La Mamounia, Marrakech

16 June 2015

Words: Andrew Nagy Image: La Mamounia

During a break in the 1943 Casablanca Conference, British prime minister Winston Churchill and US president Franklin D Roosevelt, would talk of their shared love of the region. “It’s quite the most lovely spot in the whole world,” said the PM; and he was right.

Found in the shade of the Koutoubia mosque, Morocco’s La Mamounia hotel has hosted the world’s most famous figures since opening in1923. But even icons occasionally lose their lustre and in 2009 Parisian designer Jacques Garcia was entrusted to return it to its former stately glory via a US$65 million makeover. Now hundreds of hand-cut tiles and handmade lanterns line its maze-like corridors, courtesy of the finest painters and wood carvers in Marrakech, while world-class chefs captain the five restaurants and bars.

Finally, and in our favourite corner of the hotel, The Churchill Bar – away from the chaos of the city – you can sit and imagine him there, enjoying a cigar and a whiskey. Truly a spot for icons.

mamounia.com