Begin an adventure of exquisite luxury amidst Morocco's lavish hospitality. Morocco offers a tapestry of luxury experiences, from the bustling souks of Marrakech to the peaceful tranquilly of the Sahara Desert. Imagine yourself ensconced in the luxurious comfort of a traditional riad, where beautiful mosaics and lush courtyards provide a haven of tranquilly.

Imagine savouring the best Moroccan food under the starry sky of a desert camp, with the calm cadence of camel hooves in the background. Morocco, with its rich history, magnificent landscapes, and legendary hospitality, offers a luxury holiday unlike any other. Allow the charm of this exotic destination to capture your senses and take your trip experience to new heights.

Kasbah Tamadot

Kasbah Tamadot

Perched on the Atlas Mountains' foothills, overlooking the Ouirgane Valley, about an hour's drive south of Marrakech near the settlement of Asni. Although the property is located on a busy road, the lush grounds help to mask the sound of traffic. Because the property is at 4,330ft (1,320m), carry some warm clothing in the winter as it can get cool in the evening. Airport transfers can be scheduled.

Seven years of painstaking work converted this decaying hillside fortress into one of the most sumptuous High Atlas destinations, complete with planted gardens, chiselled courtyards, and opulent mountain-view apartments. Scheherazade herself would feel at ease here, floating kaftan-clad through the crazily blooming gardens and spinning tales on the lighted roof terrace while lounging on exquisitely embroidered plump pouffes.

Kasbah Tamadot

Inside, exotically decorated salons are adorned with antiquities from the Arab Peninsula, India, and the Far East. But the real action is outside, in the beautifully groomed grounds or on the breathtaking Atlas-facing patio. Book one of the magnificent Berber tents set in the maquis, where evenings end with your own hot tub beneath a starry sky.

Tamadot provides exceptional amenities and service. Aside from the indoor (heated) and outdoor pools, there's a four-room spa with hammam and Watsu pools, a fully equipped gym, two floodlit tennis courts, a billiards room, library, and a kids' club during the school vacations. Beyond the fortifications, High Atlas trekking, camel riding, quad biking, and paragliding await. Furthermore, the Kasbah's shop sells wonderful Moroccan crafts, with earnings benefiting local community programmes.

Kasbah Tamadot

The 28 rooms and apartments are spread throughout the property among the lovely greenery, ensuring seclusion. All of the suites have a terrace or a balcony, and one has a private pool. The Master Suite is a two-story mini-Kasbah with three bedrooms. There are also eleven Berber tents with individual decks, some of which contain private outdoor whirlpool baths.

Rooms are individually designed with antiques and furnishings purchased by former owner and antiques dealer Luciano Tempo, giving them a rich, exotic feel. All have king-sized beds, bathtubs with mountain views, and split air conditioning units to keep you warm on those cold winter nights. If you grow tired of the breathtaking mountain and valley vistas, televisions are available upon request.

Kasbah Tamadot

The Kanoun Restaurant, which has an excellent terrace overlooking the rust-colored valley, serves Moroccan, African, and worldwide dishes. During the summer, tables are occasionally placed up by the Rooftop bar or snuggled in the garden vegetation. There is also pool service and the option to organise private dinners.

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

The hotel provides a resort experience and is located a 10-minute drive outside of the Medina. If you can drag yourself away from your own pool and the oasis-like gardens, a complimentary shuttle will take you to the bustling Djemaa el-Fna square.

The local surroundings are primarily golf courses, but for a taste of culture, the Museum of African Contemporary Art is right next door. Regularly changing exhibitions highlight new talent from around the continent (admission MAD 70/£5.40).

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Marrakech's Menara Airport is a 15-minute drive away, as are the Jardins Majorelle and Gueliz, a popular new town shopping centre.

A line of palm palms greets you as you enter the resort and the main building, which holds the reception, two upscale restaurants (Shirvan and Ling Ling), and seven suites. French interior designers Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier have embraced a relaxed but exquisite Andalusian-Arabic aesthetic, complete with curving alcoves, muted marble, and towering oak doors. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the public rooms with light, creating an unexpected yet successful departure from traditional Moroccan design.

The desert-toned buildings imply that the gardens are the actual stars. Walkways lined with aromatic olive, orange, and almond trees, as well as 100,000 multi-colored roses, provide several routes around the various ponds and large central pool, past the sand-colored cottages, vegetable garden, and massive spa complex. Candles and lanterns illuminate the gardens at night, creating a very romantic atmosphere.

Bicycles and golf buggies transport guests, which include social media personalities, wealthy families, and honeymooning couples seeking solitude.

Staff here go above and above, as one would expect of a Mandarin Oriental hotel. Each villa has a butler, and any requests for buggies, dinner reservations, or help with your hot tub may be handled by a short Whatsapp message. Exact coffee preferences are memorised during breakfast, and personnel are always ready to provide a local recommendation.

This is a full-fledged resort experience, with a massive main pool (typically vacant because most visitors stay in their villas), two tennis courts, four restaurants, and a running track. Excursions to the Atlas Mountains, cookery workshops, and Medina tours can all be scheduled.

The latter are certainly worth booking, and include visits to neighbourhood communal bread ovens and the city's secret terraces.

The distinct spa building was inspired by Andalusia's cathedrals and old mosques, and it's a true wellness temple, complete with two marble hammams, a large indoor pool, yoga studio, beauty salon and gym. Six spacious treatment rooms offer a relaxing environment for cleanses, wraps, and massages with argan oil and orange blossom (from MAD 750/£58).

The hotel does not have normal rooms, instead offering seven entry-level suites in the main structure, each with a plunge pool with views of the grounds and the Atlas Mountains beyond. These are ideal for those with limited mobility or those who prefer to be close to the restaurants and reception.

The majority of visitors, however, come to stay in one of the 54 villas spread around the 10-acre grounds, which range in size from one to four bedrooms. Each is intended as a little riad and built around a big private pool, complete with an outdoor kitchen, dining table, sofa seating, and fireplace.

Moving indoors, you may enjoy your own spa day in the marble bathroom, which features a super-sized circular tub, steam room/shower and chaise lounge, as well as Diptyque goods.

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

This leads to a central bedroom, which is mostly taken up by a big bed and has French doors that open into a bubbling hot tub. On the opposite side is a sophisticated living room with Moroccan delicacies left every night, though most guests will undoubtedly stay outside. Classic cream-colored linens and dark wood are used throughout, while hand-woven rugs from Rabat and tadelakt plastered walls carved with Berber figures add a feeling of place.

Make reservations at Shirvan, the Silk Road-inspired restaurant run by Michelin-starred Paris chef Akrame Benallal. This is fusion food at its best, innovative but harmonious. Enjoy sharing dishes of caramelised lamb tacos with honey and raïta, as well as tandoori roasted cauliflower with tahini, orange blossom, and almonds, best served with cheddar cheese naan. Pistachio cake for custard is a must-order.

Hakkasan's Ling Ling, which serves delicate scallop siu mai and honey-glazed black fish, also attracts beautiful young Moroccans. On most nights, you can expect DJs and dancing.

The pool café serves traditional but delicious resort fare such as club sandwiches and lobster rolls, and guests can even reserve a private meal set in the hotel's vegetable garden. For pre-dinner cocktails, head to the Tent, a cocktail/lounge bar beneath canvas.

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Breakfast at all Mandarin Oriental hotels is extravagant, and Marrakech is no exception. Shirvan's buffet includes freshly baked pastries (from apple-stuffed Danish pastries to wholegrain croissants), madeleines, daily changing cakes, cookies, cold cuts, cereals, and luscious fruit. Cooked options, such as poached eggs with avocado, are purposefully small, leaving room for Moroccan pancakes slathered with honey and almond butter.

La Sultana Oualidia

La Sultana Oualidia

La Sultana Oualidia's location right above a marine lagoon provides stunning views. When the tide recedes, sandbanks and oyster beds appear; colourful fishing boats pass by all day, and the light is buoyant and beautiful. A useful slope opposite converts Atlantic gusts into soothing zephyrs. Flamingos and migrating stilts congregate along the estuary, and a sandy beach leads to the sea and surfable waves. Unfortunately, reaching such an idyllic location requires a lengthy journey of approximately two and a half hours from Casablanca or Marrakech.

The stunning main building is a toffee-colored kasbah-style structure that cascades upwards via turrets and terraces. In the centre is a glass-roofed spa adorned with Rietveld seats. Bedrooms are more conventional, with stained-glass windows, oleander weaves, and cool tadelakt-plaster walls, but nevertheless comfortable. Greenery, birdsong, and space abound throughout the property. Your conscience can also rest easy knowing that water is reused and adjacent farmers are assisted.

La Sultana Oualidia

The spa features a hair salon, hammam, five treatment cabins, and a heated pool. A larger, fresh-water infinity pool overlooks the saltwater lagoon, as well as a greenhouse and a small gym.

The empty sandy beach is below, followed by a fish pond and a garden adorned with roses and daybeds. A pool table calls you back inside. As if that wasn't enough, the discreet, English-speaking staff can organise yoga, kayaking, surfing, and birdwatching. Not bad for a hotel with twelve rooms.

La Sultana Oualidia

Even the most affordable Prestige Deluxe rooms feature a small salon space, a wood-burning fireplace, a giant bed, larger marble baths, and a spacious patio with a hot tub. The sole complaint is a lack of adequate coffee machines. Suites are worth the investment because they include baths and a lot more space. King of the casbah is a top-floor apartment with two balconies ornamented with faux cannons, while a newer treehouse is little but intensely romantic.

La Sultana Oualidia

Breakfast is served in a small pavilion, with homemade vanilla yoghurt recommended. Just outside is a lunch bar, and below that is a jetty where local oysters are served. Drinks are provided on the patio and are best enjoyed as the orange sun plunges into the sea. That's the cue to head inside to an aquarium-walled dining room with innovative fresh-fish dishes, such as crab flesh with pureed avocado.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

The Four Seasons, located on the outskirts of Hivernage near the regal Menara Gardens, is a 10-minute drive west of the Djemaa el-Fna. In the evenings, visitors can take advantage of complimentary car service to restaurants in the medina and beyond.

Despite its boxy architecture, this resort is great fun because to a creative layout, competent service, and some clever culinary concepts. The resort is organised around a central centre (which includes a large, well-curated boutique, lounges, and two restaurants), and it spreads out in discrete two-story pavilions and homes surrounded by well maintained gardens. Book a couple nights and plan to remain for at least a week. The only challenge will be locating a vacant room.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

Four Seasons is well-known for its service, but here they've struck an excellent mix between friendliness and professionalism. It helps that many of the 300-odd employees have been here for years, and you can tell how well they've bonded.

The stylish, Miami-style outfits of bright shirts, chinos, and skirts also contribute to a carefree, contemporary atmosphere. But don't let that deceive you; everyone here, from the towel-toting pool attendants to the tennis coaches, gym instructors, spa therapists, and kids' club carers, is completely committed to giving you with the greatest service possible.

To one side of the hotel's main hub is the family pool, designed like a jigsaw with multiple levels and lots of lounging areas, as well as direct access to the kid's club; on the other side is a discreet, adult-only pool with cocktail service and a gazebo-shaded restaurant serving light lunches and live Sunday crooning. Sybarites can unwind for the day in the enormous spa (which has separate facilities for men and women), while sports enthusiasts can book bespoke lessons with professional tennis players and personal trainers.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

There are 139 rooms (including 27 suites), ranging from pool-view rooms in the main structure to pavilion patio suites and a two-bedroom villa with its own pool. All of them feature balconies or patios, and the patio suites have a little plunge pool on the sun deck.

The interiors are contemporary in style and immaculately furnished. While the burnt umber and cream tones are inspired by the desert palette, the overall vibe is clean and modern, with high-shine marble flooring, dark timber furnishings, sumptuous king-sized divan mattresses with down pillows, and massive marble bathrooms with double sinks and double-ended tubs. Media hubs, DVD players, iPod docking stations, and 42-inch televisions are all included as standard.

From the modern Middle-Eastern restaurant Inara to Quattro, an Italian restaurant specialising in southern Italian cuisine, the food concepts here are innovative and executed with style.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

Quattro provides Sicilian couscous with scorpion fish, fresh orange and olive salads, tiger prawns with paccheri pasta, and child-friendly pizza, all of which highlight Moorish influences in southern Italian cuisine. Similarly, on Inara's Atlas-facing terrace, classics like chicken tagine sit alongside Lebanese mezze and seared seabass with Berkoukche rice scented with saffron and preserved lemons.

The bar is also excellent, with bar master Simo delivering sophisticated drinks and lovely conversation, while Azzera, the poolside restaurant, specialises in salads and flavor-forward dishes such monkfish coconut curry. The one minor flaw is the breakfast buffet, which, despite offering a diverse selection of pastries, scrambled eggs, cold meats, and savoury foods, may become overcrowded when the hotel is full.

Azalai Desert Camp

Azalai Desert Camp

Azalai Desert Camp is hidden in the Sahara Desert's dunes, in an area known as Chigaga, about three hours from Zagora, the largest town to the north. A four-wheel drive is required to get there; most guests stay at the Azalai Desert Lodge in Zagora. The sealed road terminates in the settlement of Mhamid, from where it is a 90-minute trip across the desert. Local guides are important because the road frequently changes with the wind.

Large white tents are decorated with rustic charm. Antique travel trunks, rustic timber furniture, rattan and carpets, and lanterns to illuminate the night all contribute to the atmosphere. Outside the tents, a sofa and coffee table are on the beach, while a fire pit and dining area are further away.

Azalai Desert Camp

Porters, most of whom are sons of nomads, hoist luggage as if it were weightless and dash up the dunes to drop it off at your tent. Each tent has a personal butler who takes care of everything and serves welcome drinks (typically mint tea) and meals.

There is a three-hole golf course buried in the dunes, camel rides and trips to the next hamlet (nine miles distant) are available upon request, and boules and chess are put up outside the tents. If you choose to dress up, traditional men's and women's clothing is available in the tent. The camp does not function in July and August.

Azalai Desert Camp

Four huge white canvas tents and three slightly smaller ones are separated from one another, giving the impression that you are alone in the desert. Berber carpets cover the rattan floors, which are slightly uneven, and there is a little 'deck' in front of the tent entrance. In the winter, king-sized mattresses are piled high with blankets and brocade covers, while elegant tin battery-powered lanterns offer illumination.

The bathrooms are separated from the bedroom area by a curtain, so there isn't much privacy - but this is 'camping' after all. Bathrooms have chemical toilets, pump showers with hot water (available upon request), and robes.

Azalai Desert Camp

Mint tea, coffee, pastries, and dates are offered upon arrival, but it is the meals prepared in the camp kitchen that truly wow. Dinner is served by candlelight, with lamps strategically set on the sand along the tent's perimeter. It's a four-course set meal that combines Moroccan and French cuisine and might look like this: vegetable soup, Moroccan savoury pastries, tagine (beef or chicken), and chocolate soufflé for dessert.

Alcohol is not available, although guests may bring their own. Breakfast is provided outdoors (or inside the tent if it's windy or chilly) and includes boiled eggs, Moroccan and French pastries, fresh orange juice, and tea or coffee.

Fairmont Taghazout Bay

Fairmont Taghazout Bay

It is around a 45-minute drive from Agadir airport and the city proper, so vehicle rental or a hotel-arranged transfer is required. Once settled in, you'll be reluctant to leave this enormous, sand-toned resort that wraps around Taghazout Bay, affording spectacular views of the Atlantic from every aspect.

Begin an adventure of exquisite luxury amidst Morocco's lavish hospitality. Morocco offers a tapestry of luxury experiences, from the bustling souks of Marrakech to the peaceful tranquilly of the Sahara Desert. Imagine yourself ensconced in the luxurious comfort of a traditional riad, where beautiful mosaics and lush courtyards provide a haven of tranquilly.

Imagine savouring the best Moroccan food under the starry sky of a desert camp, with the calm cadence of camel hooves in the background. Morocco, with its rich history, magnificent landscapes, and legendary hospitality, offers a luxury holiday unlike any other. Allow the charm of this exotic destination to capture your senses and take your trip experience to new heights.

Kasbah Tamadot

Kasbah Tamadot

Perched on the Atlas Mountains' foothills, overlooking the Ouirgane Valley, about an hour's drive south of Marrakech near the settlement of Asni. Although the property is located on a busy road, the lush grounds help to mask the sound of traffic. Because the property is at 4,330ft (1,320m), carry some warm clothing in the winter as it can get cool in the evening. Airport transfers can be scheduled.

Seven years of painstaking work converted this decaying hillside fortress into one of the most sumptuous High Atlas destinations, complete with planted gardens, chiselled courtyards, and opulent mountain-view apartments. Scheherazade herself would feel at ease here, floating kaftan-clad through the crazily blooming gardens and spinning tales on the lighted roof terrace while lounging on exquisitely embroidered plump pouffes.

Kasbah Tamadot

Inside, exotically decorated salons are adorned with antiquities from the Arab Peninsula, India, and the Far East. But the real action is outside, in the beautifully groomed grounds or on the breathtaking Atlas-facing patio. Book one of the magnificent Berber tents set in the maquis, where evenings end with your own hot tub beneath a starry sky.

Tamadot provides exceptional amenities and service. Aside from the indoor (heated) and outdoor pools, there's a four-room spa with hammam and Watsu pools, a fully equipped gym, two floodlit tennis courts, a billiards room, library, and a kids' club during the school vacations. Beyond the fortifications, High Atlas trekking, camel riding, quad biking, and paragliding await. Furthermore, the Kasbah's shop sells wonderful Moroccan crafts, with earnings benefiting local community programmes.

Kasbah Tamadot

The 28 rooms and apartments are spread throughout the property among the lovely greenery, ensuring seclusion. All of the suites have a terrace or a balcony, and one has a private pool. The Master Suite is a two-story mini-Kasbah with three bedrooms. There are also eleven Berber tents with individual decks, some of which contain private outdoor whirlpool baths.

Rooms are individually designed with antiques and furnishings purchased by former owner and antiques dealer Luciano Tempo, giving them a rich, exotic feel. All have king-sized beds, bathtubs with mountain views, and split air conditioning units to keep you warm on those cold winter nights. If you grow tired of the breathtaking mountain and valley vistas, televisions are available upon request.

Kasbah Tamadot

The Kanoun Restaurant, which has an excellent terrace overlooking the rust-colored valley, serves Moroccan, African, and worldwide dishes. During the summer, tables are occasionally placed up by the Rooftop bar or snuggled in the garden vegetation. There is also pool service and the option to organise private dinners.

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

The hotel provides a resort experience and is located a 10-minute drive outside of the Medina. If you can drag yourself away from your own pool and the oasis-like gardens, a complimentary shuttle will take you to the bustling Djemaa el-Fna square.

The local surroundings are primarily golf courses, but for a taste of culture, the Museum of African Contemporary Art is right next door. Regularly changing exhibitions highlight new talent from around the continent (admission MAD 70/£5.40).

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Marrakech's Menara Airport is a 15-minute drive away, as are the Jardins Majorelle and Gueliz, a popular new town shopping centre.

A line of palm palms greets you as you enter the resort and the main building, which holds the reception, two upscale restaurants (Shirvan and Ling Ling), and seven suites. French interior designers Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier have embraced a relaxed but exquisite Andalusian-Arabic aesthetic, complete with curving alcoves, muted marble, and towering oak doors. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the public rooms with light, creating an unexpected yet successful departure from traditional Moroccan design.

The desert-toned buildings imply that the gardens are the actual stars. Walkways lined with aromatic olive, orange, and almond trees, as well as 100,000 multi-colored roses, provide several routes around the various ponds and large central pool, past the sand-colored cottages, vegetable garden, and massive spa complex. Candles and lanterns illuminate the gardens at night, creating a very romantic atmosphere.

Bicycles and golf buggies transport guests, which include social media personalities, wealthy families, and honeymooning couples seeking solitude.

Staff here go above and above, as one would expect of a Mandarin Oriental hotel. Each villa has a butler, and any requests for buggies, dinner reservations, or help with your hot tub may be handled by a short Whatsapp message. Exact coffee preferences are memorised during breakfast, and personnel are always ready to provide a local recommendation.

This is a full-fledged resort experience, with a massive main pool (typically vacant because most visitors stay in their villas), two tennis courts, four restaurants, and a running track. Excursions to the Atlas Mountains, cookery workshops, and Medina tours can all be scheduled.

The latter are certainly worth booking, and include visits to neighbourhood communal bread ovens and the city's secret terraces.

The distinct spa building was inspired by Andalusia's cathedrals and old mosques, and it's a true wellness temple, complete with two marble hammams, a large indoor pool, yoga studio, beauty salon and gym. Six spacious treatment rooms offer a relaxing environment for cleanses, wraps, and massages with argan oil and orange blossom (from MAD 750/£58).

The hotel does not have normal rooms, instead offering seven entry-level suites in the main structure, each with a plunge pool with views of the grounds and the Atlas Mountains beyond. These are ideal for those with limited mobility or those who prefer to be close to the restaurants and reception.

The majority of visitors, however, come to stay in one of the 54 villas spread around the 10-acre grounds, which range in size from one to four bedrooms. Each is intended as a little riad and built around a big private pool, complete with an outdoor kitchen, dining table, sofa seating, and fireplace.

Moving indoors, you may enjoy your own spa day in the marble bathroom, which features a super-sized circular tub, steam room/shower and chaise lounge, as well as Diptyque goods.

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

This leads to a central bedroom, which is mostly taken up by a big bed and has French doors that open into a bubbling hot tub. On the opposite side is a sophisticated living room with Moroccan delicacies left every night, though most guests will undoubtedly stay outside. Classic cream-colored linens and dark wood are used throughout, while hand-woven rugs from Rabat and tadelakt plastered walls carved with Berber figures add a feeling of place.

Make reservations at Shirvan, the Silk Road-inspired restaurant run by Michelin-starred Paris chef Akrame Benallal. This is fusion food at its best, innovative but harmonious. Enjoy sharing dishes of caramelised lamb tacos with honey and raïta, as well as tandoori roasted cauliflower with tahini, orange blossom, and almonds, best served with cheddar cheese naan. Pistachio cake for custard is a must-order.

Hakkasan's Ling Ling, which serves delicate scallop siu mai and honey-glazed black fish, also attracts beautiful young Moroccans. On most nights, you can expect DJs and dancing.

The pool café serves traditional but delicious resort fare such as club sandwiches and lobster rolls, and guests can even reserve a private meal set in the hotel's vegetable garden. For pre-dinner cocktails, head to the Tent, a cocktail/lounge bar beneath canvas.

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Breakfast at all Mandarin Oriental hotels is extravagant, and Marrakech is no exception. Shirvan's buffet includes freshly baked pastries (from apple-stuffed Danish pastries to wholegrain croissants), madeleines, daily changing cakes, cookies, cold cuts, cereals, and luscious fruit. Cooked options, such as poached eggs with avocado, are purposefully small, leaving room for Moroccan pancakes slathered with honey and almond butter.

La Sultana Oualidia

La Sultana Oualidia

La Sultana Oualidia's location right above a marine lagoon provides stunning views. When the tide recedes, sandbanks and oyster beds appear; colourful fishing boats pass by all day, and the light is buoyant and beautiful. A useful slope opposite converts Atlantic gusts into soothing zephyrs. Flamingos and migrating stilts congregate along the estuary, and a sandy beach leads to the sea and surfable waves. Unfortunately, reaching such an idyllic location requires a lengthy journey of approximately two and a half hours from Casablanca or Marrakech.

The stunning main building is a toffee-colored kasbah-style structure that cascades upwards via turrets and terraces. In the centre is a glass-roofed spa adorned with Rietveld seats. Bedrooms are more conventional, with stained-glass windows, oleander weaves, and cool tadelakt-plaster walls, but nevertheless comfortable. Greenery, birdsong, and space abound throughout the property. Your conscience can also rest easy knowing that water is reused and adjacent farmers are assisted.

La Sultana Oualidia

The spa features a hair salon, hammam, five treatment cabins, and a heated pool. A larger, fresh-water infinity pool overlooks the saltwater lagoon, as well as a greenhouse and a small gym.

The empty sandy beach is below, followed by a fish pond and a garden adorned with roses and daybeds. A pool table calls you back inside. As if that wasn't enough, the discreet, English-speaking staff can organise yoga, kayaking, surfing, and birdwatching. Not bad for a hotel with twelve rooms.

La Sultana Oualidia

Even the most affordable Prestige Deluxe rooms feature a small salon space, a wood-burning fireplace, a giant bed, larger marble baths, and a spacious patio with a hot tub. The sole complaint is a lack of adequate coffee machines. Suites are worth the investment because they include baths and a lot more space. King of the casbah is a top-floor apartment with two balconies ornamented with faux cannons, while a newer treehouse is little but intensely romantic.

La Sultana Oualidia

Breakfast is served in a small pavilion, with homemade vanilla yoghurt recommended. Just outside is a lunch bar, and below that is a jetty where local oysters are served. Drinks are provided on the patio and are best enjoyed as the orange sun plunges into the sea. That's the cue to head inside to an aquarium-walled dining room with innovative fresh-fish dishes, such as crab flesh with pureed avocado.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

The Four Seasons, located on the outskirts of Hivernage near the regal Menara Gardens, is a 10-minute drive west of the Djemaa el-Fna. In the evenings, visitors can take advantage of complimentary car service to restaurants in the medina and beyond.

Despite its boxy architecture, this resort is great fun because to a creative layout, competent service, and some clever culinary concepts. The resort is organised around a central centre (which includes a large, well-curated boutique, lounges, and two restaurants), and it spreads out in discrete two-story pavilions and homes surrounded by well maintained gardens. Book a couple nights and plan to remain for at least a week. The only challenge will be locating a vacant room.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

Four Seasons is well-known for its service, but here they've struck an excellent mix between friendliness and professionalism. It helps that many of the 300-odd employees have been here for years, and you can tell how well they've bonded.

The stylish, Miami-style outfits of bright shirts, chinos, and skirts also contribute to a carefree, contemporary atmosphere. But don't let that deceive you; everyone here, from the towel-toting pool attendants to the tennis coaches, gym instructors, spa therapists, and kids' club carers, is completely committed to giving you with the greatest service possible.

To one side of the hotel's main hub is the family pool, designed like a jigsaw with multiple levels and lots of lounging areas, as well as direct access to the kid's club; on the other side is a discreet, adult-only pool with cocktail service and a gazebo-shaded restaurant serving light lunches and live Sunday crooning. Sybarites can unwind for the day in the enormous spa (which has separate facilities for men and women), while sports enthusiasts can book bespoke lessons with professional tennis players and personal trainers.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

There are 139 rooms (including 27 suites), ranging from pool-view rooms in the main structure to pavilion patio suites and a two-bedroom villa with its own pool. All of them feature balconies or patios, and the patio suites have a little plunge pool on the sun deck.

The interiors are contemporary in style and immaculately furnished. While the burnt umber and cream tones are inspired by the desert palette, the overall vibe is clean and modern, with high-shine marble flooring, dark timber furnishings, sumptuous king-sized divan mattresses with down pillows, and massive marble bathrooms with double sinks and double-ended tubs. Media hubs, DVD players, iPod docking stations, and 42-inch televisions are all included as standard.

From the modern Middle-Eastern restaurant Inara to Quattro, an Italian restaurant specialising in southern Italian cuisine, the food concepts here are innovative and executed with style.

Four Seasons Resort Marrakech

Quattro provides Sicilian couscous with scorpion fish, fresh orange and olive salads, tiger prawns with paccheri pasta, and child-friendly pizza, all of which highlight Moorish influences in southern Italian cuisine. Similarly, on Inara's Atlas-facing terrace, classics like chicken tagine sit alongside Lebanese mezze and seared seabass with Berkoukche rice scented with saffron and preserved lemons.

The bar is also excellent, with bar master Simo delivering sophisticated drinks and lovely conversation, while Azzera, the poolside restaurant, specialises in salads and flavor-forward dishes such monkfish coconut curry. The one minor flaw is the breakfast buffet, which, despite offering a diverse selection of pastries, scrambled eggs, cold meats, and savoury foods, may become overcrowded when the hotel is full.

Azalai Desert Camp

Azalai Desert Camp

Azalai Desert Camp is hidden in the Sahara Desert's dunes, in an area known as Chigaga, about three hours from Zagora, the largest town to the north. A four-wheel drive is required to get there; most guests stay at the Azalai Desert Lodge in Zagora. The sealed road terminates in the settlement of Mhamid, from where it is a 90-minute trip across the desert. Local guides are important because the road frequently changes with the wind.

Large white tents are decorated with rustic charm. Antique travel trunks, rustic timber furniture, rattan and carpets, and lanterns to illuminate the night all contribute to the atmosphere. Outside the tents, a sofa and coffee table are on the beach, while a fire pit and dining area are further away.

Azalai Desert Camp

Porters, most of whom are sons of nomads, hoist luggage as if it were weightless and dash up the dunes to drop it off at your tent. Each tent has a personal butler who takes care of everything and serves welcome drinks (typically mint tea) and meals.

There is a three-hole golf course buried in the dunes, camel rides and trips to the next hamlet (nine miles distant) are available upon request, and boules and chess are put up outside the tents. If you choose to dress up, traditional men's and women's clothing is available in the tent. The camp does not function in July and August.

Azalai Desert Camp

Four huge white canvas tents and three slightly smaller ones are separated from one another, giving the impression that you are alone in the desert. Berber carpets cover the rattan floors, which are slightly uneven, and there is a little 'deck' in front of the tent entrance. In the winter, king-sized mattresses are piled high with blankets and brocade covers, while elegant tin battery-powered lanterns offer illumination.

The bathrooms are separated from the bedroom area by a curtain, so there isn't much privacy - but this is 'camping' after all. Bathrooms have chemical toilets, pump showers with hot water (available upon request), and robes.

Azalai Desert Camp

Mint tea, coffee, pastries, and dates are offered upon arrival, but it is the meals prepared in the camp kitchen that truly wow. Dinner is served by candlelight, with lamps strategically set on the sand along the tent's perimeter. It's a four-course set meal that combines Moroccan and French cuisine and might look like this: vegetable soup, Moroccan savoury pastries, tagine (beef or chicken), and chocolate soufflé for dessert.

Alcohol is not available, although guests may bring their own. Breakfast is provided outdoors (or inside the tent if it's windy or chilly) and includes boiled eggs, Moroccan and French pastries, fresh orange juice, and tea or coffee.

Fairmont Taghazout Bay

Fairmont Taghazout Bay

It is around a 45-minute drive from Agadir airport and the city proper, so vehicle rental or a hotel-arranged transfer is required. Once settled in, you'll be reluctant to leave this enormous, sand-toned resort that wraps around Taghazout Bay, affording spectacular views of the Atlantic from every aspect.