Le Farnatchi — Hotel in Marrakesh Prefecture

I slept in Angeline Jolie’s bed! Regrettably for me and fortunately for her she was not there. It was not hard t see why she and other well known luminaries including Russell Crowe and the latest James Bond have been attracted to this amazing place. A nameless exterior with a studded door is the understatement . We were fortunate to have been booked by Nick Garsten who runs the Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp together with the very personable Bobo. We spent two nights there before going to the desert and another night on our return to wash away the desert sand with a wonderful shower and a few gins and tonic. The desert does make for a thirst. Riad Farnatchi was created by an Englishman who had the patience, good taste and design skills as well as vision to combine five houses and renovate them. From the moment you step inside the entrance doors you are in an entirely different world. The rugs on the floor , the couches, the majorelle chairs ( A striking blue) the internal courtyards, the pool with the running water, the greenery ,the ‘objets d’art” in various nooks and crannies, the private rooftop all combine to create a wonderful ambience. An oasis of calm within the hustle and bustle of the Medina and its Souks. Did I mention the gin and tonics? Well I have to confess my wife has a weakness which generally extends to the third and fourth one. We then went upstairs to our suite. I was at that stage unaware that Angeline ( I think I can be that familiar after sharing the same bed ) had stayed in the very same suite. It comprised a bedroom a living room or salon with writing desk, comfortable chairs coffee table fireplace, a small library of books, a television discreetly placed in an old cabinet, luxurious rugs spread on the floor with various objets on the walls and elsewhere. Carved wooden doors opened onto a balcony overlooking the courtyard and pool. There were several comfortable lounges and a table and chairs for dining or to hold up the gins and tonic. The bath room was elegant and well appointed with far too many choices of potions for me to use in the shower although probably they had been essential for Angeline. It had one of those walk in baths some of those people who do total immersions use to baptize their flock. I am sure this had been put to much a much better and more enjoyable use on more than one occasion. Each suite is different. There is a rooftop garden or terrace which can be used for dining, sunbaking, reading or whatever takes your fancy. It is so private even the hotel information sheet suggests bathing tops may be optional. Perhaps that is what attracted her? There is a well equipped barbeque area where you can cook yourself or have the staff cater for you. Luckily my wife did not make it up the stairs or there would have been a really strong drain on their gin supplies. Excellent food, friendly attentive and helpful well trained staff complete the experience. We met James who is the son of the original owner and creator and has the responsibility of maintaining this fabulous place. Incidentally the information about the Riad written by James’ father is a must read of self effacing understatement. We loved it. He owns up to having an interest in the restaurant two steps across the alleyway. We ate there on the roof . A very enjoyable meal and to be recommended as a sensible dining choice for an evening meal. We could and did get lost in the maze of the Medina during the daytime let alone after a few gin and tonics with a bottle or two of a very drinkable Moroccan rose to wash it down.

We had a drink, actually another gin and tonic but I don’t want you to get the wrong impression about my wife , at Hotel Mamounia. Beautifully restored, wonderful gardens but in the end another good example of a five star hotel with style. Take my advice . If you are going to Marrakech don’t even think about not staying at Riad Farnatchi! If you do not plan to go to Marrakech change your plans and go even if just to stay here. We highly recommend it. Peter Nevile...

Short take: Their cancellation policies are misleading. We disputed the charge and our bank agreed that their cancellation policy was misleading but we just ended up being losers anyway. Please be careful when you book on their website if you feel that you feel that you might need cancellation security. THIS IS NOT A REVIEW OF THE RIAD, THE STAFF, OR SERVICES OFFERED.

Long take: We were very excited to visit Le Farnatchi for our honeymoon but ended up getting sick right after our wedding and were not able to travel. We had booked our room on the "flexible cancellation policy". When we decided to cancel, we found out that there are two policies "Fully Flexible" and "Semi-Flexible." The reservation page makes no distinction or present that there are two options. The fully flexible policy hasn’t been offered in months but it’s there to throw people off.

This policy has been rephrased slightly since we originally booked but they intentionally haven't taken this information out months after it is completely invalid.

Honestly, had they worked and even offered us credit and helped us reschedule, we would have done it because the Riad and the services looked absolutely incredible. After trying to work with them, we decided to open a dispute with our bank.

We opened a dispute with our bank. It was extremely easy to point out the inconsistencies within their dispute response and how poorly the policies were enforced. Their own screenshots and documentation was obvious proof of the misleading policy. We still had to draw up a long response to our bank pointing these out. Our bank agreed with us and requested them to transfer the funds back but they refused to offer a refund. This took months and hours of time and effort. It feels worse because this Riad is very expensive and we wanted to do something nice for our honeymoon.

When we asked our bank on next options, they said that we could take legal action but that's a whole other mess. We were also recommended to talk to the Better Business Bureau but that is mostly applicable for the United States and felt like the best thing to do was to leave a review warning others and hopefully the cancellation policy as stated can be rectified and not ruin other...

In a word? Sensational. I was fortunate to visit this stunning Riad in September, just as the world was beginning to see the back of the pandemic. During my time in Morocco, a curfew had been introduced (as a covid circuit-breaker) which might have put a dampener on my time in Marrakech if I had been staying somewhere other than Le Farnatchi. However, as the curfew made it illegal to be out of your accommodation past 9pm, it meant I spent more time in the hotel which I was only too thrilled to do!

Our party were the first guests to visit since re-opening and it was a total luxury to have the place (and the wonderful staff) to ourselves. The rooms are beautifully designed and fitted, with high ceilings and luxurious bathrooms. No room is the same... some have a marble bath built into the floor, some have a private courtyard and some have balcony's and I'm sure there are many more features I wasn't able to see as we only had rented three of the rooms. The food was a sensation and the recommendations provided to us were of the same calibre. The communal areas are equally beautiful and are picture worth from every angle. The relatively shaded central pool especially is a welcome feature having spent an hour sunbathing on the roof in 40+ degree sun...

The service was the best I've experienced anywhere, with staff always offering a smile and always quick to ask if there is anything they can do for you. My first evening upon arrival I was suffering from heartburn and 10 minutes later it became clear this had been noted and a runner had gone out to purchase me some Gaviscon. Just one example of the staff going above and beyond for their guests.

James, the owner and the man in charge of running the day-to-day, has cultivated a masterpiece in Le Farnatchi. It could quite literally not been better. Perhaps if I'd been able to book off more holiday... Can't wait to...