Villa Mabrouka, Tangier

Even though Villa Mabrouka translates to House of Luck, luck isn't the only reason we're recommending this one.

Perched above the cliffs overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, Villa Mabrouka is one of those rare places where the history is every bit as interesting as the stay itself.

The history

Built in the 1940s, the villa entered a new chapter in 1997 when it was purchased by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé. Morocco played a profound role in Saint Laurent's life and creative world, and Villa Mabrouka became his private retreat in Tangier.

Together with celebrated interior designer Jacques Grange, they transformed the house into a deeply personal home. Rooms were designed around individual colours, inspired by literature, memories, and Saint Laurent's childhood in Algeria. It was eccentric, elegant, and entirely its own thing.

Today

In 2019, the estate was acquired by British designer Jasper Conran. Rather than reinventing it, he spent four years carefully restoring it, preserving its soul while gently reimagining the interiors through the lens of a glamorous Riviera villa.

And that is perhaps what makes Villa Mabrouka so special today: it has character.  

That sense of character extends to the rooms themselves. Rather than standardized hotel suites, Villa Mabrouka's twelve rooms feel like individual chapters of the house's story, each named after a Moroccan city and shaped by its own palette, atmosphere and architectural details.

Among them is Marrakech, perhaps the most storied room in the house, once occupied by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. Bathed in natural light and overlooking the gardens, it offers a rare glimpse into the villa's former life as a private residence rather than a hotel.

Across the estate, rooms unfold between the main house and a collection of garden cottages, where hand-painted ceilings, antique furnishings, traditional craftsmanship and carefully collected objects create an aesthetic that feels distinctly Tangier: layered, worldly and quietly eccentric. Depending on the season and room category, rates typically start from around €430 per night and rise to over €1,000 for some of the property's most sought-after suites.

The gardens alone are worth the journey. Working alongside the Fondation Jardin Majorelle, Conran introduced more than 6,500 trees and plants throughout the estate, while preserving details such as Roman mosaics and Murano glass that quietly connect the property to its past.

Today, Villa Mabrouka feels less like a hotel and more like an extraordinary private home that just happens to welcome guests. Don't be surprised when you find yourself lingering a little longer over breakfast, taking the long route back through the gardens, or simply staring out at the sea wondering how a place like this exists.

Perhaps that is what House of Luck really means.

And in a world where luxury hotels can often feel increasingly similar, that is a rare thing indeed.

Save this one for your next trip to Morocco.

Photography courtesy of Villa Mabrouka.