Riad L'Orangeraie

Riad L'Orangeraie sits behind an unmarked wooden door on Rue Sidi Boulakat, inside one of the old city gates in the Mouassine quarter of the Marrakesh medina, a five-minute walk from Jemaa el-Fna square and the souks. Founded in 2013 by a pair of French brothers who restored a near-derelict traditional house, the riad keeps its original zellige tilework and carved plaster around a small mosaic-tiled plunge pool, giving it the feel of a private family home rather than a hotel. Just seven rooms are spread across the property, ranging from cosy Standard Rooms to a top-floor Suite with its own sitting area, each with air conditioning, en-suite bathroom, and traditional Moroccan furnishings mixed with contemporary touches. Breakfast is included and served on the raised rooftop terrace, which clears the surrounding rooftops for views toward the Koutoubia minaret and, on clear days, the Atlas Mountains; the same terrace is used for candlelit dinners of home-style tagines and salads prepared by the in-house cook. There is no separate spa building, but guests can arrange a traditional hammam and massage treatment on site, and the courtyard doubles as a shaded lounge during the heat of the day. Service is personal and informal, with a small multilingual staff handling airport transfers, restaurant reservations, and day-trip planning; the size of the riad makes it well suited to couples and small groups who want a quiet, family-run base rather than a large resort, though the steep traditional staircases and lack of an elevator make it less practical for guests with mobility needs.