Philomena Schurer Merckoll

Explore one of the most enchanting places in Morocco, owned by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé since 1980. Dive into the history of the garden and its vibrant and captivating colours. Today it is filled with pathways, steps, art deco buildings and plants from around the world. It serves as a haven in a busy city and a moment of inspirations for all creatives. 

Jean Noel's soulful riad was one of the first guest houses to open in the Medina, and remains first and foremost a home. Every corner of the house tells a different story, the fruit of thirty years of carefully selected finds that create a sense of both luxury and tranquillity. The interior is beautifully refined, and Jean Noël's eye for design can be seen in everything, from the choice of materials to the wood finishes; the chamber colonial is worth a trip to Marrakech alone. Indulge in a carefully prepared breakfast on the remarkable terraced roof, adorned with climbing plants and lush bougainvillaea, to the sound of the muezzin's call to prayer, then venture out to the surrounding shops, stalls and dining options in the most coveted area of the Medina. 

When British design scion Jasper Conran has anything to do with a hotel, you know you’re in good hands. Conran bought this 19th-century riad, once part of the monarchy’s Caidal palace, in 2016 and filled it with Moroccan craftsmanship, antique furniture, textiles, lighting and art from his own collection. The result is the elegance of a 1930s hotel that feels more like a home. With its unusually wide courtyard and open-air pool dotted with perfumed rose bushes and shaded by an open pergola and fig trees, it’s tempting to linger all day with a homemade iced peach and melon spritz in hand. But with Jemaa el-Fna square and the Souks steps away, the rooftop suppers of grilled fish and slow-cooked tagine overlooking the Atlas Mountains taste even better at night. 

Tucked beside the Bahia Palace and away from the souk’s commotion, Riad Rosemary is Belgian-born designer, and founder of design house LNRCE, Laurence Leenaert’s labour of love. Like the creative crowd it attracts, the riad is beautiful and endlessly surprising. At its heart stands a spiralling jacaranda tree that showers violet blossoms each spring. Over five years, more than forty of Leenaert's in-house artisans  painted soft, earthy tones, laid bespoke terrazzo, and inlaid hand-cut zellij tiles depicting Leenaert’s own designs. The five suites are among the Medina’s finest - generous in size, originality and comfort, right down to the hand-embroidered percale bedsheets. A simple but plentiful breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace, and in true home-stay fashion, guests are left to their own rhythms, trusted to treat the place as their own. 

Shams rooftop restaurant and bar sits atop the Le Monde des Arts de la Parure museum in Marrakech, an enormous collection of African and oriental jewellery, clothing, and ethnographic items in a truly breathtaking modern building by Franco-Lebanese architects Michel Charrière and Joseph Achkar. The menu takes inspiration from both Mediterranean and Levantine cuisine, from traditional baba ghannouj and fattoush to goat's stuffed pittas with Greek salad and lashings of olive oil. With elevator access straight to the top, Shams is the place for long, lazy lunches in a leafy escape above the city, book-ended with a Moroccan iced coffee, of course. 

At 7 rue Ibn Rochd, Villa Aaron is a 1930s-built family home reborn as one of Marrakech’s most stylish restaurant-bars. Restored by the Amazoz Group with the owner’s granddaughter, the villa retains its soul in patterned zellij, vintage furniture and lush courtyards, refreshed by designer Michèle-Rose with soft light and greenery. Chef Luisma Naranjo’s menu blends Mediterranean generosity with Moroccan flair - from mechoui cannelloni to shakshouka ravioli - while skilled barmen pour playful cocktails from the marble-topped bar. Atmosphere is key here: live jazz, double bass or DJs drift through salon corners and shaded patios. And if you have the stamina, you may find yourself at Marrakech's most elegant house party, as last orders only happen at 2 am.

Casablanca banker-turned-bon vivant Aziz Nahas is the man behind Marrakech’s chicest farm-to-table hangout. His 25-acre Sanctuary Slimane feeds the kitchen at Farmers, tucked inside the Deco-lovely Galerie El Beqal in Gueliz. Chef Driss Aloui turns that harvest into playful cross-cultural plates – Moroccan lamb tacos, sea bream with harissa salsa, jerk farm chicken and hibiscus-poached pears for pud – all served against a backdrop of walnut tables, hand-made tiles and irreverent art courtesy of artist Sarah Edwards. Slimane even makes its way into the cocktails; don’t miss the Midnight Corbusier, a heady muddle of mahia, spice and citrus.

In the heart of Gueliz, Sahbi Sahbi is the dazzling new sibling to Grand Café de la Poste and Bô Zin. What makes it extraordinary? It’s entirely women-led. In a culture where kitchens are usually closed off, here they take centre stage: a vast open cooking space where guests watch Morocco’s once-secret recipes unfold before their eyes under highly skilled female chefs. From the slow melt of lamb tagines to chicken seffa crowned with sugared almonds, every dish feels like a revelation shared.

This tiny atelier in the heart of the souk has gained a cult-like following all thanks to proprietor and tailor Mohammed's way with a needle and thread. Kaftans, shirts and jackets line the store, blending Moroccan tradition with Western flair that would turn heads at the chicest of London soirées. Celebrities, well-dressed locals and even Spanish royalty (rumor has it) have passed through his door. Standout favourites include Moroccan cashmere jackets with embroiled trim or the suede babouche slippers. It is pure 1960s Moroccan glamour for the modern sartorial gentleman.