Riad AYA

Forty steps from the Chellah necropolis walls, Riad AYA occupies a restored courtyard house on Rue Er Roua in Rabat's old medina, its zellige-tiled patio open to the sky above a small plunge pool. The address suits travelers pairing Rabat's Andalusian gardens and royal quarter with a quieter overnight stay than Casablanca offers.

Rooms keep carved cedar ceilings and tadelakt walls; breakfast is taken on the roof terrace, facing the Bou Regreg river toward Salé. The medina's Kasbah des Oudaias gate is a ten-minute walk north.