La Maison Arabe by Joanna Monkhouse

La Maison Arabe is a small hotel with a rich but simple décor. Building on the reputation of its very well regarded restaurant, the hotel’s 13 newly renovated rooms surround two courtyards. They are very comfortably furnished and are decorated with antiques and traditional craftwork such as tadelakt, carved platerwork and cedarwood ceilings.

Each room is different but all have a/c, phone, tv, minibar and ensuite bathroom. There are fireplaces or terraces in some rooms and the two duplex suites have private roof terraces with a jacuzzi. The cookery school and a large pool, reserved exclusively for guests, are located in the Palmerie, a 10 minute drive away – a connecting shuttle bus leaves every hour. Although less personal than the maisons d’hôtes riads that are currently so much in vogue in Marrakech, La Maison Arabe is luxurious.