Riad Jowara

Forty steps from Bab Doukkala, Riad Jowara occupies a restored courtyard house on Arset Moula Taoula in Marrakech's old medina, its citrus tree and tiled fountain shading the ground floor rooms from midday heat.

Rooms open onto the courtyard rather than a corridor, so guests hear the fountain before traffic. Breakfast is served on the roof terrace, with the Koutoubia minaret visible above the medina rooftops at sunrise.

Jemaa el-Fnaa is a ten-minute walk through the souks, making this a quiet base for travellers who want the medina without facing it directly from their window.