Review of Les Deux Tours, by Joanna Monkhouse

Down a track in Marrakech, 15 minutes from the medina, visitors find the entrance to the Les Deux Tours (identified by the two round gate towers that inspired its name). The collection of villas was originally designed as private houses by Charles Boccara, a Frenchman who has probably been the most influential architect in the modern Moroccan trend.

Les Deux Tours is located in Marrakech's Palmeraie, a strange and interesting place - vast sandy tracts of land are crisscrossed by dirt tracks and the occasional tarmac road, populated by palm trees in varying degrees of sparsity and, every now and then, huge houses behind high walls.

Gardens surround the hotel, with orange trees, palms, bougainvillea and scented flowers at every turn. Water flows around the grounds along small canals. There is a hammam (traditional steam bath) with massage rooms. The large swimming pool is next to a Berber tent where a lunch is served in peak season (breakfast is served in the restaurant and on its terrace).

The cathedral of a dining room at Le Deux Tours is another new(ish) development, and in warm weather the tables spill out onto the terrace. A stylish bar has also been added. Breakfast, lunch and dinner can be served on request in the gardens, on a private terrace or by the fireplace in your room. Les Deux Tours suits those who value the charm of a boutique hotel with the anonymity of a large one.

Each of the six air-conditioned villas at Les Deux Tours has a mix of four superior and deluxe rooms (one has five) decorated using traditional techniques (zellige, tadelakt, carved plasterwork) with hammam-style ensuite bathrooms (domed brickwork walls and ceilings and piles of fluffy white towels). Though showing one or two signs of age, the rooms still have plenty of charm.

All the upstairs rooms have private terraces and ground floor rooms have direct access to patios and the gardens. Book a Deluxe room if you can and take an entire villa if you're travelling in a group. Les Deux Tours has pools galore that are heated in the winter months - there's one main pool, three shared by the six villas, and the five suites have their own private pools. The Honeymoon Suite upstairs is the most spectacular.

There are plenty of in-room goodies on offer: watch satellite channels on your plasma TV, or go one better and get a pool suite with a CD/DVD player, too. Bathroom toiletries are made from 100% natural Moroccan products and essential oils. Rooms also have tea/coffee makers and minibars.