Magical Morocco: La Sultana Hotel

Evening drew close on arrival, the room was well equipped for a refreshing turnaround and change, with a large balcony area, which had the perfect view of the sun setting over the Atlantic. Also on this balcony, which features in every room, is a sea-water Jacuzzi. The staff can draw this for you on request and is great at the end of a day spent by the (much colder) pool. The beds are large and comfortable and the fireplace that can be lit by the staff while you are having supper, is a very simple luxury that makes all the difference to your experience at the hotel.

Oualidia is all about fish, shellfish to be precise. Oysters and lobsters are very cheap but far better than your higher end metropolitan seafood eatery in New York, London or Paris. On top of that there is a surprisingly good turn in puddings. From Crème Brulee to Baked Alaska, all ingredients seem fresh and well handled by the chef and his team in the (military-level clean) kitchen. If you have a romantic streak, one night I recommend having supper out in the picnic area overlooking the lagoon and the stars. Breakfasts are great; the best thing to do is have it brought to your room and they have a rather sweet news summary printed out for you from your country of origin. Lunch is a variegated affair, the club sandwich by the pool will suit you perfectly if moving is a bit too much of a stretch.

If you wish to see more of the town, the hotel can organise a boat ride through the lagoon. In fact the hotel staff are great at trying to make things happen for you if it will improve your stay. The time spent there (4 nights in total) were full of concerted efforts to make every guest there remember them, which we certainly will.

Then to Marrakech for two nights at what would be a much higher intensity. The drive back was more or less the same to Oualidia, but it was only when the scooters, the donkeys, the fearless pedestrians and the honking (oh the honking), really kicked off when approaching Marrakech on the N7 that the juxtaposition was made clear...

"Oysters and lobsters are very cheap but far better than your higher end metropolitan seafood eatery in New York, London or Paris"

La Sultana in Marrakech is on the rue de la Kasbah on the south side of the Medina. The drop off point is on the busy street, but there is no need to jostle, tumble and collide your way through the street, some very brightly coloured porters, come to collect you and whisk you up the first side street, where, all gilded and imposing, is the façade of La Sultana in Marrakech. The hotel is one vast building made up of several riads, all different styles. The walls are beautiful reconstructions of the sort of intricate stone and paintwork that Morocco is famous for. The main selling point is the roof terrace where breakfast and lunch is taken. There is a pool and a bar up their too, the sounds of the market beneath and of course the call to prayer breaks up any monotony of sunbathing and should you be truly out of ideas, there is a great cooking class and spa.

Ultimately, Marrakech is all about getting out and about, so I think the hotel purposefully keeps itself as a welcome bolt-hole after a long day out in the sun and the exhaust fumes. The city is high-energy and to have created a hotel right in the middle of the hubbub that oozes tranquility and rest is nothing short of remarkable.

La Sultana has sprung to life in response to a new type of luxury that people want. They are looking above all for comfort over pretension, substance over name. La Sultana gives you room to breathe and doesn’t stifle you with regulation and codes. It makes for the perfect North African getaway, both for exploration and relaxation, and there aren’t many hotels that can claim that.