Marrakech, Morocco · Five-Star · ★★★★★
La Mamounia
Churchill called it the loveliest spot in the world. He may have been right.
Churchill called it the loveliest spot in the world. He may have been right.
"Opened 1923 inside the walled gardens of an 18th-century royal palace, La Mamounia is the world's most accumulated Moroccan luxury hotel — Churchill's residence of choice (the Churchill Suite is preserved with the original furniture from his 1948 stay), Yves Saint Laurent's Marrakech anchor, and the most considered single piece of Moroccan hospitality."
La Mamounia opened on 1 January 1923 inside the walled gardens of an 18th-century royal palace gifted by Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah to his son, Mamoun, in the 1700s. The hotel sits on seventeen acres of historic Andalusian-style gardens — the original 18th-century palace gardens, never since redrawn — with the Koutoubia Mosque visible from the eastern terrace and the Atlas Mountains rising on the southern horizon. A century on, the property remains the most accumulated piece of Moroccan luxury hospitality and one of the world's most-loved heritage hotels.
Winston Churchill arrived at La Mamounia in December 1948 and spent six weeks in residence — the room he occupied, the Churchill Suite, is preserved with the original 1948 furniture, the writing desk where he completed three chapters of his Second World War memoirs, and the easel and oil paints he used to capture the Atlas Mountains from the terrace. Yves Saint Laurent, who lived in Marrakech from 1966 onwards, was a permanent presence. Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, the Rolling Stones, the British Royal Family — every important 20th-century guest list to have passed through Morocco has stayed here.
There are 209 rooms, 71 suites, and three stand-alone Riad Suites — each riad a private two- to four-bedroom house inside its own walled garden, with private butler, private pool, and private chef. The room categories begin with the Deluxe (45 sqm) and run through the Suite tiers up to the 280-square-metre Royal Suite, where heads of state stay during state visits to Morocco. The architecture is the precise 1923 Henri Prost masterpiece — preserved Moroccan zellij tilework, hand-carved cedar plasterwork, original Berber rugs in every room — calibrated by interior designer Jacques Garcia in the 2009 restoration to a contemporary five-star standard.
Of the resort's six restaurants, L'Italien (Michelin-starred Italian), L'Asiatique (modern Asian), Le Marocain (the property's heritage Moroccan room set inside a hand-restored 18th-century pavilion), and the all-day La Pavillon de la Piscine define the dining list. The Bar Churchill — preserved as Churchill himself knew it in 1948 — is the city's most-considered cocktail room and serves the original Mamounia Champagne cocktail invented for Churchill's 70th birthday. The 2,500-square-metre Mamounia Spa is the city's most ambitious wellness facility, with a 25-metre indoor pool, a hammam, and the country's most-considered Moroccan-medicine retreat. For a milestone anniversary, a romantic Marrakech honeymoon, or a multi-generational family heritage trip, this is the considered first-call address.
The Churchill Suite (where Churchill stayed for six weeks in 1948), or for a milestone, one of the three Riad Suites — private four-bedroom houses with butler, chef, and private pool. Brief the in-suite team 96 hours ahead — they will arrange a private Le Marocain dinner with a traditional Moroccan musical ensemble in the riad courtyard.
A Deluxe Garden View room, dinner at L'Italien, a 90-minute couples' hammam at the Mamounia Spa, and a closing Bar Churchill cocktail is the considered La Mamounia honeymoon. Pair with three nights at Royal Mansour or Amanjena for the introvert's continuation. The 25-metre indoor pool, opened at 06:00, is the morning swim of choice.
The Mamounia Spa's seven-night Berber Wellness Programme — a Berber-medicine consult, daily yoga, two private hammams, a Watsu treatment, and a closing Atlas-mineral massage — is the most considered single Moroccan wellness package in the country. The 2,500-square-metre spa is, in 2026, still the largest dedicated hotel spa in Marrakech.
Rates checked May 2026. Price varies by date and view.
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