Jnane Tamsna, Marrakech, Morocco

What makes Morocco unique in terms of accommodation is the profusion of maison d’hôtes – guest houses – run by owners who have a genuine love of the country and want their guests to discover and share in it. Interior designer Meryanne Loum-Martin and her husband, ethnobotanist Gary Martin, were amongst the first to offer this personal service in Marrakech when they began in 1989 with Dar Tamsna. Their empire has expanded to include Ryad Tamsna, a tea room and shop in the medina and Jnane Tamsna, a luxurious house in the Palmeraie.

The facilities

Guests of this luxury resort gather before dinner every evening in the main salon where they can either keep to themselves or chat to the owners and fellow guests. A mixture of low backed chairs and sofas invite conversation. Fires roar in winter, and music is always faintly present in the background. Jnane Tamsna does have a television room for desperados but it is rarely used. A breezy outside salon provides white cushioned low level seating. Most of the food served at this luxury resort comes from the organic vegetable gardens or the farm project outside Marrakech.

Jnane Tamsna has a pale blue pool for each of the three houses – long, thin and unadorned – surrounded by sun loungers with shocking pink towels that complement the blue sky, green plants and sandy coloured walls of the house. A tennis court is available for active guests (lessons can be arranged) and the three Marrakechi golf courses are each a fifteen minute drive away.

The rooms

The chic, simple Tamsna style is a blend of traditional Moroccan techniques with a modern twist. The 15 rooms at this luxury resort are divided between Jnane House (ten) and Maison des Voyageurs - Moussafir (five), a separate building available to be rented whole or as individual rooms, plus the two latest additions on the ground floor of Dar Ylane, the owners' house which also houses a spacious and elegant sitting room and a boutique showcasing Loum-Martin's designs. The rooms in the main house are spread over the two levels and lead through tall wooden doors and arches off the verdant courtyard. The fragrant plants create a calming atmosphere at Jnane Tamsna, as does the wall fountain.

Simplicity, not minimalism is the feeling at this luxury resort – rooms are furnished with a large bed (or twins), a chaise lounge, table, chair, fireplace, framed photos or paintings, a mirror and a vase of freshly picked flowers. There are no phones in the rooms nor minibars nor televisions. Heavy linen curtains frame the view through the arched doorways out on the terraces or gardens. Some rooms at Jnane Tamsna are bright and colourful, others are more sober – each has a theme yet the overall style is harmonious. A mix of old and new is found in the bathrooms with tadelakt walls and floors, double basins and fast-filling western baths. The Tamsna herbal bath oil, shampoo etc is available to buy so you can close your eyes, breathe deeply and pretend you’re still there once you’ve reluctantly departed.