the thousand and one nights an imperial city

Marrakech, imperial ancient city, the holy city to the 7 marabouts opens the door of southern Morocco and fans of night life

It is a city of contrasts, where trendy places, trendy restaurants, major hotels and oversized projects alongside a medina which has kept its traditions and its medieval atmosphere.

The tourist places abound, historical, cultural or festive. Palaces, museums, gardens, riads and its colorful souks where different grouped by sector trades offer the fruit of the work of many craftsmen of the medina, all combine to surprise and delight the visitor's eye.

Jemaa el Fna square in the heart of the historic town near the souks, seduced by the intoxication of its effervescence both human drama and the imprint of a still recent past where the word, storytelling, fable and epic resonated within it. His incessant expansion turns into a huge open-air restaurant at the end of the afternoon, and late into the night.

Like a lighthouse, the Koutoubia before the top of its 70 m of the Imperial City.

The remote palm grove center houses a number of hotels and upscale restaurants. 70 km north of Marrakech in the High Atlas, the waterfalls of the Ourika Valley welcome people of Marrakech in the heart of the hot summer. Close to the snowy peaks of the Oukaïmeden in winter Marrakchis thousand resources practice skiing on steep slopes.

Activities abound, sports of all kinds, golf courses, high quality spas, excursions to the peaks of the High Atlas and beyond, barely more than two hours away, the sea. Essaouira deploys its charms, its colors and its fresh air.

Neighborhoods across the history of Marrakech

Christmas shopping Marrakech-style

Winter sun and shopping in Morocco, affordable weekend breaks and three of the best UK winter ice rinks

Take me there

Why do battle with Christmas crowds on the high street when you could be picking up exotic handmade gifts in the medieval souks of balmy Marrakech? Tour operator Specialist Morocco (020 7193 2461; specialistmorocco.com) has put together a shopping package for £299pp which includes three nights' half-board accommodation in the Riad Africa and the services of a personal shopper who'll help you navigate the labyrinthine medina. After a hard day's haggling for slippers, lanterns and spices, return to the riad for a massage in the hammam or soak up some winter sun on the roof terrace. Easyjet has return Gatwick-Marrakech flights from £62.

Travel clinic

The dilemma I've been with my girlfriend for three months and want to take her away for a weekend. She's dropped hints about Babington House, but this is way out of my price range. James, Farnborough

Ah, the first mini-break: few romantic milestones are more loaded with the potential for heartbreak. Rather than blowing the budget on a posh country house, play it low key. There are some great new country inns which offer all the style and service of a five-star hotel but without the stuffiness or the price tag. A room in Babington will set you back at least £300, but at the Archangel (archangelfrome.com) in nearby Frome you'll get similar flair and attention to detail – think funky wall murals, zinc roll-top baths and top-notch toiletries – for a third of the price (doubles from £120). A lively programme of music and cocktail nights attracts a young crowd, and the food is fabulous. In Wiltshire the Beckford Arms (beckfordarms.com) offers even better value, with rooms from £95. It's co-owned by a former director of Babington (the next best thing to staying there, surely?), so you'll get the trademark blend of laid-back cool and gorgeous country setting and still have funds left to splash out on a bottle of champagne.

If you have a travel dilemma, email Joanne O'Connor atmagazine@observer.co.uk. For more travel suggestions, go toguardian.co.uk/travel

Three of the best: UK winter ice rinks

The run-up to Christmas wouldn't be complete without the chance to cut a dash (or show yourself up) at an open-air ice rink. Here are three in the most memorable locations

1. Royal Pavilion, BrightonIncomparable Regency backdrop. Mulled wine and fondue at the Alpine café. Adults £9.50, children £6.50. Until 22 Jan (royalpavilionicerink.co.uk)

2. East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh One of Europe's largest open-air rinks. Live entertainment, too. Adults £8.50, children £6. Until 4 Jan (edinburghschristmas.com)

3. Somerset House, London Club nights, cocktails, champagne on ice: skating doesn't get sexier than this. From £7.50. Until 22 Jan (somersethouse.org.uk/ice-rink)

Top riad in Marrakech

Riad WO

The design vibe at WO combines traditional Marrakech interiors of cool plaster and tadelakt with a clever riff on pisé techniques more traditional to the countryside. WO feels curiously removed from city life – it’s almost as if you’re out in glamorous La Palmeraie or tucked away in the countryside, despite the fact that Djemaa-el Fna square is less than five minutes away. All five rooms are spacious and uncluttered, with simple platform beds and cool grass mats underfoot. An expansive lounge has deep sofas, a dining area and a vast fireplace, but the piece de resistance is the galleried outdoor chillout zone with its L-shaped pool.

Top riad in Marrakech

Dar Zamzam

This former fortune teller’s house, in the north medina, is a luxury boutique in the truest sense. The seven-room, family-friendly riad has been lavishly decorated in soothing tones of pistachio and peach tadelakt, layered with rich Moroccan silks and embroidery, and dotted with brass lanterns by celebrated designer Yahya, who supplies various royal houses and Hollywood A-listers. The food is fabulous too – try a breakfast of Berber porridge (spiced, cooked grains with dried fruit and honey), shakshuka and yogurt with nuts and cinnamon, or the rooftop barbecues. Don’t miss a trip to the pint-sized spa for traditional Moroccan beauty treatments and facials. 

• Doubles from €110 B&B, +212 661 215 062, riadzamzam.com

 

Top riad in Marrakech

Dar 18

This artist’s lair is part gallery, part workspace and part exhibition room, and occasional guesthouse for like-minded souls who want to immerse themselves in Marrakech’s creative hub. Run by photographer Laila Hida, it has a dynamic atmosphere, with everyone from Magnum photographers to local, up-and-coming street artists zipping in to work on their latest project, or to talk shop over coffee or mint tea in the courtyard. Pressed, concrete tiles in geometric patterns cover the floors; the three rooms are simple but inspiring spaces for a working getaway.

• Doubles from £45 B&B, +212 524 389 864, facebook.com/dardixhuit

Top riad in Marrakech

Le Coq Berbère

When Elisabetta Caracciolo came to Marrakech to buy a riad eight years ago, she was seduced by a terrible house with no stairs and a gigantic hole in the roof. There were, however, extraordinary views of the Koutoubia minaret. She bought it, and although the renovation took four years, she now finds herself at the heart of Riad Laaroussa – the hottest spot in the medina for new restaurants and boutique-souk shopping. The house makes a calming retreat from the mayhem, with simple bejmat floors (matt terracotta tiles), cream wicker furniture arranged around a teeny-tiny plunge pool, and a plush Moroccan lounge tucked beneath the arches. Three doubles and three triples are comfortable and unfussy rooms, but the real lure is a series of roof terraces, where you can take it all in without leaving the lounger.

• Doubles from €55 B&B, +212 524 384 057, marrakechriad.info

Top riad in Marrakech

Riad Edward

One of the city’s grooviest hotels, Riad Edward has a lived-in, clubby air, one that immediately makes you feel you belong. A deep, teal-blue pool occupies most of the courtyard, with daybeds scattered casually around, while easy-listening numbers fill the air; at night, candlelit lanterns flicker from every surface. The 10 rooms are an eclectic mix of styles, ranging from the vast Douiria suite, with its eye-boggling carved wood ceiling, to the light-filled Studio Room, which has an entrance flanked by Berber totems, a canopied bed, and disco mirror tiles around the fireplace. There’s a dramatic dining room, with a table to seat 38. The food is excellent, and available round the clock.

• Doubles from €75 B&B, +212 524 389 797, riyadedward.com

Top riad in Marrakech

Riad Honey

The South Medina is a relatively undiscovered, undeveloped neighbourhood, but the pretty red passageway planted with roses that hides this cute little guesthouse suggests it could be on the up. Opened in 2007, the intimate, red tadelakt courtyard, with its black-tiled paddling pool, makes for a dramatic entrance. You’ll find the eight rooms rather more sedate. The best has a four-poster bed, with crisp, embroidered linen, creamy walls and cool, tiled bathrooms. The shady, lushly planted roof terrace is a fantastic spot for breakfast. Mainly, though, this is a great jumping-off point if you’re heading for the Sahara, as the road south is practically on the doorstep.
• Doubles from €100 B&B, +212 524 38 69 81, riad-honey.com

Top riad in Marrakech

Riad Rbaa Laroub

This riad is named after a stopped clock (r’baa laroub means quarter to four) that French owner Jean-Noël Schoeffer gave pride of place to in the main courtyard 15 years ago, and hasn’t moved since. The polished terracotta-tiled space is filled with antiques and curios, and a gaggle of return guests who’ve been passing through for years. More home than hotel, it has seven individually decorated rooms, enriched with painted wood ceilings, black and yellow floor tiles, and antique embroidered bed linen, while the jungle-like roof terrace is a haven of secret corners to hide away in. On cold days breakfast is served in the dining room, but most guests gather around the kitchen table instead.
• Doubles from €75 B&B, +212 524 390 716, darrbaalaroub.com

Top riad in Marrakech

Riad Tizwa

Tizwa is the kind of place that makes you go “ahh …” the minute you swoosh through the door. Original dove-grey and white tiles cover wraparound balconies draped with white-linen curtains, and scented jasmine cascades down to the courtyard. It’s a great place to curl up on a sofa and do nothing, yet just minutes from the main souks and a short cab ride into the Ville Nouvelle. The five rooms are spacious and comfortable, with some lavish details, such as the ornately carved plaster ceilings in the courtyard room, but it’s the thoughtful touches that make the place: who doesn’t love finding flasks of piping-hot tea and coffee outside their room when they wake up in the morning?
• Doubles from €95 B&B, 07973 115 471, riadtizwa.com