El Fenn
Marrakech, Morocco
★ Verified by our editors · September 2026
We may earn a commission — at no cost to you.
The verdict
Vanessa Branson and Howell James bought a run-down riad by Bab El Ksour in 2002 and opened it two years later with six bedrooms. It has since grown through 13 interconnected riads into 41 rooms and suites, painted in deep reds and pinks and hung with contemporary art — the name means "art". It is the medina's liveliest stay, with a 1,300 m² roof terrace that looks towards the Koutoubia.
Design lovers who want the medina on the doorstep, colour everywhere and a rooftop that fills up at sunset.
You want silence: this is a sociable house with a busy bar and restaurant.
Book a table on the roof terrace for the call to prayer at dusk, then wander the house — the art moves from courtyard to corridor.
The rooms
Forty-one rooms and suites, no two alike, set around courtyards, fountains and gardens across the joined riads.
The setting
In the medina at Bab El Ksour, a few minutes' walk from Jemaa el-Fna and the Koutoubia.
The food
Two restaurants and two cocktail bars, one of them up on the roof terrace.
Getting there
About 20 minutes by car from the airport. The medina's lanes are narrow, so the hotel arranges the transfer to its door.
Good to know
There are three pools, a spa and a boutique. El Fenn has been on Condé Nast Traveller's Gold List several times.
More hotels in Marrakech
All hotels in Marrakech →
El Fenn
From €350 · Booking.com affiliate