What are the best luxury hotels in Morocco?

When travellers ask for the best luxury hotels in Morocco, I always want to know the setting they're dreaming of first, because the country's finest addresses are spread across wildly different worlds — palatial city hotels, mountain kasbahs, beach resorts, and desert camps — and the 'best' is the one that fits the trip. Let me run through the genuine top tier by category, honestly, including which are true icons and which are simply very good.

In Marrakech, the two crown jewels are Royal Mansour — built by the King, a complex of private three-storey riads with their own plunge pools, arguably the most opulent hotel in Africa — and La Mamounia, the storied 1920s grand dame with its legendary gardens, beloved by everyone from Churchill to fashion houses. Below those two but still firmly luxury sit El Fenn, the Mandarin Oriental Marrakech, the Four Seasons, and the Oberoi, each excellent in its own register. For a mountain retreat, Kasbah Tamadot — Richard Branson's exquisite Berber kasbah in the Atlas foothills near Asni — is the standout, with Atlas views, a beautiful pool, and serious style.

Beyond Marrakech, Casablanca's Royal Mansour Casablanca brings the brand's polish to the business capital, and the Four Seasons Casablanca anchors the corniche. For the coast, the Sofitel and high-end resorts at Agadir, and boutique properties in Essaouira like Heure Bleue Palais, lead the beach scene. And for the most romantic luxury of all, the top tented desert camps in Erg Chigaga and Erg Chebbi — private en-suite tents under the stars with fine dining in the dunes — deliver an experience no city hotel can match, and I send honeymooners there constantly.

My honest counsel on choosing: Morocco's great gift is that luxury here often costs dramatically less than the equivalent in Europe, and that the most memorable 'luxury' isn't always a famous-brand hotel — a small, impeccable riad with a devoted host and a rooftop dinner can outshine a marble palace for atmosphere and intimacy. So I'd encourage mixing: perhaps a night or two at a legend like La Mamounia for the wow, a soulful design-riad for the medina, Kasbah Tamadot for the mountains, and a luxury camp for the desert. Tell me your route and your taste and I'll build the right combination — that layering is what makes a luxury Morocco trip sing.