The most romantic hotels in Marrakech, from seductive spas to ravishing riads

Situated in the chic Palmeraie neighbourhood, 15 minutes north-east of the centre of Marrakech, Les Deux Tours is a total escape from the madcap medina. There is an old-fashioned sophistication to the resort, much of it thanks to architect Charles Boccara’s intelligent design and unique modern-Moorish style. That and the gorgeous Andalucian-style gardens, which beguile with their fountains and lily ponds. Amid the frothing bougainvillea sit the main house and a handful of secluded villas, which accommodate 40 rooms and suites – nine of them with private pools. Make your way down winding paths and you’ll come across shaded benches, four-poster beds draped with gauzy curtains, and a stunning 28-metre pool bookended with an open-air restaurant.

The magnificent Royal Mansour is the gold standard of luxury hotels in Marrakech, offering gracious service and facilities that are second to none. Designed by King Mohammed VI, it was conceived as a ‘medina within a medina’, with just 53 private riads set in 12 acres of fragrant Moorish gardens. You can live, eat, swim and sleep in the privacy of your villa (waited on by an army of attendants who navigate through a warren of underground tunnels so as not to disturb the peace), but that seems a shame when you have the run of the beautifully landscaped gardens, a vast outdoor pool, a Michelin-starred garden restaurant, three bars, and the most beautiful hammam and spa in Marrakech.

True to its name, Jnane Tamsna (‘Big Garden’) immerses you in the sights, sounds and scents of a North African oasis. Chiselled good looks and an artistic sense of colour provide glamour without the need for gilded trimmings. Moorish arches, painted in a warm butterscotch hue, frame views of bright blue skies and a verdant garden – where winding paths lead to five secluded villas housing 24 comfortable rooms. Decorated in an eclectic style, they mix Moroccan crafts with Middle Eastern furnishings and colourful African textiles. Each of the five houses has its own heated pool, and guests can also avail themselves of cooking classes, literary events, cycling excursions, massages, tennis and yoga.

Jasper Conran’s 19th-century riad is a haven of great taste, channelling the same elegant glamour as the 1942 film, Casablanca. Walk-on roles are played by a cosmopolitan guest list, who look every inch the part lounging fireside in the luxurious salons. The harmonious proportions – the double-height arches, deep balconies, rambling roof terraces and thickly planted patio – speak to a spirit of quiet sophistication, while rare artworks and hand-loomed carpets add layers of thoughtful personality. The garden is possibly the finest feature: from the dining salon it looks like a luxuriant Zuber wall print through the floor-to-ceiling French windows, and it also provides a natural screen for the heated saltwater pool.

This quietly stylish, peach-coloured villa offers a sensitive mix of Moroccan and European design. Centred around a large domed hallway, the single-storey house stretches out in two wings that create a generous feeling of space. There’s a cosy winter lounge with deep silk-covered sofas framing a large fireplace, a lighter and brighter summer lounge, an atmospheric red-walled dining room, and a cosy library with plump leather armchairs. Set snugly between the wings is a fabulous open-sided terrace, furnished with layered rugs and cushioned sofas, which looks out over the mature garden through a romantic open-sided colonnade.

Like a Berber version of an English country house hotel, Kasbah Bab Ourika embraces a comfortable shabby-chic style throughout its sprawling pisé (earth-built) cottages and relaxed flowering gardens. Set around an internal patio, it accommodates large comfortable public spaces – including a lounge with stacks of games, a bar, a glass-fronted dining room, and a small reading room. Supple leather chairs, vintage carpets, and stacks of cushions covered in local fabrics create an inviting ambience – particularly in winter when all the fires are lit. Still, it’s the outdoor space that impresses most. Meandering pathways lined with clipped rosemary bushes lead you to a walled pool and astonishing views.

This riad hotel centres around a large courtyard, with six orange trees standing sentry on a manicured green lawn that’s all-the-more vibrant for the charcoal grey walkway that surrounds it. Like a Delacroix painting, there’s a dramatic use of lighting, colour and romance in the décor, which combines colonial and Second Empire furnishings to opulent effect. The secondary pool patio is dotted with commodious wicker loungers and features a charming orangery-turned-bar, lined with a fabulous Zuber hand-printed mural. Duck through a side door and you’ll find yourself on a third patio used as a winter dining room, while a fourth courtyard has a heated swimming pool and spa.

Taking his cue from Morocco’s rich history – encompassing Berber, Roman, Ottoman and Byzantine cultures – Italian art director and designer Umberto Branchini has conjured an impressive space out of this medina riad. The main patio features a scalloped marble fountain at its centre, and is flanked by four Doric columns that soar skywards, lifting the eye to a beautiful cedarwood mashrabiya (hand-carved screen). A calm palette lets the architecture and craftsmanship speak for itself, while bespoke furnishings covered in burlap and silk velvet add a touch of luxurious texture. Beside the courtyard there’s a library and romantic dining room – and below stairs a subterranean hammam glows in the soft light of fretwork lanterns.

Push through the carved door into this hotel’s citrus-scented garden, and you could be forgiven for thinking you’d chanced upon a secret royal palace. Water gurgles soothingly from a fountain, and olives and palms frame intricately carved plaster archways. In the centre, reflecting the sky, is a swimming pool lined with immaculate white-cushioned loungers. It could hardly be more chic or discreet. Inside, the French colonial décor continues the luxurious but intimate vibe, from the wood-panelled dining room to the ample leather sofas and velvet chairs that frame the enormous fireplace in the main salon.