Boutique hotels in Morocco: riads, rooftops and the medina at dusk
Morocco invented the small hotel that hides in plain sight. A riad presents a blank wall to the alley and opens onto a courtyard with a fig tree, a plunge pool and a rooftop that catches the last of the light. Nowhere else in Africa is the boutique format so native to the architecture.
Marrakech
The medina riads are the reason to come, six to twelve rooms, zellige underfoot, hammam downstairs, dinner on the roof. Ask for a courtyard-facing room in the cooler months and an upper floor in summer.
The coast and Casablanca
Essaouira and Mogador trade heat for Atlantic wind and grilled fish; rooms are simpler and lighter. Casablanca is where Morocco's modernist design hotels sit, and where the best cooking is happening for locals rather than visitors.
When to go
March to May and September to November are the sweet spots. Ramadan changes restaurant hours; the riads themselves stay open and are unusually peaceful.
Cities in this guide: Marrakech, Casablanca, Essaouira. More writing on the cities we work in is in the journal.