Staying at La Mamounia should be a succession of unique experiences, with the different restaurants being themain players in promoting this adventure. Each of them has its own character, all are complementary.

Patrick Jouin openedup the walls of the former Italian restaurant and transformed it into L'Asiatique by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, asensual and intimate space. The original traditional Moroccan decor merges perfectly with the spirit of the chef’scuisine. It is the furniture that makes the transition between the two worlds, with a mixture of Chinese, Japaneseand Thai influences.

La Mamounia’s swimming pool is a must. It sits perfectly within the garden, with a little island that appears to floatin the middle adding an air of charming fantasy. In themiddle sits a blue ceramic fountain, around which gravitates a curving bar offering a range of temptations, eachmore appetising than the next, all beneath a vast circular chandelier made out of fabric and brass.

In the middle of this space sits a block of peach-coloured marble with a surface of polished, hammered copper,which displays the inventions of the world’s greatest pastry chef, Pierre Hermé.

The experience continues in the adjoining courtyard, the Moroccan riad in all its splendour. Patrick Jouin just added some seating and lanterns to make guests want to pause herequietly and taste one of Pierre Hermé's creations, taking time for pleasure.

In the evening, a door opens into the Churchill Bar. The bar has always been here and is a landmark for regularguests. Patrick Jouin gave it a complete redesign to make it ultra-intimate, a sanctum in smoked oak, in the middleof which is a block of sculpted black marble.