When in Morocco, you'd be amiss to not stay in a riad. These traditional stays offer rooms around a central courtyard, and are one of the best ways to experience Moroccan hospitality. La Sultana blends the luxury of a five star hotel with the intimacy of a riad, with 5 interlinking riads each with their own distinct personality. Set in the Royal Quarter, it's an ideal base for many of the city's sights. But it's also an oasis away from the bustle of the streets, with an aura of calm and tranquility that is much needed after a day of haggling the souks.
I spent a night at La Sultana at the end of my most recent Marrakech trip, a real treat to finish off our Marrakech adventures in style. It's a truly immersive experience, exemplifying the rich culture of the country and regal traditions of the Kasbah.
I've put together this La Sultana Marrakech review to share my experience, and hopefully inspire your own travels in the Red City.
La Sultana Location
La Sultana is based in the Kasbah, a walled complex in the south of the Medina that was previously the royal palace complex. As such, it's close to a number of major sights, including the Saadian Tombs (which can be seen from the sprawling roof terrace), and Bahia and El Baadi Palaces. It feels like a fairly safe part of the city, and a great base for exploring, just a ten minute walk from the main square Jemaa el-Fnaa and the heart of the souks. There's also a number of good restaurants in the area - although you'll be tempted to eat your meals at the two atmospheric hotel restaurants.
La Sultana Interiors and Character
Over the years I’ve had my fair share of hotel experiences, from no frills, 8 to a room dorms, to luxury suites in five stars. What defines the latter, I’ve come to discover, is those little details. The tote bag available for your use during your stay, the chocolate on your pillow at turndown. And, perhaps the most keen difference, the smell. A good hotel, simply put, smells good, and La Sultana exemplifies this. As soon as you enter you’re greeted by all sorts of lovely aromas, that subtly shift and evolve as you wander through the five Riads. The suites themselves smell equally delicious - hints of oud and musk, wafts of rose and orange blossom that capture the essence of the city itself.
It’s not just good smells that recommend La Sultana (though they certainly help). For design lovers, particularly those with maximalist aesthetic sensibilities, it's a paradise. La Sultana hosts 28 rooms spread throughout the riads. Each one has it's own distinct style. There's the moody, broody terracotta walls and African artwork of Riad Scheherazade, a distinct contrast to the airy white marble and cacti that surround a turquoise splash pool in Riad Bahia. It could feel incongruous, but the focus on traditional, local craftsmanship and Moroccan artistry ensure that the overall result is harmonious.
La Sultana Rooms and Suites
The rooms and suites themselves are the epitome of luxury. We stayed in a spacious suite off Riad Bahia, with a reception room, leading on to the bedroom and bathroom. The suite is equipped with all the necessities, and plenty more besides. Mini-bar, tote bags, panama hats, slippers, the lot. A form by the bed lists all sorts of items you might want to request, if these aren't enough.
The bed itself is arguably the most important factor in a hotel stay. Ours at La Sultana was a sprawling four poster, so high we had a step next to it to ascend. It truly felt like experiencing a night as royalty. Oh, and it was the best night's sleep I had in Marrakech!
Usually the bathroom is purely functional, however at La Sultana it is extravagant, opulent. Ours came equipped with two gold sinks, and a spacious tub surrounded by ornate pillars and arches. Pull the corded rope, and it turns into a (rather aggressive) jacuzzi.
La Sultana Services and Amenities
Though the quiet corridors and maze of courtyards gives La Sultana a boutique feel, it has all the amenities of a fully-fledged luxury hotel experience. There are multiple pools scattered throughout the property. The biggest sits surrounded by brick arches in a sun-soaked courtyard. There's also a splash pool in Riad Bahia, a spa pool, and a further pool on the rooftop. You could easily spend a day pool-hopping, and not get bored!
Speaking of the spa, the tranquil space offers a classic Moroccan Hammam, jacuzzi, sauna, beauty centre, hairdresser, and massages. I sadly didn't get the opportunity to experience it myself, but I did have a sneaky peek in, and can confirm that it is very swish.
If you're not a relax at the spa sort of person, there's also daily alfresco cooking classes on the roof terrace, or La Sultana can arrange a number of Marrakech experiences including tours of the Medina, and a hot air balloon ride.
Service at La Sultana is unsurprisingly flawless. Warm Moroccan hospitality paired with slick, seamless and unobtrusive staff make it a delightful experience. I’m the kind of guest who doesn’t “want to put anyone out” (very British of me, I know), but at La Sultana the staff genuinely do seem happy to help, and no ask ever feels like too much.
On checking in we were given a mobile phone to WhatsApp our butler. This seemed fairly unnecessary to me at first, however its usefulness soon realised itself when we discovered we had to have printed boarding passes for our flight the next day. A quick message to our butler, and they were printed and waiting for us at check out. Also, ideal for those millennials amongst us (guilty as charged) with a phone call phobia.
La Sultana Restaurants and Dining
I’m not normally one to dine in hotel restaurants, preferring instead to head further afield and explore. However, you’d be remiss not to book at least one meal at La Sultana. The hotel has three restaurant options. Le Table du Souk sits stop the sprawling rooftop, serving lunch from 12:30-4pm. Past this, the rooftop transforms into Odette, a bar and restaurant serving up mezze small plates as the sun sets. Then there is Le Table de La Sultana from 7:30pm, taking over the pool area with romantic candlelit dining.
We chose to dine at rooftop restaurant Le Table du Souk for lunch. Tucked into a quiet corner of the expansive roof terrace, it's a chic, modern Moroccan inspired space. Green zellige tiles cover the floor and tables, pairing nicely with rows of green cushions and foliage. As someone who's favourite colour (bordering on obsession, which you'll know if you've seen the many green rooms of my home) is green, I highly approve. The restaurant looks directly out over the Saadian Tombs down below - an ideal way to get your sightseeing in, without leaving the hotel!
The menu focuses on Morrocan flavours and local producers, with dishes inspired by the Market and Moroccan street food. This was probably one of my favourite meals in Marrakech, with simple yet rich flavour combinations, that let the freshness of the ingredients shine.
Unfortunately we had an early flight, so were forced to skip the breakfast buffet. However we were able to order breakfast to our room before we left, from a concise menu of pastries, eggs, and juices. We filled up on scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and fresh pastries to fuel up before our travels. It definitely had me regretting not being able to indulge in the full breakfast experience - next time!
La Sultana Marrakech Review
What La Sultana manages to achieve so well is artfully balancing the sleek service and wealth of amenities one would expect of a luxury hotel, with the warm hospitality and cosy charm of a traditional Riad. Here you get a uniquely local, boutique experience, but with the added comfort of a five star hotel.
No hotel stay is perfect, and I’m usually careful to include both the positives and negatives of my experience. However in this instance, I’m coming up short on the latter. Admittedly we were only guests for one night, arguably too short a time to find the flaws. But I genuinely struggle to believe that any length of stay would expose any.
Ultimately, La Sultana offers a truly charming stay, in some of the most beautiful surrounds I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. It captures the essence of the country through traditional design details and local produce, whilst offering a welcome respite from the intensity of the streets.
I hope this La Sultana Marrakech review has been helpful. Please do let me know if you have any questions in the comments, or any other destinations you'd like to see hotel reviews from!
