10 of the best hotels in Morocco

Twenty minutes from the sea, in the dry hills outside Essaouira, surrounded by forests of argan trees, you’ll find Le Jardin des Douars. This boutiquey Moroccan hotel bills itself as a ‘ksar d’hôtes’, roughly translating as ‘guest fort’ – and within these walls it really does feel like a one-of-a-kind retreat. The main hotel is a tall two storeys, with towers and domes made of terracotta-coloured mud and straw looming over the hillside gardens. Its bedrooms are clustered around two courtyards that fill with chattering birds at dusk; the dining rooms and kitchen are at one end, with a sprawling terrace outside for lunch. More rooms lie in outbuildings scattered around the gardens, alongside six villas (with their own pools) sleeping as many as 14 apiece. But it’s the gardens that get top billing; towering palms and cacti; jagged aloes; tumbling bougainvillea in purple, white and orange; oleander and lantana; blue plumbago and pink trumpet vine. Spend an hour or so trying everything on the breakfast buffet, and book in to the on-site hammam to be rubbed and scrubbed with black soap, argan oil and verbena in an atmospheric, red-marble chamber of treatments. Break for lunch, served on the terrace; the spectacular Sunday barbecue buffet is worth planning your entire stay around. Then borrow a big straw hat and veg out by one of the two pools (one for families, one adults-only, both with beach-style bars), where the only disturbance is the staff bringing round a tray of free cake and mint tea at 4pm. Eventually it’s time for sundowners and dinner, with more than enough options (both Moroccan and European) for everyone to try something different each night.

Time Out tip: Book the shuttle to Essaouira in advance, to make sure you get the timings you want – it leaves every hour and only has 7 seats. It sadly isn’t free, but a return trip by private taxi will set you back at least twice as much.

In Marrakech, there are more five-star hotels than you can shake a stick at, so picking a favourite is no small feat. Most are outside the medina (the walled city) and so have the luxury of space, and the Mandarin Oriental is no exception. Sitting in 50 acres of manicured gardens fit for a king, its 54 villas come with private outdoor showers as well as their own hammams, though there’s also a colossal spa on site too, as well as two golf courses and three restaurants. These surroundings and the hundreds of staff that look after them don’t come cheap: rooms start at over £700 a night – and that’s in low season.

For something a little cosier (and more central), try Jasper Conran’s riad, which is a short stroll from the Koutoubia Mosque and Marrakech’s main square, Jemaa El Fna, and so perfect for soaking up the atmosphere of the medina, albeit in a more refined environment. It has just five suites as well as a small pool surrounded by orange and lemon trees and, up top, a roof terrace for enjoying a mint tea while the sun sinks behind the mountains. Unsurprisingly, given the owner, decor is key here: think understated crisp white walls, Egyptian cotton sheets and draped four-poster beds, in a house dotted sparingly with 1930s furniture and local crafts.

If you don't want to tangle with tourists while enjoying a decidedly modern, North African break, try this Brit-owned seafront yoga and surf hotel about an hour’s drive from Agadir. Taghazout is a laidback, hippie-ish surf town but the vibe at Amouage is more slick and stylish than boorish backpacker. There’s an infinity pool, an outdoor cinema, a pool table and a bar, as well as cracking views from the yoga deck. Given all this, you might not want to prise yourself away from the actual hotel, but seeing as wetsuit and board hire are included in packages, most guests try their hand and riding the waves.

If you’re looking for bygone era charm, this 10-room country house, perched on a hill overlooking Tangier and the straits of Gibraltar, has colonial glamour by the bucket load. Built by a Times correspondent who is said to have been one of the inspirations for Indiana Jones, it was subsequently home to a Duke and a Pasha, though is now popular with a-list creatives looking for a soignée hideaway near bustling Tangier. There’s a well-regarded French restaurant but mainly it’s about hiding under a straw hat by the pool and penning your ’40s spy novel.

You won’t find a pool or a spa at this six-room, 600-year-old house in the heart of Fez’s medina, and really, that’s the point. What you will find is a meticulously renovated labour of love, whereby the owners Kate and Alaa undertook a seven-year careful refurbishment, filling the guesthouse with treasures from the surrounding souk as well as crisp white sheets on the beds and beautiful Berber rugs on the floors. Special mention goes to the extensive breakfasts and dinners, which are eaten communally on the roof.

This eco guest house in the Toubkal National Park is an inspiring, award-winning example of sustainable, ethical tourism in action. In a beautiful setting and more mountain refuge than hotel, it’s ideally located if you fancy a stomp in the nearby High Atlas mountains, though you’re welcome to stay put and read, drink tea and meditate on the extensive terraces that overlook the local village and surrounding reddish mountains. Note that some exercise is unavoidable though: you have to walk the15 minutes from the local village to the hotel as there’s no road, (though mules do the hard work of carrying your bags).

The seaside town of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast has long been popular with travellers longing for hippie-tinged seaside charm. More recently, Easyjet flights and notoriety as a Game of Thrones location have meant it’s gotten busier, but it still manages to retain a certain mystical, salty charm. If you want to explore the medina but also have some quiet time, the Jardin de Douars is a good option. Peace is what it’s about here: you won’t find TVs or wi-fi in most of the rooms, and there are adults-only areas, including one of the two pools and a dining room, meaning that you can escape both the real world and its offspring. Come instead for international cooking, a fine spa and some gorgeous places in which to enjoy the glorious weather (sun hats are available to borrow).

Another rural gem, this time just under an hour’s drive from Marrakech, is this stunning lakeside Kasbah at the feet of the Atlas mountains. There are 30 rooms, two pools (plus a kids’ pool), a couple of restaurants and a spa, but really, it’s the surrounding countryside that’s the draw here, with hiking, horseriding or Berber cooking classes all on offer. Service and attention to detail are top-notch: from candles dotted about the gardens at night to rose petals in your bathroom after returning from a sticky afternoon walk, nothing is been forgotten.

Richard Branson’s Moroccan castle in the Atlas mountains is everything you’d expect from a celeb-owned hotel. There’s a gym, spa, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools and intriguing, local objets a-plenty (the previous owner was an antique dealer/interior designer, and it shows). Rooms (28 of them) range from the Aman, which has its own pool, to six luxurious Berber tents with private whirlpool baths. If you want to venture out – and with views like this you should, despite the difficulty you’ll have tearing yourself away – bring your walking boots and do some trekking… accompanied by the hotel’s resident mules.