I previously visited Morocco back in 2018, a two-centre holiday between Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains - Royal Mansour in Marrakech then Kasbah Tamadot in the Atlas Mountains. Both myself and ‘Mrs’ The Private Traveller really enjoyed both, so very different properties in such different locations and giving different experiences, but it’s always been a location we both wanted to return to. Having seen an article in the Sunday Times on Marrakech this weekend, it prompted me to get planning, and within a day or so this new itinerary has been planned and booked for April.

As much as I like revisiting favourite places and hotels, and flying on favourite airlines, I also like taking the opportunity to add new countries, hotels and airlines. 

The hotels featuring in the post are:

• Sofitel London Heathrow (Terminal 5)

• L’Hotel Marrakech

• Palais Amani, Fes

• The Oberoi Marrakech

Read on to find my full detailed travel itinerary for this trip, with helpful info on:

• The best way to fly to Morocco from the UK.

• How we travelled to Fes from Marrakech.

• My top hotel recommendations for Marrakech and Fes.

• Things to do in both Marrakech and Fes, and where to eat.

Flying to Marrakech (RAK) Morocco with British Airways

We like to fly British Airways, and for European destinations the easiest way to connect through London’s Heathrow airport. To get to Marrakech (RAK airport) there was a daily flight from Heathrow, and a couple of options from London’s Gatwick. With there not currently being any domestic connections to Gatwick from Edinburgh with British Airways, although the flights were more expensive we opted for the onward Heathrow flights. We could have connected on the same day on the outbound flight, but opted instead for an overnight at the Sofitel London Heathrow hotel (a regular favourite of ours) but on the return, the later afternoon/early evening meant we would arrive into Heathrow once the last domestic had departed. We therefore opted for another night at the Sofitel.

The best places to stay at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5

While connections can be fairly quick at Heathrow, when flying in and out of with British Airways, we also like to have a stay over at this hotel if we would have to have a very early start instead. The flight to Marrakesh departs at 11:25am, so technically possible to have got one of the earliest domestic connections from, but I always think a stopover at the Sofitel makes for a good start to a trip, and it’s so easy to get to direct from the airport’s Terminal 5, connected by a short tunnel. With luggage being checked through, it’s easy to just arrive with any necessary hand luggage, and by being able to use the First Wing to get back through security (though it was closed on my last visit, I think for necessary upgrade work to the security scanners). This then gets us straight into the BA First Class lounge before going onto the gate. Although still closed, the estimate seems to be that this will reopen in perhaps April/May (2024), being due to close for 3-4 months from January 2024.

Fast Facts for Sofitel London Heathrow Terminal 5

Address - Terminal 5, London Heathrow Airport, TW6 2GD LONDON, United Kingdom
Website - https://all.accor.com/hotel/6214/index.en.shtml
Group website - https://thearoragroup.com/business/hotels
TripAdvisor ranking - #5 of 42 hotels in Hounslow
Contact - H6214-re@sofitel.com
Instagram - @sofitellondont5 @sofitel @arora_group
Nearest airport - London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) - connected by a walkway tunnel, other terminals connected by bus/tube/Heathrow Express train
Opened - 2009
Number of rooms / suites - 605 guestrooms and suites, including Club Millesime Lounge
Number of floors - TBC
Bars - 2 (La Bar Parisien currently closed & Sphere Bar and Lounge)
Restaurants - 3 (La Belle Epoque, Vivre Le Experience des Saveurs, & Tea 5)
Wellbeing - Spa and fitness centre
Visiting - March 2024 (twice same trip)

Best places to stay in Marrakech

It’s such a fascinating place, with different options of where to stay. Our last visit to Royal Mansour, located just a few steps away from Jemaa El Fna Square, made it very central. This time we’re staying in the Medina itself first (L’Hotel Marrakech), then on our return we’re staying on the outskirts at The Oberoi Marrakech.

Fast Facts for L’Hotel Marrakech by Jasper Conran

Address - 41 Derb Sidi Lahcen ou Ali, Bab Doukkala, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco
Website - https://www.l-hotelmarrakech.com/
TripAdvisor ranking - #215 of 707 hotels in Marrakech
Contact - contact@l-hotelmarrakech.com
Instagram - @lhotelmarrakech
Nearest airport - Marrakech’s Menara International Airport (RAK) - 8 km or 5 miles (about a 20 min drive, traffic dependent)
Opened - 2016
Number of suites - 6 only (Zagora, Tangier, Asilah, Agadir, Fez, & Casablanca)
Number of floors - 2
Bars - None
Restaurants - 2 (The Dining Room & Roof Terrace)
Wellbeing - Eight metre heated swimming pool, traditional riad garden, sun terrace, hammam
Visiting - April 2024

Wanting to stay somewhere really central, L’Hotel Marrakech by Jasper Conran came quickly onto my radar and this is in the heart of the Medina. With only six suites, all unique, it wasn’t too hard a choice to select their Fez Suite for us, with that being our next stop. I did research whether the appropriate spelling for the city is Fes or Fez, the consensus seems to be that it should have an ‘s’, albeit the hotel suite here is definitely spelt with a ‘z’. There also seems to be no right or wrong answer with either ‘Marrakech’ or ‘Marrakesh’.

Fast Facts for The Oberoi Marrakech

Address - The Oberoi, Marrakech, Route de Ouarzazate, 40 000 Marrakech, Morocco
Website - https://www.oberoihotels.com/hotels-in-morocco-marrakech
Group website - https://www.oberoihotels.com/
TripAdvisor ranking - #1 of 10 resorts in Marrakech
Contact - reservations.marrakech@oberoihotels.com
Instagram - @theoberoi marrakech
Nearest airport - Marrakech’s Menara International Airport (RAK) - 18 km or 11 miles (about a 30 min drive, traffic dependent)
Opened - 2019
Number of rooms / suites - 84, including 72 villas with private pools, and just one each of the Royal Suite and Royal Villa.
Number of floors - TBC
Bars - 1 (Vue)
Restaurants - 3 (Rivayat, Tamimt, & Azur)
Wellbeing - The Oberoi Spa, sunrise yoga, PT/cardio/circuit/cross training, tennis, indoor and outdoor pools
Visiting - April 2024

Only a short distance south-east from the Medina on the road to Ouarzazate, this former citrus grove will be a world apart from the bustling hub, with views of the Atlas Mountains in over 28 acres..

Why Book with Classic Travel and The Private Traveller

By booking through my affiliation with Classic Travel, I was able to secure a number of additional VIP benefits with their Virtuoso program.

These included:

•  $100 Resort Credit 

• Daily Continental breakfast two guest per room per stay, served in Hotel restaurant

• Room upgrade based on availability at check-in.

• Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability

• Complimentary wi-fi

• Complimentary 50-minute massage for up to two guests, once during stay

Things to do in Marrakech

On our last visit we did some of the key sites, like the Medina, the YSL Museum, Jardin Majorelle etc. and it’s likely we will do the same again, along with some new things too. Of particular interest this time are the Menara Gardens.

Here are just some of the things I’m planning for our trip:

Jemâa El Fna

Jemâa El Fna is a bustling market place in the Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the historical quarter of Marrakech. Jemâa El Fna is well known for traditional storytellers, musicians and performers. During the day, snake charmers brush shoulders with juice vendors. In the evening, the square is alive with magicians and dancers, and fragrant aromas from street food stalls permeate the air.

La Koutoubia

La Koutoubia: a 77 metre-high minaret  is the largest mosque in Marrakech and is surrounded by beautiful gardens at the entrance to Jemâa El Fna. It is close to the Marrakech Museum, Bahia Palace and gardens, the Saadian Tombs, El Badi Palace and Dar Si Said, a monument to traditional artisans and home of the Museum of Moroccan Arts.

Medersa Ben Youssef

Medersa Ben Youssef is a Koranic school built in the 14th century. Located in the centre of the Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, its courtyard is decorated with traditional geometric patterns and Arabic inscriptions carved in wood and marble.

Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech

Yves Saint Laurent moved to Marrakech in the late 1960s and spent a number of years here with his partner, Pierre Bergé. This new museum showcases a large selection of original Yves Saint Laurent designs, including around 5,000 items of clothing, 15,000 haute couture accessories and tens of thousands of sketches, many of which are donated by the Pierre Bergé Foundation.

The Atlas Mountains

We’re not going to the Atlas mountains this trip, the last time we visited Marrakech we also went to stay at Kasbah Tamadot, a stunning hotel in the heart of the mountain region.

Menara Gardens

Menara Gardens boast an ancient olive grove which is still cultivated and irrigated with water from a pool that has been directly fed, for the last 700 years, through a thirty kilometre pipeline that runs from the mountains.

Jardin Majorelle

Majorelle Gardens were designed by a French artist in the 1920s and bought by Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s. His ashes were scattered here after he died in 2008. The gardens are home to a collection of cacti, beautiful fountains and many native birds, as well as the Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech. The garden is also famed for its cobalt blue buildings, a shade that has become known as Majorelle Blue.

Where to eat in Marrakech

We had some amazing meals last visit, not least with Royal Mansour itself, but a couple of places we didn’t get to visit were as follows, which we plan to book this time:

Al Fassia (Aguedil and Gueliz)

Andi Oliver featured this restaurant in her BBC TV series Remarkable Places to Eat (Series 2), when she visited with Fred Sirieix. A really traditional establishment, founded by the Chab family over 30 years ago, which employs only women. They have two locations now, in Gueliz and Aguedal.

El Fenn

The last time we had stayed in Marrakech, at Royal Mansour, we had also considered visiting El Fenn. That time, Royal Mansour won out and on this trip I’d also looked to stay at El Fenn, but there was a minimum 4-night stay. I have booked dinner for us this time though, on the rooftop so we can experience the hotel in another way.

Staying in Fes: Palais Amani

Fast Facts for the Palais Amani in Fes

Address - 12 Derb El Miter, Oued Zhoune,30000 Fès
Website - https://www.palaisamani.com/
TripAdvisor ranking - #15 of 177 hotels in Fes (top five star hotel)
Contact - contact@palaisamani.com
Instagram - @palaisamani
Nearest airport - Fes Sais Airport (FEZ) - 21 km or 13 miles (about a 35 min drive, traffic dependent). We are arriving and leaving by train, about a 15 min drive away
Opened - 2010
Number of rooms / suites - 21 rooms (Classic & Luxury) and suites (Junior, Senior & our Grand Suite)
Number of floors - TBC
Bars - 1
Restaurants - 1 (Eden at Palais Amani)
Wellbeing - Les Bains Amani - Traditional Hamman & Massage, Yoga, & Hiking
Visiting - April 2024

This time, we wanted to visit other places within Morocco, and on the list (as well as Fes) was either Casablanca, Essaouira, or Tangier. With amazing hotels probably more likely in Casablanca or Tangier, we were conflicted as to whether we should have a third stop in addition to Marrakesh and Fes, but ultimately we decided to opt for just Marrakesh and Fes, albeit having two different locations in Marrakesh, with our flights being to and from there.

Full Travel Itinerary: Morocco (Marrakech & Fes)

• Day 1   Fly to London Heathrow (LHR) British Airways

• Early evening flight with an overnight stop at the Sofitel London Heathrow

• Day 2  Mid morning flight to Marrakech (RAK) with British Airways

• VIP arrival service organised by the hotel

• Hotel transfer

• 3 nights L’Hotel Marrakech by Jasper Conran

• Day 3-4  Marrakech, Morocco

• Having been before, we’ve done some of the main things in Marrakech but there are new things we want to do too, like:

• Menara Gardens

• La Koutoubia

• Medersa Ben Youssef

• More time in and around the Medina

• Day 5  Direct train to Fes

• There are multiple direct trains throughout each day, the journey takes about 6.5 hours

• 3 nights Palais Amani, Fes

• Day 6-7  Fes

• Completely new for us, I need to do more research on some of the key things to do here

• Day 8 Direct train back to Marrakech

• Like the journey to Fes, trains run every couple of hours throughout the day

• 4 nights at The Oberoi Marrakech

• Day 9-11  The Oberoi Marrakech

• We wanted to have some relaxation and downtime at the end of our trip, or to pick up on any activities or sightseeing we weren’t able to do at the start of the trip

• With the Oberoi Spa, I definitely plan to take quite a few treatments

• Day 12  Fly back from Marrakech (RAK) to London (LHR) with British Airways

• Late night arrival, too late for any onward domestic connections

• Overnight again Sofitel London Heathrow

• Day 13   Return domestic flight with British Airways from London’s Heathrow (LHR) to Edinburgh (EDI)

• Mid-morning flight back to Edinburgh

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