Riad La Maison Arabe

La Maison Arabe began as a Moroccan restaurant, founded in the 1940's by two adventurous and extra- ordinary French women. Located in the romantic medina of Marrakech, in the shadow of the Bab Doukkala mosque, it lives on today as an exclusive luxury hotel with 17 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a pool, spa, and cooking school.
The hotel is built around 2 flower-filled patios. In the center of one is a refreshing fountain. In the other, one can relax in the cool shade of an olive tree.
Moroccan craftsmen worked long months restoring this riad (traditional Marrakech house) to its noble origins, using materials and techniques handed down over centuries : walls covered with tadelakt (a coating that is hand-polished with an agate stone), gebs (chiseled plaster), cedar wood ceilings, and floors made of bejmat (small sand-colored bricks). Here and there light filters through cupolas.
Click on the links to the left to visit La Maison Arabe in more detail.

Patio, solarium, conditioned air, terrace, swimming p.

Restaurant
The restaurant at La Maison Arabe is open to hotel guests and other travellers in Marrakech seeking a unique dining experience.
One dines under a sumptuous, handpainted "zouaké" ceiling, inspired by an Iranian mosque, surrounded by walls finished in warm-toned tadelakt, and a flower-filled patio with fountains. Dinner is accompanied by arab-andalusian music played on lute and guitar.
The menu is exclusively Moroccan, without being heavy. One can choose from traditional dishes and delicious specialties of La Maison Arabe.
Those who wish to discover the secrets of Moroccan cuisine can do so at the hotel’s cooking workshops.

WORLD CUSINE
In this intimate environment, with walls covered in "havana" coloured leather panels, evoking the 1930’s and colonial Africa, the club room at La Maison Arabe welcomes both hotel guests and a broader Marrakech clientele ; here one can savour exotique dishes as well as delicious asian-influenced tapas.

SNACK BAR AT THE POOL
In the cool shade of fig trees, clients at La Maison Arabe can enjoy a light meal served à la carte.

COOKING WORKSHOP AT LA MAISON ARABE
Known in the past as one of the most famous and legendary restaurants of the African continent, La Maison Arabe today offers cooking workshops designed for the amateur and professional alike - for anyone who wishes to discover the pleasures of Moroccan cooking and become familiar with one of the great cuisines of the world.

The workshops are conducted by a dada (traditional Moroccan cook), and are organized in small groups around easy-to-use modern equipment. A translator (Arabic, English, French) provides detailed preparation and cooking instructions. At the end of each workshop, participants dine on the meal they have prepared.
At each workshop - 8 persons maximum - one learns to prepare an appetizer and a main dish, or a main dish and dessert. Details upon request.

Rates
€. 160 for 1 or 2 persons.
€. 60 per person for small groups of 3 to 5 persons.
€. 50 per person for small groups of 5 to 8 persons.

Swimming pool
The swimming pool (18 x 7 meters) is situated in a lush garden, a mere 10 minute shuttle ride from the hotel, and is reserved exclusively for clients of La Maison Arabe. Situated behind high earthen walls, one arrives at the pool after a short walk through luxurious gardens planted with vegetables, roses, olive and fig trees. Everywhere one walks in this oasis, one finds the same attention to detail that the owner, Fabrizio Ruspoli, bought to the hotel…antique sculpted cedar doors, or the calm murmering of an 18 th century fountain that invites one to relax and dream.

Hammam
After a day of exploring the wonders of Marrakech, guests can relax and unwind at the hotel’s hammam.
In addition to the traditional Moroccan steam bath, we offer massages, facials, and mud baths. Many of the products used are handmade at La Maison Arabe, and all are derived from local plants and minerals.

Private receptions: Tente Caïdale et Kasbah
Adjoining the swimming pool, the kasbah is available to guests of La Maison Arabe. Its magnificently decorated salon is the perfect setting for a private reception or to celebrate one’s birthday.
The incredible view of Marrakech and the surrounding countryside from the roof of the kasbah offers a romantic background for cocktails or mint tea.