marrakesh

Four Seasons Marrakech Set to Open This Summer

Four Seasons Marrakech Set to Open This Summer
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is set to open its newest property this summer, the Four Seasons Hotel Marrakech. The luxe hotel situated in a 40-acre walled oasis will feature 140 rooms and suites, five restaurants, two pools, an extensive spa, and acres of sunlit gardens. Offering a modern take on traditional Moorish architecture, rose-hued pavilions with hand-carved details are surrounded by a lush landscape of swimming and reflecting pools, gardens, pathways and fountains. Buildings are low-rise so as not to obstruct stunning views of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains and Menara Gardens beyond the Hotel's towering palms.

Two Spa pavilions sit among gardens filled with birds and exotic flora. The main pavilion offers 15 treatment rooms for massages, facials and body treatments, plus a salon and whirlpool. Surrounding the Hotel's posh public spaces, pavilions of guest rooms and suites form a village connected by arcades, walkways and courtyards evoking a contemporary medina filled with riads. Each of the 140 guest rooms and suites, which are among the largest in the city, has its own spacious balcony or terrace with mountain and garden views.

Gallery: Four Seasons Hotel Marrakech

Tags: architecture, Four Seasons, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, hotels, luxury hotels, Marrakech, marrakesh, Morocco, resorts, spa

Opening Night at the Marrakech International Film Festival

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events

Cannes may still hold the key in the French-speaking world for film festivals, but Marrakech is quickly gaining rank. Not a film market like Cannes, the festival offers a greater joy: an opportunities for people around the world to converge upon this gorgeous city simply for the joy of cinema.

The Marrakech International Film Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary Friday night. The Opening Ceremony at the Palais des Congres hosted a slew of international film talent. Women walking the red carpet showcased their gorgeous couture caftans, as well as quite a few Dior evening gown numbers. Inside, guests were welcomed by the Royal Symphonic Orchestra, and a special score composed for the occasion.

John Malkovich, president of the 2010 jury, brought onstage the rest of his international team, including Faouzi Bensaidi, Dominic Cooper, Maggie Cheung, Gael Garcia Bernal, Irene Jacob, Benoit Jaxquot, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Yousra, all who welcomed guests in their respective languages. Keanu Reeves introduced his opening night film, Henry's Crime, in which he plays an apathetic tollbooth worker, who after wrongly taking the fall for a bank robbery, decides to initiate a real burglary at the very bank where he was arrested.

Following the film, over 700 guests joined the Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid for a special dinner to commemorate the event. No expense was spared at the sprawling Moroccan feast. Guests dined on a massive array of traditional dishes including chicken tagine, veal shank with eggplant, cumin fish, honey couscous, barley-filled pumpkin, and a variety of famous Moroccan pastries. The Royal Orchestra was on hand to entertain guests with decadent film scores.

Gallery: Marrakesh International Film Festival Opening Night

Festival Director Melita Toscan Du Plantier

Charlotte Rampling, Barry Levinson, Volker Schondorff

Tags: Festival, Film, John Malkovich, Keanu Reeves, MarionCotillard, Marrakesh

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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