DAR 73

When you’re working in a genre as enduringly appealing as the Moroccan riad, the trick is not to shatter expectations, but simply to meet them. Dar 73, a thoroughly freshened-up, relentlessly well-furnished six-room riad in the heart of the medina, succeeds where others fail. Here are the same earthen-looking walls, the patterns of light and shadow panning across the floors, the courtyard and terrace, the cool shade, the peace and quiet, but where some of the neighbors look as if they’ve left the interior decorating to a magician who’s just learned the never-ending-handkerchief trick, Dar 73 has dressed their interiors with a refreshingly light hand.

Not that they’ve skimped on anything. There’s still a whole topography of pillows on the beds, but here they look like they’ve come, in the best sense, right off the pages of a catalog. There are still blankets galore, but instead of looking as if they’ve been unscrunched from a dusty old trunk, they beg to be scrunched in your fist, the textures too inviting not to paw. In fact texture seems to be a Dar 73 specialty, from the gorgeous stone sinks with big pitched basins to those couches on the roof that invite you not to get back up. The lighting’s not half bad either — a rooftop terrace that glows at night with candlelight, a wall that looks as if it’s been colonized by a little swarm of fireflies…

In true riad tradition, Dar 73 is a civilized little oasis from the bustling outside. Inside, you can soak in a Jacuzzi or pool, take in the views of the Atlas mountains from the roof, enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner, and generally find plenty of space for relaxing contemplation. Still, there’s a reason you’re right in the thick of the medina, and it’s not to hole up all day. Bahia Palace and the atmospheric Mellah quarter are virtually down the street, as are the souks — where, without sufficient restraint, you might be tempted to fill up enough bags to clutter that airy room after all.

How to get there:
DAR 73 is 20 minutes away from Marrakech-Menara International Airport.