MarrakechHotel

Richard Branson's Kasbah Tamadot: Tacky or Fabulous?

There is such a fine line between tacky and spectacular -- sometimes over-designed is over-the-top and sometimes it just makes you feel, well, over it.

I was musing on this distinction as I toured Kasbah Tamadot, Sir Richard Branson's Moroccan hotel, a few weeks ago.

The setting, it has to be said, is uncontroversially spectacular. It's about an hour from Marrakech in a town called Asni. This is in the Atlas Mountains, and it's not a well-developed area for luxury travelers. (Most of whom stay in plush accommodations in the city and make Atlas Mountain forays -- which in fact is what I was doing, at the decidedly fabulous La Mamounia.) If you want to stay in style in the Atlas Mountains, this is your hotel. But you've really got to like it, because once you're there, you're really there. If you want other high-end dining, spa or shopping options, you're driving the winding road to Marrakech.

Kasbah Tamadot offers suites of the traditional variety, and then there are the Berber Tent suites, which have their own private decks and plunge pools. "Restrained" would still not be the word I'd use for the décor, but the color palette is more towards the khaki and cream, and the tents skip some of the touches in the other rooms that set my tacky-o-meter aquiver -- like pillows upholstered in pinkish-purplish feathers. Yes, a tent's what I'd book if I were to stay here. But do check out the gallery and see what you think.

Gallery: Kasbah Tamadot: Tacky or Fabulous?

But It's Hard to Argue With This View...

Tags: la mamounia, marrakech, MarrakechHotel, Morocco, Richard Branson

Sex and the Next City: Marrakech, Morocco

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Make like Samantha, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte and head to Morocco, suddenly the hottest destination on the map. Although Morocco plays Abu Dhabi, UAE, in the movie "Sex and the City 2," which opened yesterday. But never mind that, Morocco has been absolutely everywhere in the last six months. Popping up in Vogue fashion spreads, on the pages of Bazaar magazine (with a spread on jewelry designer Paloma Picasso's Marrakech home), and on travel pages of many a newspaper (The New York Times this month touted Casablanca's contemporary art scene). So what does all this mean?

It's time to head to Morocco.

And the highly anticipated Royal Mansour Marrakech, owned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, promises to be a hot destination when it opens in July. The King is on a mission to bring 10 million new visitors to his country by the end of this year and it seems that he's off to a good start. This property is made up of 53 different riads. The traditional Moroccan-style homes with center courtyards were each built by craftsmen, filled with traditional tiles and textiles and furnished with antiques to showcase the best of Moroccan design. The resort's eight-acre property is speckled with ancient trees (some dating back 400 years) and is located centrally in the medina, or old town area of Marrakech with views of the Atlas mountains in the distance. Three restaurants on the property will be overseen by three-Michelin-stared chef, Yannick Alléno of Paris' Le Meurice and a 27,000 square foot spa promises to wow. Rates start at $1,850 a night. No doubt Carrie and crew would have stayed there had it been open.

Gallery: A Peek Inside the Royal Mansour Hotel in Marrakech