Philomena Schurer Merckoll's seven-bedroom riad is pure magic. Homely in atmosphere, Riad Mena feels like a private house owned by your very chicest friend. Filled with art, the boutique riad is serene and spacious, with multiple living rooms dotted throughout the property. Our favourite rooms are The Eileen Gray, which is made for design lovers with a penchant for mid-century furniture, and The Writer's Den, the smallest room of the house, which is primed for writing and daydreaming. Spot something you love here? Stop by The Pink Door, a gallery-boutique situated in an adjoining house, to pick up something similar.

This 19th-century riad designed by Jasper Conran is an elegant sanctuary composed of five suites, a lap pool set within a fragrant garden, and various dining spaces and places to perch. The understated bedrooms ooze old-school glamour - four-poster beds topped with Egyptian-cotton linens and the like. The Casablanca, the largest suite, comes with its own private terrace overlooking the courtyard garden, with key features including an impressive zouac ceiling, antique furniture and art from Mr C's collection. Head up to the roof terrace to dine under the arbour and be wowed by attentive service and munificent, multi-course meals. If the heat gets too much, make a beeline for the lemon-hued salon, where floor-to-ceiling French windows add an airiness to sun-drenched white surrounds.

Forming a douar (a village), Beldi Country Club comprises restaurants, pools, a spa, boutique hotel, souk with umpteen stalls selling everything from pottery to carpets and glass, olive orchard, tennis court and more. Thanks to its location away from the bustling city centre, a stay here is the perfect balancer to Marrakech's freneticism. With 42 spacious suites in all, each blending Moroccan tradition and chic French design, it's easy to be smitten with this place - cue a jaunt to the rose garden, composed of 15,000 blooms, for further convincing. On night one, dine amid fragrant gardens at Le Palmier Fou, followed with a tipple at the Cactus Bar.