Where to Go for Winter Sun in Morocco

The scent of orange blossom mingles with spice-laden souks, cinnamon and saffron rise from a tagine, while a gentle sea breeze drifts over soft sands and sawtooth mountains, all given a golden hue by Morocco’s legendary winter sun. As the mercury descends, it’s only natural for our eyes to wander across the map to warmer climes, and Morocco, with its stunning beaches and wonderful cities, is one of the best options for a luxury winter sun escape. It’s very convenient too, with a short three to four hour journey time from London, and the time difference in the winter is a mere one hour. The weather is beautiful, of course, with sunny days often hovering in the early 20s, and when it does occasionally rain, it’s usually short bursts confined to coastal areas, which, if anything, provide a perfect opportunity to slip into a timeworn cafe for a mint tea with bundles of green, fragrant mint leaves spilling over the top of the glass.

To ensure we create the best winter sun experiences in ever evocative Morocco, we’ve partnered with the singular Royal Mansour Collection, whose Marrakech outpost opened in 2010, to create something more than a simple luxury hotel. Indeed, the original property is more akin to a physical manifestation of all things Marrakech, with sumptuous fabrics delicately ornamenting interior spaces that give way to immaculate gardens, delightful hideaways, and some of the region’s best restaurants, while the Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay injects a more rustic Mediterranean feel with luxury villas on the beach. The Royal Mansour Collection of hotels is at its heart, exclusive retreats that are reverent to culture, art, and Moroccan tradition, while aiming higher than luxury with service that is not just attentive, but exceedingly intuitive and discreet.

Whether you’re looking for a classic long weekend in Marrakech, wandering the medina’s winding souks and secret gardens, a luxury winter beach retreat along the Mediterranean-licked shores of Tamuda Bay, a blend of coastal and cultural exploration in Casablanca, or an itinerary that combines all three, these are our top picks for a luxurious winter sun escape to Morocco, via the inimitable Royal Mansour Collection.

Stay

Royal Mansour Marrakech

Set in refined Hivernage, Royal Mansour Marrakech is a masterpiece of luxury hotel design, resembling a private Medina with various gardens, romantic courtyards, nooks and hideaways linked by a lantern-lit lattice of paths. But what makes Royal Mansour Marrakech so very special is its abandonment of traditional rooms and suites, opting instead for a delectable collection of multi-storey riads, each with a private pool, and a scenic courtyard, all finished with jewel-coloured silks, potted palms and four-poster beds. Next is the service, which is so discreet as to seem invisible. And it is (almost), as the hotel benefits from a series of underground tunnels, created for staff to navigate between guests quickly and efficiently, and there are hidden doors on every floor of the riads, ensuring rare levels of privacy and confidentiality.

The food at Royal Mansour Marrakech is exceptional, with four restaurants led by world-renowned chefs, a favourite of which is La Grande Table Marocaine, which serves traditional Moroccan cuisine with an elevated haute-cuisine twist, most often soundtracked by the romantic plucks of an Oud, played live by a local musician. One of Morocco’s most exquisite spas is on site, and it’s vast and presented in immaculate heavenly white, providing things like scrubs and exfoliations alongside traditional massages. The spa’s pool is beautiful too, contained within an all-glass orangery, and there are yoga and pilates classes for those hoping to keep up with a health regime.

Stay

Royal Mansour Casablanca

Located in the heart of a district filled with Art Deco architecture, and itself set within a stunning 1950s building on a palm-lined street, Royal Mansour Casablanca offers a chic collection of spacious rooms, suites and apartments, with dining options spanning Moroccan, French and Japanese, as well as a two-storey spa, and sweeping views over the Casablanca skyline. Interiors are cavernous, with towering public areas shimmering from all the marble gathered from places like Brazil and Namibia. While this hotel has a personality distinct from Royal Mansour Marrakech, the similarities are crystal clear in the service, where attentive butlers and hands-on doormen are on hand to help with all of your needs.

The rooms at Royal Mansour Casablanca are some of the largest in the city, finished in gemstone hues, golds and with an overall aesthetic glitz that befits the Art Deco surrounds. The suites are delectable, set high on the 19th and 21st floors, with views of the Casablanca skyline and the sea curving around the leaping minaret of Hassan II Mosque.

But the interiors are perhaps even more sublime, with curvaceous polished wood staircases and wood-panelled walls, glistening chandeliers and private in-room hammams. The spa at Royal Mansour Casablanca features an 11m indoor pool, hammams for men and women, a sauna, steam room, and beauty salons.

Stay

Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay

The Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay elevates its swoonworthy coastal setting with a divine collection of chic private villas and suites set in 10 hectares of attractive gardens dotted with palms and olive trees. The lobby is striking, with 95000 seashells covering the walls picked from the adjoining beach, and this natural inspiration continues throughout with materials like stone, wood and leather. The hotel embraces its Mediterranean setting with dining options encompassing Spain, Italy, and France across three beautiful restaurants — including the Coccinella Italian restaurant headed up by three-Michelin-starred Chef Massimiliano Alajmo. And there’s a lounge bar serving creative cocktails, and Merienda, an afternoon tea ritual borrowed from Spain. The Medi-Spa at Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay has open-air exercise spaces, a large pool and candlelit treatment spaces, with water treatments like thalassotherapy and watsu. But the real draw is the spa’s private health regimens, which include fine-tuning your personal programme based on a blood test on arrival and a long-term longevity plan, focused on preventive wellness techniques.

Each of the Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay rooms is a distinct echo of the hotel’s idyllic Mediterranean surroundings, with light earthy colours highlighted by pops of vibrant art and lush flora animated by soft sea breezes. The villas are elegant and refined, boasting sweeping vistas of the Mediterranean’s azure. Several have private pools set into the gardens with direct beach access, and each comes with a private butler to see to your every need. Activities at Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay include a watersports centre with two Riva yachts, and you can explore Tamuda Bay’s abundant marine life via a snorkelling or scuba-diving session. The service is, of course, exemplary, and just like in Royal Mansour Marrakech, the hotel uses a series of underground tunnels to better and more discreetly serve its guests.