On Location: Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort on THE NIGHT MANAGER Season 1
Welcome to On Location , a weekly feature spotlighting landmarks and establishments seen on screen that viewers can visit IRL. Whether you're seeking a fun selfie, breathtaking vistas, or maybe a show-accurate treat, follow along for some bucket list destinations.
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This week's On Location is a bit of a throwback. 2016's The Night Manager Season 1 began and concluded in the opulent (but fictional) Cairo hotel, The Nefertiti. Protagonist Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) begins there as the titular night manager and eventually returns as an undercover operative.
The Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort in Morocco played the role of a sumptuous hub for nefarious dealings perfectly. In exploring its translated website, we've learned that it's even more lavish than The Night Manager represented it as. With The Night Manager Season 2 on the slate for 2025, and Season 3 already greenlit, let's take a look at where it all began.
Full disclosure: While On Location 's purpose is to inform readers of places seen on television that everyday folks can access on their own, the Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort is not a budget-friendly visit. Staying at the resort will cost at least 200 USD per night, with the most extravagant accommodations priced at nearly 2500 USD per night(!). But more on that later… The Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort on The Night Manager Season 1
Long before HBO's The White Lotus ever shone its spotlight on the upstairs/downstairs of privileged vacationing folks behaving badly, Prime Video's The Night Manager highlighted the effort real villains put into truly reprehensible activities in luxurious settings. With the Egyptian riots outside the Nefertiti Hotel in the premiere of The Night Manager , and the various violent occurrences that occur within, the establishment's palatial setting might be shadowed by the anxiety of the series' plot. That would be a shame, as the real-life Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort contains truly spectacular and unique sights and experiences for its guests.
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The production shaped and redecorated the Es Saadi's interiors to suit their needs. (The changes were so dramatic and convincing that one location manager stated that real guests would return to the hotel after a day of sightseeing and question whether they were in the right hotel.)
One interior that is unmistakable on screen is the restaurant where Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) and Pine dine, seemingly to the exclusion of other guests (see lead photo). The ornate white pillared room is La Cour des Lions, located on the top floor of The Palace. Offering a panoramic view over the pool, the gardens, and the city lights, La Cour des Lions, like the other dining establishments in Es Saadi, prides itself on serving organic produce, poultry, and aromatic herbs from its own farm, Potager du Bled. La Cour des Lions's specialty is traditional Moroccan cuisine. Image Credit: Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort website film The Contented One
Created in 1952 by artist and entrepreneur Jean Bauchet, Es Saadi translates to 'the contented one.' Bauchet set out to create a resort ensconced in natural beauty and understated elegance. Eight hectares (nearly 20 acres) of lush tropical gardens and water features provide an idyllic setting for Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort. Guests have four options for accommodations. Photo Credit: Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort
There's the five-star hotel where rooms range from 375 to 900 square feet and cost from 200 to 400 USD per night. As the website describes, 'Located at the front end of the Resort, the hotel has its own Oriental Spa, a swimming pool and a renowned gourmet restaurant. The Theatro night club and the Casino are in close proximity.' Personally, based on the photos of the hotel, I think 'swimming pool' is underselling the amenities a bit.
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On the other side of the hotel's pool is the first of three remarkable accommodation options. At the center of the Es Saadi Gardens, the Palace contains only suites. They range from 900 to 1400 square feet and cost between 400 to 750 USD per night. Staying at The Palace includes access to its lagoon pool, one of the largest in Marrakesh at nearly 26000 square feet. Image Credit: Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort The Ksars and Villas
If a palace isn't quite up to your standards, to one side of the lagoon pool stands the Ksars, a set of private Berber-inspired accommodations. Each Ksar is over 1700 square feet, with a terrace and access to the lagoon pool and the spa's Oriental Thermae® sauna. Staying in the Ksars will run you just under 800 USD a night. Oh, did we mention 'a dedicated butler and Clefs d'Or concierge service are also on hand to ensure your stay is perfect in every way'?
And at the top level of luxury, the Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort offers guests craving more privacy a choice of 10 unique resort villas. From the majestic 3000 square foot Maharaja's Villa (approx. 2500 USD/night) to the cozy and rustic Amazir Villa (a steal at a mere 950 USD/night), each villa has a 1700 square foot private garden, 24/7 butler service, and an electric car with driver to transport you through the park.
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The other villas are The Favorite's Villa, the Roman Villa, the Berber Villa, the Casablanca Villa, the Andalusian Villa, the 1001 Nights Villa, the Sultan's Villa, and the Persian Villa, each with distinctive architecture and decor. Go ahead, collect them all! Image Credit: The Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort Surprise Fact: There *is* a Budget Option!
But wait, there is a way to experience the Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort without bankrupting your future. And it won't even involve getting into business with Richard Roper. The Es Saadi offers visitors a Palace Day Pass for three relatively reasonable tiered prices. For 85 USD, you can enjoy the outdoor hotel and Palace pools and a three-course meal with mocktail at the Lagon & Jardin Restaurant or Island Bar.
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At the second tier, costing approx. 100 USD, you can access the indoor heated pool, sauna, relaxation room, and herbal tea area. For an additional 35 USD, add in a choice of spa treatment. Honestly, it sounds like a lovely day out. Or in. Make a reservation for dinner at La Cour des Lions, and I'd be one happy The Night Manager fan. And FYI, the menu at La Cour des Lions, like many dining establishments in Morocco, is very reasonably priced. Image Credit: Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort Real Life Makes Photo Ops Challenging
The Es Saadi Marrakesh Resort lobby (above) is a beautiful and glamorous space in reality. However, it bears little resemblance to the Nefertiti Hotel's front desk (below) in The Night Manager Season 1. Image Credit: Prime Video
Most of the other filming locations for The Night Manager Season 1 are equally — sometimes more — difficult to access. Roper's Majorcan residence is a 17th-century fortress-turned-private holiday home called Sa Fortaleza. Most of the interior scenes in the Zermatt, Switzerland hotel were filmed on a London set. The exteriors were shot at the Riffelalp Resort 2222m, Europe's highest luxury resort, which is accessible only by the Gornergrat Railway. Rooms there start at about 460 USD. The round-trip train ticket from Zermatt is only 70 USD.
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Blackpool Mill Cottage provided Pine with a temporary hideaway in The Night Manager Season 1 Episode 2. The cottage is available for week-long rentals. In the low season (Jan-Mar), the rentals go for approximately 1300 USD per week. In July, you can expect to pay nearly 3000 USD. The cottage purposefully has no wifi. You'll also be competing with fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, 2007's Sense and Sensibility , and Malory Towers , just a few of the other productions filmed there. Where to Next?
The Night Manager Season 2 has filmed scenes in London, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands so far. The majority of their time has been spent in Spain. There are also rumors that filming in South America is on the schedule as well.
New TV Shows This Week (June 1 – 7) Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.
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