Villa Mabrouka is a peaceful retreat in Yves Saint Laurent’s former Tangiers home

With the newly launched Villa Mabrouka, British designer Jasper Conran has turned his attention to Tangier for his sophomore property, which follows hot on the heels of the success of L’Hotel Marrakech. Cocooned amid one of the white city’s most enchanting gardens, with sparkling views of the Strait of Gibraltar, the tranquil 12-room hotel is a world away from the heady delights of the nearby Kasbah and Medina. 

Villa Mabrouka: a history

Once the secluded sanctuary of legendary couturier Yves Saint Laurent and his business partner Pierre Bergé, the house’s simple 1940s architecture serves as a clean-lined backdrop for Conran’s vision, which as he says, was always to protect both the magic of the house and its ravishing gardens. ‘Saint Laurent wanted Villa Mabrouka to reflect the elegance and beauty of his 1940s childhood home in Algeria, so I have taken many of the cues from that. It is glamorous in its purity and simplicity,  imbued with a European style compared to the ancient Moroccan mood of my Marrakech hotel and its history as a riad.’ 

An elegant blend of past and present

The result channels the romance of the Riviera’s early 20th-century golden era of travel, layered with the eccentricity of an English country house, along with a quiet dose of Conran’s contemporary and bold aesthetic with lots of texture and weaves that don’t detract from the beauty of the garden and views outside.  Against a simple backdrop of whitewashed walls, decorative details include locally-made furnishings like velvet slipper chairs and generous white sofas. These are embellished with 1930s lighting, Mauritanian rugs, Roman mosaics and rugs, and beautiful traditional Moroccan handmade bejmet and zellige glazed clay tiles. Outside, Conran has restored the ravishing garden, replanting over 6,500 new plants, shrubs and trees to the already abundant sweeping lawns, banana palms, ferns, bamboo, citrus trees, hollyhocks, nasturtiums, roses, bougainvillaea and agapanthus.  

This all comes together over an intimate, serene space that Conran has revamped to include new additions such as a series of rooms and garden cottages, a rooftop terrace and coffee bar, a second pool and hammam, and three private dining pavilions. The three restaurants and kitchens meanwhile, serve an all-day Mediterranean menu infused with the subtlety of Moroccan spices, using market fresh ingredients. Expect flavourful salads alongside daily caught fish and seafood that has been simply grilled, served as a crispy fritto misto, or in a light bouillabaisse broth. 

Amid Tangier’s unique and  intoxicating blend of cultures and influences, Villa Mabrouka is a secluded and quiet escape. A destination in itself, Conran says: ‘While some will come to explore the city and its coastline, many people will want to come because it's going to be a very soothing experience.’ 

villamabrouka.com