Illustrative photo of the region — the property's own gallery is on the booking page.

Bohemian hideaway run by a Franco-Moroccan couple — leafy patio, homemade dinners, effortless charm.

Riad Jardin Secret is exactly what the name promises: behind an anonymous medina door, a leafy, low-lit courtyard that its Franco-Moroccan owners have filled with plants, vintage furniture and books. There are only a few rooms, and the mood is closer to staying with impossibly stylish friends than checking into a hotel.

Dinner — cooked at home, ordered that morning — is the thing to plan around, taken by candlelight in the patio. It suits travellers who want to disappear into a house for a few days and let Marrakech come to them in doses.

Why we picked it

• A jungle of a patio — one of the medina's loveliest small courtyards
• Home-cooked dinners at a shared or private table, by request
• Personal, couple-run hospitality with real taste