Villa de l'O

Sure, it’s a bit farther out than Marrakech, but for anyone who’s at all attached to the seaside, there’s no contest: Essaouira has got the medina and the beach, both in one pocket-sized package along the Atlantic coast. And there’s nowhere else a hotel like the Villa de l’O could exist — this place is pure fantasy, all the way through, and needs a fantastic setting to match.

It makes the riad hotels of Marrakech look uptight by comparison. This one dates back to the 18th century, but in its present incarnation it’s an ornate contemporary-luxe boutique hotel, whose young French owner has outfitted it in a style that’s more colonial than Arabian, equal parts modern and classic, full of custom finishes, painstakingly collected antique furnishings, high-end designer linens and unique objects from all over the world.

You’re at the edge of the medina, inside the old city walls — but more importantly, you’re just yards from the beach, which is likely why you’re in Essaouira in the first place. A tiny spa offers hammam, massage and body treatments, and your hosts know the city’s restaurants inside and out. And after a few nights of this, you may just entirely forget about that other Moroccan city — what was that place called again?