“The hotel is a beautifully maintained oasis on the outskirts of Marrakech. While it sits away from the hustle and bustle of the Medina, the city centre is still only around 20–30 minutes away by taxi, allowing to enjoy the best of both worlds easy access to Marrakech when desired and complete tranquillity when returning to the resort.
The setting is spectacular, with wonderful views of the Atlas Mountains providing a stunning backdrop throughout the day. The grounds themselves are immaculate, with mature palm trees, magnificent old olive trees and beautifully maintained gardens that are clearly cared for with great attention to detail.
What truly sets this property apart, however, is the staff. Every member of the team we encountered was warm, friendly, professional and genuinely eager to help. Most spoke excellent French and English, and what impressed me most was their sense of ownership. Rather than simply passing requests on, they would personally ensure things were taken care of. We were located slightly further from the main hotel facilities, yet the buggy service was so efficient that it often seemed to arrive almost before we had finished calling for it, regardless of the time of day.
We travelled as a family with our 11-year-old son and found the room exceptionally spacious. The large terrace overlooking the gardens was a lovely place to relax, while the bedding was of excellent quality and ensured a restful night's sleep. Housekeeping was outstanding, servicing the room twice daily, leaving thoughtful evening touches, and ensuring fresh bottled water was always replenished without us ever needing to ask.
The bathroom was enormous, almost a room in itself, featuring a large shower, separate bath, double sinks, separate WC and a cleverly designed dressing area with integrated wardrobes that felt more like a private walk-in wardrobe.
The pool facilities are among the best we have experienced. The main pool is huge, with well-designed areas for both adults and children. The water temperature was perfect, and the staff's gesture of providing complimentary inflatables for our son was a lovely touch that enhanced the family experience.
My wife also thoroughly enjoyed the spa. She experienced several treatments during our stay and spoke particularly highly of the hammam, both for the quality of the treatment itself and the professionalism of the spa team.
Although we did not dine in the main restaurants, we enjoyed several lunches by the pool and found the food to be consistently excellent. The relaxed atmosphere and quality of the dishes meant we never felt the need to venture elsewhere for lunch.
No hotel is perfect, and there are a few minor observations worth mentioning. The hotel arranged transportation is very professional, with excellent vehicles and knowledgeable drivers, but it does come at a premium compared with standard local taxis. During one particularly large event being hosted at the resort, service levels were noticeably stretched, although once the event concluded everything returned to the exceptional standard we experienced throughout the rest of our stay. We also noted the absence of a visible lifeguard around the main pool and found the room lighting system unnecessarily complicated at times.
These are relatively minor points in what was otherwise an outstanding stay. Fairmont Royal Palm succeeds in delivering genuine luxury without feeling pretentious. The combination of beautiful surroundings, exceptional service, family friendly facilities and outstanding value makes it a resort we would happily return to and one that we would highly recommend to anyone visiting Marrakech.
