Park Hyatt Marrakech: A breathtaking oasis in the desert

I spent two nights at the recently opened Park Hyatt Marrakech and loved the hotel’s beautiful common areas, delicious food and excellent service. However, the hotel’s location could be a challenge.

My first impressions of the Park Hyatt Marrakech

After years of anticipation, the Park Hyatt Marrakech recently opened to guests. It is located in the Al Maaden complex, within the city of Marrakech but about 15 minutes outside the Medina.

I call it a stunning oasis in the desert because you are not centrally located in Marrakech, which is a (potentially) significant downside to this property depending on what you want to achieve. On one hand, it is nice to be away from the city. It is quiet and you are less tempted to do “touristy” things. When you come to this hotel and spend over $500 a night, you want to enjoy it, and there is a lot to enjoy. There is a golf course attached to the property, which is truly an oasis in a sun-drenched region.

But you have to be aware that Al Maaden is a new development outside the city center and the whole area is an unfinished project (not the hotel, but the houses and villas being built around it). It feels almost eerie when you drive to the hotel because you drive down a road for five minutes and look at unfinished projects left and right.

The public areas of the hotel are beautiful, with enormously high ceilings, beautiful stonework and lovely seating areas.

My room was labeled as a suite, but it was one big room. Still, it was huge and had a very comfortable bed, air conditioning that worked perfectly (it was almost 50ºC outside), and a huge bathroom.

The staff here was excellent… and I would especially like to highlight Reda at the TFAYA – Brasserie Arabesque restaurant. He was so friendly and attentive.

The breakfast was unique and a delight every morning. Instead of a buffet or à la carte Menu, I was brought a set menu… and a huge menu at that… of food and drinks. I don’t usually have breakfast like that and I ended up eating a lot more than I normally would have, but it was an excellent combination of taste and texture.

The location wasn’t a problem for me, but the coffee was. Regular readers will know that I’m very picky about my coffee, and I’m sorry to report that this hotel appears to have an exclusive deal with Nespresso. While individual Nespresso machines in guest rooms are fine (and even appreciated), these machines are also present in the restaurants and bars, and the coffee (like in so many other French-speaking countries) was pretty bad.