Mandarin Oriental Marrakech

Terracotta walls, carved plaster and dark zellige tile give the public rooms their colour, set against gardens that run for 20 hectares of olive trees. It sits ten minutes from the Medina, close enough for an afternoon in the souks, far enough to keep its own quiet. Rooms come as suites or multi-bedroom villas, several with private gardens or plunge pools, furnished in a pared-back register of stone, wood and woven textile rather than heavy ornament. Dining spans Cantonese at Ling Ling by Hakkasan, Moroccan cooking at Shirvan, and all-day snacks at Salon Berbère beside the lawns; a private dining room seats up to eight. You can move between five separate spas, each built around a different treatment tradition, or take breakfast poolside under the citrus trees. Two outdoor pools sit within the gardens, one framed by loungers and shade structures, the other set apart for quieter use. The Vegetable Garden restaurant works from produce grown on site, an unusual detail for a city hotel of this scale. Airport transfers can be arranged directly through the hotel.