Marrakech, Hotel Sofitel

We stayed in the Sofitel in November 2009. We chose this hotel as it was recommended to us as a more relaxing alternative to a stay in a riad - we were after a bit of winter sun and a few days to chill out. This hotel was perfect for what we wanted. It has 2 swimming pools (one of them not heated!) and plenty of sunloungers and day beds to laze around on during the day. It's close proximity to the centre of town makes it an ideal location for exploring as well. The main square is only about a 10/15 minute walk away. This hotel is not cheap, but we got upgraded to a junior suite with a balcony which was lovely - however this means i don't know whether a standard room was good value for money. No meals were included in the price of our stay and meals at the hotel were fairly expensive. This was really annoying as we wanted to spend our days at the hotel using their facilities, so you end up paying about £15 for a sandwich (i think breakfast was around £20). This was until we discovered the small cafe over the road. Great food for much less money and only a two minute walk away, made quite a difference to the cost of our holiday in the end! I would definitely go back as the temperature in November was the perfect antidote to the English winter.

We stayed here for a few nights after staying in a Riad in the hustle and bustle of the Medina for a couple of nights.

The Sofitel was perfect for what we were looking for. It had all the mod cons you'd expect from an international hotel, and you could really relax and unwind there. However, it was only a stones throw from the walls of the old city and about 10 minute walk to the main centre where all the 'real' Marrakech is.

The actual hotel is pretty standard and wont blow you away or be that memorable, but as a base to explore the real Marrakech its great. The centre of Marrakech can be pretty full on, so its a little oasis to return to when you're done with bartering over products and sampling the local food!

Its quite pricey for what it is, but as I say, as a base to explore the real Marrakech Id say its spot on - location is excellent.