Marrakech is a beautiful culture-rich city located in western Morocco known for its spectacular Moorish architecture, with maze-like pathways, and bustling souks selling colorful spices and pottery. Marrakech is also known as the ‘Red City’ due to the rosy-red walls which surround the town, made from red mud from the Hazou plains. Temperatures are warm all year round, with high temperatures in the months of June to August reaching 37 °C / 99 °F.
For travelers that are mindful of the environment, Marrakech has an excellent selection of eco-friendly hotels and eco-lodges that can help visitors offset the environmental impact of their visit. As Marrakech is a city bathed in culture, many of the riads incorporate traditional architecture to preserve the culture of the area, and using local materials reduces the impact the buildings have on the environment.
Riads constructed with traditional Moorish bricks keep rooms cool when the temperatures are high, and as many riads are designed with open-air areas, internal gardens, and patios, the need for air conditioning is reduced.
Below we have listed the top 5 sustainable hotels in Marrakech that have combined luxury with sustainability to provide the ultimate eco-friendly vacation to this spectacular city.
Recommended eco-hotels:
Le Jardins de la Médina
Le Jardins de la Medina is a striking boutique hotel located in central Marrakech, a twenty-minute walk from many of the popular restaurants, markets, and popular sights such as the Bahia Palace. The hotel is a sanctuary amongst the hustle and bustle of Marrakech and offers a selection of luxurious rooms that open onto patios, gardens, or private solarium terraces.
The rooms are beautifully decorated with white airy linens, dark wood furniture, and traditional Moroccan details, giving a sense of opulent luxury. Guests at Le Jardins de la Medina can enjoy secluded garden areas, surrounded by tropical greenery, a tree-lined swimming pool, and a wellness spa to relax after a day of sightseeing.
What makes the Le Jardins de la Medina sustainable
Le Jardins de la Medina is considerate of the environment which is reflected through the management practices at the hotel. Food waste is reduced where possible and the hotel makes efforts to compost organic materials. Water dispensers are located throughout the hotel and plastic bottles have been removed to encourage guests to use reusable bottles. Energy consumption is closely monitored and reduced by the use of motion sensors. Guests are also encouraged to use bicycles to explore the city with rentals available from Le Jardins de la Medina.
Hotel details
Address:
21 Derb Chtouka, Kasbah, 40000 Marrakesh, Morocco.
Guest rating:
4.6 out of 5
Price per night:
From $150
La Sultana
This stunning hotel is nestled in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Marrakech, offering guests a quiet retreat from the busy city, beyond its walls. La Sultana is an opulent hotel with an exotic palm tree-lined pool, a small intimate indoor pool, and a roof terrace dining room where guests can enjoy luxurious tranquility away from the busy souks and the hubbub of the city.
The hotel also has a beautiful traditional Moroccan hammam and spa, which also offers massages, facials, and body treatments. Rooms at the hotel are spacious and feature intricate details with striking Moorish arches. Junior suites have their own balcony, whereas the Exclusive suites have their own private terrace. Guests who are looking for the finest Marrakech experience can also take part in Moroccan cooking classes or take a private tour of the nearby sites of Marrakech.
What makes La Sultana sustainable
The La Sultana is part of the luxury hotel group SLH, which stands for Small Luxury Hotel. The ethos of this hotel group is that by keeping their hotels small, with under 50 rooms, they can be more considerate of the environment and sustainable.
La Sultana benefits from its Moorish architectural style, with thick bricked walls and open-air spaces allowing the air-conditioning to be kept minimal. The hotel promotes its plant-based dishes which are prepared using produce grown on the property and any food waste is exchanged with a local farm for compost for the landscaping and the hotel’s organic vegetable plot.
When refurbishing La Sultana, great efforts were taken to ensure that traditional Moroccan features were used to preserve the Red City’s architecture, and in the years following the refurbishment, the hotel can keep these century-old techniques alive for guests and visitors to enjoy and learn about.
Hotel details
Address:
403 Rue de La Kasbah, Kasbah, 40000 Marrakesh, Morocco.
Guest rating:
4.7 out of 5
Price per night:
From $350
Royal Mansour
The opulent Royal Mansour is one of the top luxury hotels in Marrakech, with only 53 private riads, its extensive grounds offer guests the ultimate Moroccan experience with total privacy. The hotel has been expertly crafted by some of the top artisans in Morocco and was designed by King Mohammed VI. Located in Hivernage on the eastern side of the city, its central location is discreet yet allows guests to quickly access the city’s top attractions and brilliant restaurants.
On entering the Royal Mansour guests are greeted by the hotel’s impressive zellij (geometric mosaic) entrance and traditional architecture. The riad rooms are decorated with sumptuous fabrics including lush silk carpets, delicately embroidered curtains, and intricate details. Facilities at the Royal Mansour are unparalleled with a large outdoor pool, for when you are not using your riad’s private pool, manicured gardens, and a Michelin-starred restaurant. Guests can also make use of the invigorating hammam, spa, and hair salon. Children are warmly welcomed at Royal Mansour and the hotel has wonderful kids’ clubs with many exciting activities for little ones.
What makes the Royal Mansour sustainable
The management at the Royal Mansour takes an active approach when it comes to sustainability and ensures the environment is considered throughout all management decisions. The Royal Mansour is committed to environmental waste management and recycles and composts as much of the hotel’s waste as possible. Water consumption is closely monitored and swimming pools are equipped with water-saving technologies. The hotel complex uses LED lights throughout and motion sensors are used to conserve energy, and all staff are briefed and educated to ensure the hotel’s green measures are carried out.
Hotel details
Address:
Rue Abou Abbas El Sebti, Medina, 40000 Marrakesh, Morroco.
Guest rating:
4.8 out of 5
Price per night:
From $799
Riad Nelia
Located in the old Medina of Marrakech, Riad Nelia is a simple yet elegant boutique hotel, ideally situated for travelers wishing to explore the city and immerse themselves in Moroccan culture. This cozy riad offers guests a calm and tranquil escape from the hum of the city, with a pretty mosaic pool, marble hammam, spa, and a roof terrace for guests to enjoy watching the sunset over Marrakech.
The rooms at Riad Nelia are compact yet beautifully decorated with soft furnishings, traditional touches, and beautiful Moorish arches. Guests come to Riad Nelia for its excellent location near many of Marrakech’s wonderful attractions such as the Dar Si Said Museum, Bahia Palace, and the famous Souk of the Medina.
What makes the Riad Nelia sustainable
The Riad Nelia has sustainability as a top priority and ensures that its practices throughout the hotel help to protect the environment. The hotels avoid the use of single-use plastics wherever possible and do not provide plastic stirrers, plastic water bottles, plastic straws, or toiletries in plastic bottles. Guests are encouraged to use reusable water bottles and water dispensers are placed throughout the property.
Riad Nelia has also installed water-efficient toilets and showers in all the rooms, and LED lights are fitted throughout the hotel with motion sensors to reduce energy consumption. The hotel is also mindful of the local community and invests a portion of its profits in community projects and promotes local business. Local artists are also given a platform at the hotel, allowing a true connection between their guests and the local community.
Hotel details
Address:
2 Derb si said riad zitoun jdid, Medina, 40000 Marrakesh, Morocco.
Guest rating:
4.8 out of 5
Price per night:
From $95
Ouirgane Ecolodge
Set outside of the city area, the Ouirgane Ecolodge is an eco-friendly retreat set in the Ouirgane and Toubkal National Park. Guests visiting this beautiful eco-lodge come here to get away from the charged atmosphere of Marrakesh’s center in order to relax and immerse themselves in nature. Located at the foothills of the Toubkal summit in the village of Maghira, an hour’s drive from Marrakech, the Ouirgane Ecolodge is more than just sustainable accommodation and encourages guests to experience the natural landscape through hiking packages, camel rides, and desert tours.
The Ecolodge offers beautiful rooms, decorated in a traditional Berber style with organic fabrics, and authentic Moroccan architecture. Guests can enjoy the roof terrace with picturesque views over the mountains, a hammam, a well-sized pool, and a vegetable garden where the lodge’s produce is grown.
What makes the Ouirgane Ecolodge sustainable
The ethos and concept of the Ouirgane Ecolodge ensure sustainability is integrated throughout the lodge and the culture and tradition of the Berbers are respected. To meet these goals the Ecolodge sets out specific criteria to meet which include water, energy, waste, and integration with the scenery. This translates to the use of intelligent irrigation to minimize water consumption, non-toxic chemical-free cleaning and bathroom products, and using natural lighting and renewable energy technologies throughout the lodge.
During the construction of the Ouirgane Ecolodge, the impact of the lodge on the landscape was greatly considered, and the founders used traditional architecture and natural elements such as mud-brick walls and tadelakt (Moroccan plaster) to integrate the building into its natural surroundings
Hotel details
Address:
Douar Maghira, 42152 Ouirgane, Morocco.
Guest rating:
4.6 out of 5
Price per night:
From $40
How we select the best eco-friendly hotels in Marrakech
We are a travel research company. We check a lot of details and guest reviews before making a selection. First, we check which hotels follow eco-travel principles. Are they recycling their waste? Do they work with local communities? Are they using renewable energy? Are they not using single-using plastics?
Secondly, we check guest reviews across multiple websites and only list hotels with an aggregated review rating of at least 4 out of 5. So you can be confident you will stay at an excellent eco-friendly hotel in Marrakech.
Sustainable travel is the key to enjoying a responsible and meaningful trip. You can make a difference in the environment and the communities you visit with the right sustainable travel tips. From packing light to choosing eco-friendly transportation and accommodations, there are plenty of ways to reduce your environmental impact.
More Marrakech guides
Get to know the city even better by reading our other articles about Marrakech:
