Hotels

The magnificent Royal Mansour is the gold standard of luxury hotels in Marrakech, offering impeccable, gracious service and facilities second to none. Designed by King Mohammed VI, it was conceived as a “medina within a medina”, with 53 private riads set within six acres of artfully planted gardens full of roses, honeysuckle and date palms designed by Luis Vallejo. Read expert review

Riad Mena is an exemplar riad, with a traditional garden full of orange trees and jasmine that feels like paradise itself in this desert city. It was once home to an aristocratic family and its classical proportions now offer eight handsome suites, an emerald green pool and a jigsaw of picturesque porticos and terraces. Read expert review

Essaouira’s original, 18th-century riad hotel with 21 shabby-chic rooms, a Carita-endorsed spa and a front-row, ocean-view location in the Unesco-protected medina. There is also now a countryside retreat 12km outside of town, complete with pool, barbecue and a farmhouse with three rooms. Read expert review

There’s no finer example of Fes’s architectural opulence. The approximately 600-year-old house took seven years to restore, emerging as an impeccable, some might even say improved, version of its glorious former self. One of the first boutique hotels to open in the medina, it has been going strong for over a decade. Read expert review

Morocco's most storied hotel celebrated its centenary in 2023, and it’s never looked better. That’s especially true thanks to a recent sophisticated makeover by design house Jouin Manku. A starring role in the Netflix series Inventing Anna followed, giving this grande dame a new cachet with the fashionable jet set. Read expert review

Crafted with care by Italian art director and designer, Umberto Branchini, Riad Joya provides a high-octane dose of minimalist, Italian chic amid the medina's dusty lanes. Food is a real focus here, try the cookery course which involves a visit to the market, a lesson from the chef and culminates in your own meal. Read expert review

Rebali Riads offers boutique self-catering accommodation with all the bells and whistles of a lovingly run hotel in a chilled-out beach town. It's made up of one- to five-bedroom villas: the bigger of those have walled gardens and good sized pools; the smaller ones get shady terraces overlooking a communal pool. Read expert review

Agadir has long been overshadowed by Morocco’s imperial cities, but to pass up the opportunity to spend a little time at the Fairmont Taghazout would be to miss out not only on one of Morocco’s hottest new openings, but also one of its brightest new destinations. Read expert review

Auberge Tangaro is the kind of place you fantasise is out there somewhere, and once discovered, guard it jealously for yourself. Hidden away from the rest of the world it’s delightfully laid-back with just enough whistles and bells to ensure you feel properly pampered - a haven from the rigours of modern-day life. Read expert review

Villa Anouk is a rambling farmhouse of pale peach-coloured stone with terracotta floors and fairytale views across miles of gently undulating hills out to a misty haze that is the Atlantic Ocean. Read expert review

The ultimate riad fantasy, hidden away in the heart of the Fez medina. A family home where children and dogs roam a courtyard filled with orange trees and days can be spent lolling by a turquoise pool, or on a roof terrace with views that make your heart skip a beat. Read expert review

This sleepy sister hotel to La Sultana Marrakech occupies a prime perch on Morocco’s wild western coast, flanked by protected birdlife and sandy surf beaches. Its five-star facilities include two pools, beautiful gardens, an extensive spa and a fine, fish-specialist restaurant. Read expert review

This eco-friendly boutique bolthole is spread around a series of interconnecting gardens filled with lush greenery, exotic cacti, citrus trees and fragrant jasmine. With two pools, plenty of alfresco lounging space and cosy lounges with open fires, you can be as sociable or reclusive as you like. Read expert review

Marrakech isn’t short of ultra-luxurious hotels, but this Mandarin Oriental outpost makes a compelling pitch for being its finest. The show-stopping gardens set the tone, filled with 100,000 roses and dotted with 54 riad-style villas. Hidden behind giant wooden doors, each has its own pool, and you can practically jump from your bed into the hot tub. No wonder it’s played host to a celebrity wedding or two. Read expert review

This is arguably the hippest guesthouse in the Fes medina. Expect jazz crooners on the stereo, chic but unfussy décor, an intimate rooftop scene that wouldn’t look out of place on a beach in Ibiza, and a grown-up drinks list in your room. Instagrammers flock here for photos framed in the pretty, wrought-iron windows. Read expert review

A honey-hued, first floor Souiri apartment with seven luxurious bedrooms and unbeatable beach views. It once belonged to a Jewish merchant who kept almonds and carobs in a vaulted store that now houses the b&b’s chic restaurant. Read expert review

Enjoy Moroccan hospitality at its finest in the 11 lavishly restored suites of this historic medina mansion, owned by one of Marrakech's most renowned antique dealers and showcasing the very best Morrocan craftwork. Read expert review

Salut Maroc is a flamboyant hotel in the most colourful city in the country. Housed in an 18th-century former merchant's house with sensational ocean views, its raison d’etre is a passion for traditional Moroccan zellije – hand-cut tiles – which grace the floor and walls of every room in technicolour splendour. Read expert review

Serene, peaceful, heartbreakingly beautiful, this 17th century palace with its carved plaster arches and orange-tree shaded courtyard got its Art Deco edge in the 1920s after an earthquake. Today it's the ultimate base from which to lose your heart to the mystical labyrinth that is the Fes el Bali. Read expert review

Few experiences can beat an overnight camp in the Sahara Desert, and Azalai Desert Camp takes this to a level of luxury unexpected in such remote surroundings. Dine under the stars, fall asleep to the desert wind, and swoon with the romance of it all. Read expert review