A lovingly restored riad, dating from the 14th century, Hotel La Maison Blanche is tucked away in the winding streets of the old Kasbah, the spectacularly-located historic fortress high above the Moroccan port city of Tangiers.
The decoration of this exquisite small hotel was carried out by renowned French interior designer Regis Milcent, with each of the nine comfortable rooms offering its own elegant, colour-led character, from cool green, to crisp white, to rich red. Handmade ceramic tiles decorate the floors, in traditional Moroccan style.
Enjoy a lavish Moroccan breakfast, admire the stunning views across the city to the sea from the roof terrace, soak up the scents of fresh flowers, and explore this fascinating city where Europe and Africa meet in a glorious jumble of exotic colour.
As soon as they walk off the narrow Kasbah street into the cool stone patio, guests are greeted by the calming sound of gently flowing water, and the smell of fresh flowers whose petals float in the green-tiled star-shaped fountain, a traditional feature in Islamic culture and architecture.
Our patio is cool in summer, with its light, airy mezzanine gallery area, and cosy in winter with the fireside snug; a place to relax and unwind after a day exploring the medina or visiting nearby historic sites.
The patio has a glass roof, so that it can be enjoyed all year round, and makes the most of sunny days when light floods into the ground floor.
For cooler evenings, an open fire offers a welcoming spot where guests can feel warm, comfortable and relaxed. This area of the patio has walls covered in richly patterned, regal red fabric, with ruby-coloured velvet sofas and chairs.
You can relax in a deep sofa, browse a book on artists in Tangiers, drink a cup of refreshing Moroccan mint tea, and sample an Arabic pastry, available all day on the patio for guests to help themselves when they need a refreshing or energising drink after walking around the city. Soft classical music to add to the refined ambience.
The decorative attention to detail even extends to the ceiling, which is exquisitely hand-painted with oriental-style garden scenes, taking you into a dreamy realm of poetry and contemplation.
The galleried mezzanine has walls hand-painted with a simple but beautiful geometric design, while the ceiling space between the white beams has intricate motifs. Inviting sofas and chairs in soothing shades of green, and antique glass-topped wooden tables beckon, laden with coffee-table books showing exquisite photographs of Tangiers and Morocco, with their vibrant colours and wonderful carved doorways.
Elegant traditional teapots with long, curved spouts sit on the side tables, along with tiered cake stands, for delicate traditional Arabic pastries.
On fine mornings, you have can breakfast on our roof terrace, which is set on two levels and has wooden tables and chairs, and take in the views of the city: Mendoubia park, Tangiers beach, the higgledy-piggledy neighbouring rooves of the kasbah. Soak up the sun on our comfortable sunbeds, or read a novel bathed in the warm African air. The edges of the walls are scalloped in traditional sharafad style, offering an authentic Moroccan experience.
Our traditional Moroccan breakfast, which you can have either in the patio or on the roof terrace, consists of:
We can organize dinner by request for our guests. We are happy to recommend restaurants for clients to visit, and to make reservations. Guests can help themselves to Arabic pastries, mint tea throughout the day.
Each hotel room is named after a well-known person who lived, or spent time in, Tangiers, and was influenced by this spellbinding city. You can choose from the likes of Paul Bowles, Juan Goytisolo or Henri Matisse.
Hotel Rooms have hand-carved wooden screens and doors, some antique; chairs upholstered in jewel-coloured velvets of green, blue or red; aromatic cedarwood cupboards with plenty of space for clothes; brass wall lights with Moroccan star motif; beautiful glass jars with custom-made shampoo and shower gel, coloured to match the room’s tones; flat-screen TVs with satellite channels; direct-dial phones and European power points. Free WIFI is available throughout the hotel. Attractive beaten-metal bowls and containers are used to hold bathroom essentials.
Each room has en-suite private bathroom decorated in the style of the room. Our soap, bath gel and shampoo are all made here in Morocco from aromatic natural ingredients. The soap is lemon, and the shampoo and gel are orange blossom and jasmine. Their sweet, exotic scents will carry you away to a land of Arabian nights. Fresh white roses add a romantic touch to our bathrooms.
The rooms are priced individually at 120€ or 170€ per night breakfast included. Click on ‘Rooms’ in the menu above to view the rooms. There is no minimum stay. Daily housekeeping is included in the room rate.
From the top floor of the hotel, you can look down over the intricately carved cedarwood banisters, set with indented star motifs, around each floor above the patio, onto the star-shaped green tiled fountain in the patio, framed perfectly from above.
The hotel front desk is neatly found in the side room just inside the main hotel entrance. Here you will be welcomed to the Hotel.
It is open 24 hours for your convenience. The reception will make you feel at home and looked after from the moment you walk in the door, and is always ready to offer suggestions and advice to help you get the most out of your stay in Hotel Maison Blanche, Tangiers or further afield in Morocco.