Pool Garden review: our verdict
No dinner at Pool Garden: the kitchen opens at 12:30 and closes at 16:30, and that's the whole idea. We sit at a table just steps from the Mandarin Oriental's pool, under pergolas where bougainvilleas climb, for a Mediterranean menu that allows for international detours and part of whose vegetables come from the hotel's organic vegetable garden.
Service makes the rest, attentive from the first drink to the bill, with servers who watch over the table without ever imposing. Dishes arrive well presented, on fresh produce. This is the address for a sun-drenched birthday, a day away from the city with a partner, or a luxury interlude without booking a room. It is not the place for a quick lunch between appointments, nor for a small budget: we are here in Marrakech's high end, and we pay as much for the garden as for the plate.
The good tip: the day pass, which opens the lounge chair and pool from 10 am until sunset and makes lunch the center of the day. The trap: promising dinner here to someone, as the kitchen serves only at noon.
