City Guide Marrakech — Hot Spots
01/2013
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Riad El Fenn A first-class style oasis, only a few steps from the central market square Djemaa El Fna: with its ancient walls that are over a metre thick, Riad El Fenn is built like a fortress. In 2002 the Brits Howell James and Vanessa Branson, sister of billionaire businessman and hot-air balloonist Richard Branson, bought the old townhouse and turned it into a modern boutique hotel whilst still retaining its historical substance: one that not only exudes comfort but also boasts some great artwork. One of the things Vanessa Branson is known here for is her work as initiator of the ‘Marrakech Biennial’, an international art festival that was launched in 2005 in the Riad El Fenn. But even during the rest of the year when it’s business as usual at the hotel, you’ll find works by contemporary European and African artists, including William Kentridge and Bridget Riley. The main building has meanwhile been extended by three ancillary buildings so the Riad El Fenn now boasts 21 rooms. One of which, according to the Herald Tribune, is the ‘Sexiest Hotel Room in the World’, a suite covering two floors, from the lower floor of which you can see the glass floor of the pool above. With handcrafted camel-hide flooring, freestanding baths or tubs sunk into the floor, showers under high domed ceilings, 50s-style kidney tables and art deco furniture, no two rooms are the same. Those looking for a pure orient feeling should head to the rose garden terrace and the rooftop pool with views of the Koutoubia Mosque and the Atlas Mountains. Riad El Fenn Derb Moullay Abdullah Ben Hezzian, Bab El Ksour 40000 Marrakech Medina T +212 524 441210 www.riadelfenn.com
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