Riad Azzar is a luxury Marrakech riad with an air of quiet sophistication and a famously warm welcome. Despite its location - slap-bang in the noisily beating heart of the Medina - it manages to maintain a wonderfully detached and serene atmosphere.

The facilities

Riad Azzar is centred around a courtyard with a small, green swimming pool. Banana palms provide shade and a refreshing atmosphere for even the hottest days; inside, a plum-coloured dining room is an inviting place to spend winter evenings. Carefully collected objets d'art and fascinating photographs taken by the well-travelled Dutch owners are displayed throughout, to particular effect in the stylish salon on the ground floor.

There is also a three-sided room opening onto the terrace, a good spot to while away sultry afternoons and ideal for dinner in spring and autumn. Riad Azzar also has a hammam offering massage and traditional treatments to increase the relaxation of the Marrakech experience.

The rooms

Each of Riad Azzar's seven rooms and suites is decorated individually in shades of black and white, with bright accents provided by the silk drapes, local rugs and scattered cushions. Thick white towels and robes await in the bathrooms and the beds are made with monogrammed white bed linen.

Some suites feature four-poster beds draped in silks, niches strewn with cushions, fireplaces and private terraces; others have deep, cast-iron baths. A pretty twin room has two single beds end-to-end, and is connected to the largest room in the riad by a separate staircase, making them ideal for a family.