Morocco Forte (PHOTOS)

Boutique hotel lovers who insist of the most stylish of stays will find Marrakesh to be pure gold says Juliet Kinsman, editor-in-chief of Mr & Mrs Smith.

Amid the mêlée of this Moroccan city's ancient medina, many of its riads - the name of the traditional houses with an inner courtyard - have been transformed into stylish hideaways. Not only do these intimate guesthouses provide pindrop-peaceful sanctuaries within the winding alleyways of the bustling souks, these old-meets-new glamorous hideaways are fantastically chic. Some of this unique breed of bunk-up hail from a more-is-more school of interior design, festooned with rich fabrics and loaded with exotic embellishments. Others are sleekly minimalist, elegantly employing the local render of choice, tadelakt, the smooth polished plaster in pink and chocolate shades originally restricted to the hammams. The riads' rooftops, usually suntraps by day and candlelit perches by night, are atmospherically sound-tracked by the call to prayer, offering romance around the clock.