Villa Mandarine Rabat

The Villa Mandarine is the story of a french family that has settled in Morocco for generations. When Claudy Imbert inherited part of the orange grove that her father created, she had a house built that was large enough to welcome her family, surrounded it by a garden with a pool and then set out to maintain and care for the 700 citrus trees.

Then came the time, in the 90s, when all the chicks had left the coop, the house became too big, the groove too difficult to manage. That is when the Lady of the House, who was sharing her time between Rabat for business and Paris, where she taught Art History, decided to transform her home into a hotel.

This totally new enterprise was in fact guided by a childhood dream, inspired by the warm memories of growing up in the hotel atmosphere of her father’s famous establishment in Ifrane.

It took two years of hard work for the dream to become reality : the living room kept his original purpose, but the dining room became the billard room, the master bedroom overlooking the garden, became one of the most appreciated conference room, the kitchen and ante rooms became the bar.

The huge garden had ample space for the construction of the restaurant, kitchen and of all the guest rooms arranged around the patio of flowers. It wasn’t long before Claudy’s daughters had convinced their husbands to leave Europe and return to become partners in the adventure, opening the Villa Mandarine’s doors to its first clients in 2001.

15 years down the line, in order to capitalize on the experience gained with running the hotel, the family decided to open another location for its faithful customers in brand new settings.
Located in the heart of the Rabat medina , the ryad style property “Dar Shâân – by Villa Mandarine” opened its doors in the fall of 2017.

IMAGINARY MUSEUM
Her background in Art History inspired our owner to cover the walls of each room with famous paintings ranging from primitive to contemporary resulting in about 400 replicas from Grand Masters. As a balancing act , the walls from the reception area are dedicated to original pieces from current Moroccan painters.

SUITE VILLA MANDARINE
The Villa Mandarine Suite, at the first floor, consists of 2 luxe bedrooms connected by a nice south facing-living room, overlooking the garden, equipped with a flat-screen TV and a coffee machine.

SUITE GRAPEFRUIT
With a surface of 45 m2, the suite features a living room with double bench and a bedroom, double exposure facing the garden, with balcony on the first floor and terrace with private garden at the ground floor. 2 single beds of 100 cm or 1 double bed 200 cm. Bathroom with hairdryer, shower or bath, toiletries. Iron with table available

SUITE CLEMENTINE
Both Clementine Suites, located on the 1st floor feature a living room with a surface of 20 m2 with double bench, flat screen tv. The bedroom has a surface of 22 m2, double exposure facing the garden, terrace with balcony, 2 single beds of 100 cm or 1 double bed 200 cm.

DELUXE ROOM
With a surface of 37 m2, double exposure, terrace with balcony on the ground floor, and small private garden on the first floor. 2 single beds of 100 cm or 1 double bed 200 cm

THE RESTAURANT
The chef offers a varied and inventive menu that changes according to the market and seasons. You will taste his gastronomic cuisine on the terrace invaded by the flowers and the smell of the fruit trees, or in the soothing colors rooms whose windows seem to want the garden get in. The restaurant is opened every day, from 12:15 to 22:30.

THE GARDEN 
The Villa Mandarine is nestled in the heart of an orange grove but the flowers are truly revered. One in your room , you are already immersed in their perfume as all the ground floor quarters have a private garden.

The love and celebration of flowers is expressed all around the property and they catch the wandering gaze through a cleverly maintained balance of chaos and order. Flowers cover over all surfaces surrounding the buildings and often overflow at the feet of orange trees.

At the Villa Mandarine, the fragrance is an intrinsic part of the experience and the decor. Nature lovers can quench their thirst and interest as an herbarium with photos and variety is available to them; it has more than 100 different species that bloom over the course of the year.

THE SWIMMING POOL
The pool is heated in winter and covered in the evening. It is accessible every day, but supervised by a lifeguard from June 1st to August 31st from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am to 7pm.
At noon, you can have lunch the edge of the water, a quick snack or enjoy the menu of our chef. You can also enjoy a drink during a game of petanque or ping pong.

SPA & FITNESS
Our beauty area “Les Bains Romains” and the gym are located in the basement. The « Bains Romains » SPA has a cabin for massages and various esthetic cares.

Our beauticians offer a wide choice of facial cares, oriental or classic, epilation, hand care, traditional hamam, sauna, jacuzzi. The gym is open 24 hours a day and features a treadmill, a static bike, an elliptical trainer, weight machines, a step and other indoor sports equipment.

MEETINGS & EVENTS
The seminar rooms and our business area is located on the first floor of the house. It is composed of 3 rooms, 2 of which are modular, as well as several terraces. The rooms are all air-conditioned, have audiovisual equipment as well as free wifi.

• The « Zellige » conference room , 22 m2, for 8 to 10 people, enjoys an exceptional view of the pool and garden, from its 2 terraces and bay window.
• The « Jean » conference room, 40 m2, for 15 people in a U setting, has direct access to a large terrace ideal for coffee breaks.
• The « Bel » conference room, for 20 people in a U setting, also has direct access to the terrace.

Both conference rooms Jean and Bel are flexible and can be re-arranged in a large space for 30 to 50 people. For your seminars, meetings or any event, several packages are available with coffee breaks, meals and accommodation.

LOCATION
Nested in a beautiful five acres orange grove, Villa Mandarine has a key central location. For our sports fans, we are 20 minutes away from the famous equestrian and Royal Golf Club of Dar Essalam, with 2 world class 18 holes golf courses and one 9 hole. Sandy beaches and surf breaks are available within a 10 minute drive.

The posh Souissi neighborhood, where we are located, is a prime spot for running or simply strolling through its calm and tree lined avenues. Last but not least, the new business center of Hay Riad is a stone throw away from the hotel.

It is the new pulse of the Rabat economical scene, bursting with new business, restaurants and administrations; most headquarters of key foreign and local companies are there, conveniently close for our business travellers. Rabat, the garden-town is separated from Salé by the river BouRegreg (formerly Sala).

The two cities are surrounded by sumptuous ramparts and, from their rich common past, result, in each, particularly interesting monuments, including The Oudayas, citadel which dominates the magnificent estuary and which gave its name to Rabat.

At its feet extends the medina and its pretty houses, recently awarded with World Heritage label by UNESCO. Let’s mention also the Hassan Tower, the Chellah, the Mohamed V tomb, the two new museums: archeology and contemporary art.

Salé is not far behind with its enchanting Merinide Medersa, its Mosque, its souks, its old cemetery, and its marine gate, last vestige of the landmark of the famous corsairs of Salé. Two days are recommended for discovery with a special mention to watching a beautiful sunset over Salé by the Moorish café in the oudayas.

Website: www.villamandarine.com

Rooms: 36

Price: from 208 EUR per night