Anantara Retreat Rabat: A New Reason to Add the Capital to Morocco Luxury Vacations

For anyone planning Morocco luxury vacations a few years from now, the capital has gained a promising new address. On October 12, Minor Hotels announced the signing of Anantara Retreat Rabat, the group's first hotel in Morocco and the first Anantara in the country. It is being developed with Bloom Holding, an Abu Dhabi-based developer whose portfolio spans residential, hospitality, education and master-planned communities.

The retreat is planned for an exclusive diplomatic district roughly 20 minutes from the center of Rabat, in a quiet setting that still keeps the city's business and cultural sights within easy reach. Opening is anticipated in early 2030, the year Morocco co-hosts the FIFA World Cup.

Rabat is Morocco's calm, green royal capital, and its historic heart is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander the blue-and-white lanes of the Kasbah of the Udayas to its Andalusian garden above the river mouth, stand beneath the unfinished Hassan Tower, and spend an afternoon at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. The Bouregreg valley, reshaped with riverside promenades and the Grand Theatre of Rabat, shows the city's modern side. Rabat is also the 2026 UNESCO World Book Capital, and the momentum is broad: Morocco's international arrivals rose 7 percent in the first five months of 2026.

The high-speed Al Boraq train makes the city simple to fold into a Morocco itinerary: it links Casablanca to Rabat in under an hour and continues to Tangier in about 80 minutes. Many Americans fly nonstop to Casablanca, spend two nights in Rabat, then head east to Fes before ending in Marrakech; our Morocco travel guide has the full picture.

Between the new Waldorf Astoria and this planned retreat, the luxury hotels Morocco offers are spreading well beyond Marrakech. For travelers ready to visit Morocco now, Rabat already rewards a relaxed stay; for those thinking longer term, our guide to Morocco Luxury Real Estate looks at buying a home in the kingdom.

Rabat is at its best from April to June and from September to November, when the Atlantic keeps days mild and the gardens are in bloom. The city keeps a Saturday and Sunday weekend, French and Arabic are widely spoken, English is common in the leading hotels, and a modern tram links the medina, the Bouregreg and Salé across the river. US passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days, which makes a spontaneous extension easy.