Caravanserai Hotel in Marrakech

Caravanserai, a Persian word, describes a resting place on trading routes where merchants would stop to water camels, on the edge of cities, washing, eating and sleeping before going into town to sell their wares. With this context in mind, local architects - the pre-eminent Charles Boccara, son Mathieu and partner Max Lawrence - created something that feels fresh, original, at once romantic and full of mystique. Rooms surround a series of interconnected courtyards, interspersed with pretty pools of water, including a main overflow pool flanked by high walls and shady alcoves. Windows look inwards. Roof terraces jostle for the view. It is serene, a mule's bray muted by the metre-thick, pink pisé walls. It is also rustic, without compromising comfort, featuring polished, pale ochre 'tadlakt' (polished plaster) floors, herringbone ceilings fashioned out of eucalyptus, vaulted domes, high walls, sculptural arches and wrap-around cream cotton banquettes and bolsters. Flowers climb the walls; birds nestle among the palms; from a hidden terrace comes the tinkle of mint tea being poured.

At Caravanserai, space means privacy. The de luxe rooms are capacious enough, the suites - especially the two with their own private pools - as generous as you could wish for. Most have their own terrace; others are interconnected for the benefit of families. Bathrooms feature enormous tubs fashioned out of 'tadlakt'. Decoration is meaningfully restrained, featuring outsized amphorae, cosy in-room hearths, rafia pouffes and tall, time-beaten doors. There is a traditional hammam with heated pool for a long steam and relaxing massage, a spa offering relaxing tretments with perfumed oils, a bar and patio-style restaurant serving an eclectic mix of Moroccan staples (tagine, couscous, village-baked breads for breakfast) as well as lighter, European options (a club sandwich, pasta, delicious salads). Staff are at your beck and call and rooms have central heating to keep you cosseted. The feel is easy, slow-paced, unerringly comfortable, a place to forget about formalities.