Le Palais Paysan ★★★★

Sitting on the edge of the great city of Marrakech, near the Toubkal National Park, sits Le Palais Paysan, surrounded by green farmland and olive groves. Designed by architect Philippe Tabauriaux, the hotel rises out of the emerald oasis, like a traditional Moroccan kasbah (a sand-like castle), made from a series of square adobe buildings. With its traditional desert-style architecture and the soaring Atlas Mountains as your backdrop, you won’t forget where you are in a hurry.

With just 16 rooms, each one like its own little terraced house, Le Palais Paysan offers a relaxed and intimate environment, where you can have the space to do just as you please.

After a warm Moroccan welcome, you’ll be shown to your room, a tranquil and traditional space dressed in calming tones of terracotta and fawn with ash coloured soft furnishings. Its exposed tile floor and natural wood furniture it gives off a rustic feel, which perfectly matches its exterior design. Lined with Moroccan tiles and offering a huge walk-in rain shower and tub big enough for two, your vast hammam-like bathroom is the perfect place to soak your muscles after long hikes in the surrounding countryside.

Outside, through a set of French doors, you’ll find your private terrace or balcony offering stunning valley views and the striking snow-capped mountains beyond. We can guarantee you’ll be spending a lot of time out here, drinking in those mesmerizing vistas.

The hotels dramatic surrounds beckon and inspire you to head out and explore, and get down and dirty in the countryside. Borrow a mountain bike and helmet from reception and discover the area or ask them to help organise a guided hike into the Atlas Mountains or a horse trek across the meadows.

Return to relax by the large infinity pool, surrounded by verdant fields and flanked by thatched parasols and wicker furniture. Lined with inky-blue tiles, it perfectly reflects its surrounding landscape. A lunch of sandwiches, salads, burgers and pastries at the Pool House will replenish you after a busy morning of activities.

In the afternoon, explore hotel’s farm, home to a number of animals including donkeys, sheep, goats and chickens. Spend your time feeding the animals, collecting freshly laid eggs for your breakfast or admiring the exotically scented organic garden. Golf fans will find pleasure in the knowledge that there are seven excellent golf courses nearby.

After your adrenalin-fuelled morning you’ll be looking forward to a much-needed pampering session at the spa. Revel a traditional hammam, where you’ll be scrubbed down with olive soap and smothered in clay, before indulging in a massage and a bathe in the bubbling outdoor hot tub.

In a chic space of chunky wood furniture and glittering chandeliers, guests can enjoy their evening meals, cooked up by Chef Ahmad. Menus feature the best of Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine and also include traditional dishes such as fragrant tajines, spiced cous cous and briouates, flaky filled pastry parcels, all made using ingredients from the farm.

End your time at Le Palais Paysan on your terrace for a spot of stargazing, watching thousands of sparkling stars carpet the sky high above the dark silhouettes of the mountains.