Boutique hotels in Morocco

Few countries make staying somewhere as memorable as Morocco. Its signature is the riad, a townhouse built around a planted courtyard, hidden behind a plain door in the lanes of an old medina. Beyond the cities you sleep in restored mud-brick kasbahs, in mountain lodges below the High Atlas and in tented camps among the dunes, and almost everywhere the welcome begins with mint tea.

The imperial cities

Marrakech is the country's hotel capital, with palatial riads, garden estates in the Palmeraie and stylish newcomers in the medina. Fes has the largest and most intact medieval medina in the Arab world, and its restored palaces are the best way to experience it. Meknes and Rabat are calmer and less visited.

The coast

Essaouira is a breezy, whitewashed port with an artistic streak. In the north, Tangier and Asilah look toward Spain, while Taghazout and Dakhla in the south draw surfers and kitesurfers.

Mountains and desert

The High Atlas rises an hour from Marrakech, with Berber villages around Imlil and the Ourika Valley. South of the mountains, the road leads through Ouarzazate and the palm oasis of Skoura to the Sahara dunes of Erg Chebbi, while the stony Agafay Desert offers a taste of the desert close to Marrakech. In the Rif, Chefchaouen is painted in shades of blue.

When to go

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are ideal. Summer is very hot inland but pleasant on the Atlantic coast; winter brings sunny days, cold nights and snow on the Atlas peaks. During Ramadan, many restaurants close by day, but hotels continue to serve guests.