WHERE TO STAY
Aman addicts will head for Amanjena (800-477-9180; amanjena.com), south of town, but another popular choice is to split your stay between the excitement of the ancient walled medina and the pampering retreats of the tranquil Palmeraie area, in a historic palm grove twenty minutes north of the city.In the medina, the beautiful five-star Villa des Orangers (6 Rue Sidi Mimoun; 011-212-44-38-46-38; villadesorangers.com) has a new Mediterranean restaurant and three additional suites overlooking a garden with a new pool. Fabled La Mamounia (011-212-44-38-86-00; mamounia.com) still scores for luxury. I was happy in my junior suite with a terrace and a view of the garden, pool and mountains, but those who find the hotel past its prime can look forward to 2006, when it will be renovated by Jacques Garcia, known for the design of the Hôtel Costes in Paris.
The Palmeraie's dusty, lunar landscape explodes into greenery behind high walls at sumptuous properties such as Jnane Tamsna (011-212-44-32-94-23; jnanetamsna.com), the latest venture of Meryanne Loum-Martin, Marrakech's leading modern style-setter. She's decorated the seventeen rooms of the alluring "Moorish hacienda" in earth tones, with a mix of Arabian furniture and her own designs. Relax on the bougainvillea-wrapped veranda, swim in one of three pools, or check out the new art gallery on the premises, then dine on Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes made with organic produce from the garden.
The most talked-about oasis in the Palmeraie is Ksar Char-Bagh (011-212-44-32-92-44; ksarcharbagh.com), a two- year-old palace that was inspired by the Alhambra and built by French owners Patrick Georges Levillair and Nicole Grandsire Levillair. Set amid emerald lawns, the castle has twelve spacious suites, each with a private garden or terrace, and one apartment, which has its own pool. Chef Damien Durand, who trained with Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon, makes sure the cuisine lives up to the impressive surroundings.
WHERE TO EAT
Dining in Marrakech is dominated by decorative dazzle. At Dar Yacout (79 Rue Sidi Ahmed Soussi; 011-212-44-38-29-29), the fabulous interiors, rather than the overabundant portions, make it the destination restaurant, but there are several other buzz-generating spots. At Le Foundouk (55 Souk el Fassi; 011-212-44-37-81-90), Moroccan cuisine is served in a building whose bar, candlelit dining spaces and roof terrace are embellished with French-contemporary-meets-Moroccan-fantasy decor. Wonderful interiors are not always matched by great dining, but they are at Le Tobsil (22 Derb Abdellah Ben Hessaien; 011-212-44-44-40-52), where the tagines and couscous define the best of French-accented Moroccan gastronomy, and at Dar Moha (81 Rue Dar El Bacha; 011-212-44-38-64-00), where I had an exquisite lunch in the garden.American arts patron Patti Birch has a house in the medina and is the catalyst behind fall's big cultural event, the inauguration of the new Morocco Palace of Arts (B.P. 1210 Riad Laârouss), which will showcase her collection of antiques and art, including Etruscan figures and ancient bronzes. They will fill the magnificently restored Dar El-Bacha, the former mansion of Thami al-Glaoui, the Berber chieftain who ruled Marrakech for the first half of the 20th century.
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