paloma picasso morocco

Sex and the Next City: Marrakech, Morocco

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