Review of La Villa des Orangers, by Joanna Monkhouse

A busy street in Marrakech harbours a discreet entrance tended by a door man dressed in white. Cross the threshold and at the end of a long corridor you will find boutique hotel Villa des Orangers, a quiet and calm haven.

For a first-timer to Morocco, it is almost impossible to believe that the sounds of the hustle and bustle can disappear so completely, especially when the courtyard is open to the sky, but the design of the boutique riad is perfectly suited to the compact housing of the busy city, with the rooms opening onto an internal courtyard rather than to the exterior.

Built in the 1930s for a wealthy Marrakechi, Villa des Orangers was converted to a luxury hotel at the end of the '90s. Catering to the top end of the market, and much more personally than La Mamounia, this is nevertheless a boutique hotel rather than a maison d'hôtes - a vogue currently dominating the Marrakech accommodation scene.

The facilities

Decorated using traditional Moroccan techniques, such as carved plasterwork on the pillars and arches and green roof tiles around the edge of the roof terraces, Villa des Orangers' two courtyards are filled with fountains and trees where small birds sing. Musicians set the scene in the early evening, and dinner is served by candlelight. More suited to the older generation, Villa des Orangers is by no means fusty, just not as hip as some of the smaller riads.

Whilst rates are high at this boutique hotel, they include many extras such as airport transfers in a gleaming Mercedes 4x4 (rather than a 'grand taxi' ie beaten up old Mercedes), soft drinks, a light lunch, laundry and afternoon mint tea and pastries. Villa des Orangers' location is convenient, only a short walk to Djemaa el Fna and it is easy to find being on a main street rather than down one of the medina's many alleys. The staff is friendly and service is faultless, meeting the high expectations of the clientele.

With a view of the street and the Koutoubia mosque, the refreshing/bracing roof-top pool is surrounded by sun loungers. Villa des Orangers' new extension has added 3 new super-luxe garden suites in a vogueish modern take on Moroccan style, and a long awaited heated pool in a third courtyard garden. Sun loungers line the pool which catches the sun until four in the afternoon.

The boutique hotel also has newly built spa facilities, which include a beauty treatment centre, a fitness centre, a tradtional Moroccan hammam and two massage cabins.

The rooms

Several of the twenty seven rooms (including twenty two suites) in this boutique hotel lead off the ground floor, some in open alcoves and others more intimate. Spacious and comfortable, decorated in warm shades of red with carved wooden furniture, all the rooms and suites feature air conditioning, minibar, TV and safe. Located on each level, some are duplex and others have a staircase leading to a private roof terrace, with a convenient shower there in addition to the bathroom below (bath, shower, double basins).