Marrakech Morocco Tel: + 212 (0)5 24 29 98 00

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