Review of Dar Doukkala, by Jeroen Bergmans

Dar Doukkala is the luxury riad of choice for high-powered financiers and honeymooners on a sojourn to Marrakech thanks to its spacious rooms and decadent interiors. Owner and interior designer Jean-Luc Lemee has mixed painted cedar ceilings and elaborate Moroccan stucco work with art deco furnishings and the occasional Philippe Starck ghost chair.

Dar Doukkala's huge courtyard is a forest of foliage dotted with clusters of chairs and tables for alfresco dining or post-marital canoodling, and the adjoining salon offers another romantic nook with intricate woodwork and a copper-domed open fire. There's also a TV room for essential football matches and news bulletins, a steam room (as opposed to the traditional Moroccan hammam) and a massage room, but guests tend to head for the expansive terrace with its large pool, sunloungers and views over Marrakech's medina.

What sets Dar Doukkala apart from most luxury riads in Marrakech is its six generously-proportioned bedrooms. All have huge baths and charming art deco fireplaces and many have stained-glass windows which flood the rooms with red and yellow light. Families or visitors who insist on privacy should plump for room 6 which has a balcony, private roof terrace, a huge bed and an antique armoire that once belonged to Paul Bowles.