Detailed Review
Caravan Serai is a small hotel with 17 rooms and suites on an escarpment overlooking the River Tensift towards the Palmeraie, Atlas mountains, and gold-tipped minaret of the city's Koutoubia mosque. It is unspoilt, peaceful, situated on the edge of a Marrakchi village 10 minutes drive from the city. Sit out on a clear night, and it is as dramatic a nightscape as ever you will find.
At Caravanserai, the owners have created something that feels fresh, original, at once romantic and full of mystique. Rooms surround a series of interconnected courtyards, interspersed with pretty pools of water, including a main overflow pool flanked by high walls and shady alcoves. Windows look inwards. Roof terraces jostle for the view. It is serene, it is also rustic, without compromising comfort, featuring polished, pale ochre 'tadlakt' floors, herringbone ceilings fashioned out of eucalyptus, vaulted domes, high walls, sculptural arches and wrap-around cream cotton banquettes and bolsters. Flowers climb the walls; birds nestle among the palms; from a hidden terrace comes the tinkle of mint tea being poured.
At Caravanserai, space means privacy. The six Deluxe rooms are capacious enough, the eleven suites - especially the two with their own private pools - as generous as you could wish for. Most have their own terrace; others are interconnected for the benefit of families. Bathrooms feature enormous tubs fashioned out of 'tadlakt'. Decoration is meaningfully restrained. There is a traditional hammam with heated pool for a long steam and relaxing massage, a bar and patio-style restaurant serving an eclectic mix of Moroccan and European food. The feel is easy, slow-paced, unerringly comfortable, a place to forget about formalities.
Press Quotes
"Even without the excitement of Marrakesh down the road, this would be well worth a long weekend. Caravan Serai sits on the edge of a Berber village, looking for all the world like it has sprung straight up out of the surrounding sand. It’s on an escarpment commanding views across acres of olive groves, with the white peaks of the Atlas frozen along the horizon. You’ll feel a million miles from anywhere, especially at night, yet you’re only a 15-minute cab ride from town." The Times 06
Client Reviews
The hotel itself is
Ratings
- Comfort:
(2/5) - Character:
(3/5) - Location: (3/5)
Posted by Victoria Bolton on 2006-06-12.
Our trip to Marrakesh went just
Ratings
- Comfort:
(5/5) - Character: (5/5)
- Location: (5/5)
Posted by Martina Kenworthy on 2006-04-13.
