Dar Seven, Marrakech, Morocco

Dar Seven is one of the most elegant luxury riads in Marrakech and the second venture of the talented interior-designer-turned-hotelier Princess Letizia Ruspoli. In a dramatic departure from the 17th-century opulence of her first property, the Residenza Napoleone III in Rome, her foray into Moroccan hospitality is a muted symphony of beiges, browns and blacks. The overall effect is impossibly chic and the stuff of stylized interiors shoots. But unlike many luxury riads that simply photograph well, the detailing at Dar Seven (monogrammed sheets, crystal glasses, fresh mint for tea at every turn) is exquisite and the handsome houseboy is ever-attentive.

The facilities

The lounge and reading room at Dar Seven overlook the central courtyard and are furnished with elegant prints of pashas and t