A mansion with sumptuous Art Deco interiors and a centrally located hotel with a lively bar are our picks for the top boutique hotels in Casablanca.
A quiet refuge in the heart of Casablanca, the intimate Hotel & Spa Le Doge has a glamorous "Casablanca of yesteryear" feel. The luxury hotel is set in a former mansion filled with authentic Art Deco furniture and objects (befitting its Art Deco district location). The 16 rooms are named for 1920s and '30s cultural icons like Man Ray and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Decorative and architectural elements like high ceilings, hardwood floors, and period furniture give these rooms their distinctive glam style. Other features include a Baldachin canopied bed in the Jean Cocteau room, and a Chesterfield sofa, marble fireplace, and four-poster bed in the Ernest Hemingway room. All rooms all come with minibars, Nespresso coffee machines, iPod docks, free Wi-Fi, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. Some rooms have private terraces. Hotel features include a full-service spa (with a hammam steam room, sauna, and hot tub) and a fine French restaurant.
Flags from half a dozen nations fly above the entrance to Hotel les Saisons, but this small boutique property is more local than international. The hotel has 48 guest rooms with tiled floors and old-fashioned wood furnishings, some of which show a little wear. Standard rooms have double beds, wooden work desks, and seating areas. Upgraded rooms come with larger seating areas with velvet couches, while Junior Suites have separate living rooms. Free Wi-Fi comes standard, along with flat-screen TVs and lightly stocked minibars, but there are no tea kettles or coffeemakers. The hotel's top feature is its rock-and-roll-themed restaurant and bar, which serves French and local Moroccan cuisine. Freebies include breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi in the rooms and common areas. Les Saisons offers nowhere near the level of luxury found at Le Doge, but its rates are about half of those at our number-one pick.