This traditional riad in the Marrakech medina feels less like a boutique hotel and more like a peaceful private house. P’tit Habibi has a library with iPod docking station and Arabic music, as well as a Moroccan salon and DVD library. Films can be shown on an outdoor projector and the terrace with views over the rooftops is perfect for sunset drinks.
At the hotel
Library with Moroccan salon, DVD library and iPod docking station with Arabic music. Films can be shown on an outdoor projector.
Our favourite rooms
The Wangarata Room is playfully decorated with an eclectic mix of Americana pinball mirrors, Sixties Moroccan photographs and even a Swedish moose. Peruche has a bird motif in warm shades of pink and aubergine; it also has the largest vaulted bathroom. The White Room is the largest in the riad and has a balcony overlooking the courtyard.
Poolside
There is a small pool on the roof terrace.
Packing tips
Bring your iPod for the docking station.
Also
The hotel can organise airport transfers for a small fee.
Children
The hotel’s traditional architecture and pool mean the riad is not suitable for children who need to be supervised.
Hotel restaurant
There is no separate dining area. Breakfast is normally served in the library. Lunch and dinner can also be prepared and are served in the courtyard or on the terrace.
Hotel bar
The house has a selection of alcoholic drinks. Guests may be requested to carry the drinks themselves during Ramadan out of respect for local religious sensitivities.
Room service
Food and drinks can be served anywhere in the riad.
Planes
The nearest airport is Marrakech’s Menara Airport – fly there from the UK and elsewhere in Europe with British Airways (www.ba.com), Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com).
Trains
The Moroccan state railway, ONCF (www.oncf.ma), runs inexpensive (but limited) services to Marrakech from Casablanca, Fez and Tangier. Look for TCR (Train Climatisé Rapide) trains to guarantee an air-conditioned journey in summer.
Automobiles
Driving in Marrakech can be horn-filled and hectic, but if you insist, hire a car from the Avis (www.avis.com) desk at the airport. To reach the hotel, follow Avenue de la Menara to the city centre.
Worth getting out of bed for
Decide how many dirhams you’re willing to part with, and wander through the Medina’s endless maze of markets, to haggle for everything from babouches to holistic potions to hand-forged chandeliers. Food stalls are fabulously cheap here, and in the main square Jemaa el-Fnaa there are often acrobats and musicians to stop and watch. When you’ve finished bustling and bargaining, hop in a taxi to Jardin Majorelle to chill out among sculptural water features, sky-high cacti and flower-swathed pergolas. The bold-hued yellow and Yves Klein-blue villa at the centre was once home to Yves Saint Laurent, and it now houses a fascinating museum of Berber costumery. End your day watching a film in the hotel’s courtyard, where there’s a private cinema; and ask staff to order a pizza or burger from renowned local takeaway Beb Tar Zout, to be delivered to your seat. Feeling adventurous? Take a day trip into the Atlas Mountains – a 90-minute drive from the hotel – to ride camels in the tawny-coloured valleys, hike up to paddle in the Ouzoud waterfalls or befriend Berbers in traditional villages such as Imlil. It’s possible to ski between November and April at the Oukaïmeden ski centre, and the hotel can arrange a driver to take guests on a day trip to Essaouira on the coast, with a detour to the sufer-beloved beach at Sidi Kaouki.
Local restaurants
A 10-minute drive away, Dar Zellij serves up tagines, pastillas and creatively concocted salads in a romantic colonnade-flanked courtyard. A vivid mosaic-tiled pool is the centrepiece of Dar Moha restaurant, 10 minutes from the hotel, but the fragrant tagines and delicately spiced desserts pull focus.