Hivernage Hotel & Spa ★★★★★

The Red City has preserved its integrity of colour through the various shades of terracotta on the outside of the buildings, and the all-pervading red Saharan dust and red Moroccan earth is only the start. Upon arriving in the city you are immediately surrounded by vivid colours, noise, aromas and the constant motion of people, traffic, animals … you need a haven of peace here or you could suffer from sensory overload quite quickly!

When we arrived at the Hivernage Hotel & Spa it felt that we could make sense of this exotic world. Surrounded by intense colours and water everywhere, it nevertheless felt peaceful and full of blessed calm and quiet. We breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. There is water everywhere, cool pools of turquoise water surrounded by soaring purple marble columns, pot plants and groups of tables and chairs, and a pool of azure water with rattan seating all around. We chanced upon a lovely drawing room with a blazing fire, and blazing colour everywhere – a heavy carved mahogany coffee table stands on exquisite hand-woven rugs, surrounded by crimson plush sofas with embroidered red cushions and purple silk curtains. This must be how it feels to live inside a box of satin embroidery threads or an El Greco painting.
We settled into our room, which was large with a little balcony. A rich orange-ochre arch curved over the bedhead and enormous bed. The sofa and chairs were soft and comfortable, upholstered in a silvery taupe colour. A satellite TV and Wi-Fi connection were there to keep us in touch with the real world!

Another kaleidoscope of colour assailed our senses when we found the bar for an early evening drink. It had rounded contemporary furniture in shades of pale blue, mauve and purple, with pale blonde wood floors and large modern artworks, while the lightshades created splashes of crimson. We took our drinks to the roof terrace and a whole new world opened up before our eyes. We lounged on deeply cushioned pure white settees in the evening candle-light, looking out over a sea of lights in the city below and fainter lights tracing the contours of the distant Atlas Mountains beyond. There are space heaters up on the terrace for chilly evenings, and it meant we could have dinner overlooking that fabulous view, and savour the Moroccan specialities of the house; delicious they were too.

We immersed ourselves in the souks – the maze of markets in the area around the Medina - absorbing the noise and colours and ever-present scent of mint tea in the air over the next couple of days, as well as visiting some magical and colourful mosques, museums and Hammams. It was always a pleasure to relax at the end of a busy day in the Hivernage Spa – an African dream in yellow and ochre earthy shades, with arched doorways and intricately carved filigree screens. The Hivernage Hotel & Spa was the most restful and beautiful base for our new colourful world of Marrakech!