This is the oldest Relais & Châteaux in North Africa. The most charming, too. La Villa des Orangers, in Marrakech, no taxi in the city knows exactly where it is. When you give them the address, they end up saying: ” Oh yes, it’s Sidi Mimoun! ” In this bustling street of the Medina, a small, discreet door, half open, invites curiosity.
You see workers busy, squatting, paintbrush in hand. A bellhop inevitably suggests you cross the Rubicon, and there you are, projected not into a hotel but into a whole world of its own, an oasis of greenery, a parenthesis of calm and beauty.
A first patio adorned with splendid, century-old four-season orange trees. On the sides, alcoves are furnished like Moroccan lounges. Perfect for a fresh and fragrant welcome, washed down with mint tea or homemade lemonade. In line with the patio, a beautiful 16 m long swimming pool, surrounded by deckchairs and olive trees, creates that shady atmosphere we seek at siesta time. Where we say to ourselves that paradise must undoubtedly look like something like this…
Confidential hotel
A visit to the hotel is like a labyrinthine stroll, as it has undergone several extensions over the past quarter of a century.
But let’s go back to the beginning of the story. In the 1930s, a respected judge in the city, Mr. Mlihi, had a large riad built to house his entire family: wife, children, mother, aunts, cousins, etc. Morocco had not yet gained its independence, but luxurious Andalusian architecture already had its characteristics:
Two atrios with bejmat floors, terracotta from Fez, a Carrara marble fountain placed on a star evoking water, wooden doors engraved with spiritual motifs, thick walls to protect the occupants from the intense heat, and fireplaces in the living rooms, welcome in winter when the wind comes down from the Atlas Mountains.
When the patriarch died in the 1980s, his heirs decided to sell. A hotelier couple, Veronique and Pascal Beherec, fell in love with the house during a leisure stay in the Red City. They would never leave it. Very quickly, they agreed with the family on a purchase price, left Paris, and launched major renovations to inaugurate, in the early 2000s, a new form of hotel that would flourish in Marrakech: the riad. Their efforts were quickly rewarded when the prestigious Relais & Châteaux chain admitted the Villa des Orangers into its fold in 2001. It became the first R&C in the Arab world!
” The house was already iconic back then,” says the establishment’s dashing general manager, Souheil Hmittou. “We’ve hosted prestigious evenings there many times for the Pure Life Experience tourism fair .” Celebrities flock here, including film luminaries, top athletes, and a few politicians who appreciate the venue’s discretion. ” We never give the names of famous clients to the press,” adds the dashing general manager, whose dynamism contrasts with the tranquility of the place.
Genealogical Detective
The success prompted the new owners to consider several extensions. The first took place in 2003 to build a real swimming pool in place of a mechanical workshop. The only one existing at the time was the small pool dug on the rooftop from where one could admire the sunset over the Koutoubia Mosque, the majestic mosque dating from the 12th century with its impressive minaret. The acquisition of this land also made it possible to construct a new building housing three master suites of 100 m2 each.
The second extension of 2008 would prove to be far more complex. The Beherecs had to buy back 17 commercial leases from 17 different owners. In a scenario worthy of a 1970s us comedy, 16 were easily convinced, but the seventeenth remained untraceable. And without his signature, no extension was possible. Our two very persistent hoteliers then enlisted the services of a genealogist detective, whom they tasked with tracking down the beneficiaries.
After several weeks of investigation, he found descendants of the landlord in… the Cyclades! The negotiations were fierce, with the lucky heirs fully aware of a favorable balance of power. ” We paid the highest square meter in Marrakech for this shop,” Souheil Hmittou says ironically. In this part of the villa, six suites, a spa, and a private house were built. The latter can be fully privatized, with its swimming pool.
Thanks to the latest extension completed in 2019, the Beherec couple realized their dream: to open a bar reminiscent of Cafe Rick’s, seen in the famous film Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart. Typical of the 1930s and 1940s. In 2022, the Villa des Orangers was sold to a Moroccan investor, Dar Taarji SA, a hotelier for three generations. ” The family office owned larger units, like resorts,” explains Souheil Hmittou. “The Villa des Orangers is a bit like the jewel in the crown. “
This jewel has become the first jewel in a collection that extends to Les Deux Tours, a five-star hotel located in the palm grove. ” The guiding idea is to repatriate iconic houses under the Moroccan flag,” confides the general manager, enthusiastic about this ambitious project that should take the group beyond the borders of Marrakech. ” In our hotels, the spirit of the Villa des Orangers will be perpetuated,” he continues.
” That is to say, customers must feel in their second home. We have an offer that includes overnight stays, two meals, laundry, and unlimited soft drinks.
They feel at home with competent and smiling staff with whom they build a friendly relationship .”
Mixed cuisine
The kitchen also makes a lot of effort to make the restaurant feel like home to residents. ” We have a menu with dishes that change every day,” explains the chef, Igmiri Abdelilah, with his good sense of humor. “But we are also able to make dishes to order that are not on the menu. ” Having tried it, the restaurant is perfect. The management wanted to fuse the great cuisines of the world with Moroccan cuisine, which results, for example, in a succulent tomato and red pepper gazpacho, a tasty grilled butcher’s cut with preserved lemon, or a surprising lamb shoulder burger with ras el hanout.
And for lovers of pure local cuisine, the selection of briouates or the farm-raised chicken tagine with caramelized eggplant is perfect. The chef has an almost scientific approach to cooking, and for good reason. ” I only started learning this trade at 27,” explains Igmiri. “Before, I was a science student. That’s why I sometimes say: I was science and math, now I’m tomato sauce! ” After working abroad, particularly in Asia, Igmiri joined the Villa des Orangers to initially assist the former chef, before taking the helm.
A fan of gourmet and efficient gastronomy, this youthful-looking forty-something cultivates a simplicity appreciated in high places. ” We didn’t want a Michelin-starred chef who signs the menu but is never there,” explains Souheil Hmittou. ” Our chef does the shopping, directs his team, and approves each dish that comes out of the kitchen. ” And of course, he regularly picks a few bitter oranges from the patios to make the wonderful jam served at breakfast.
