Secrets of a travel writer: 11 hidden riads in Marrakech

Walking the dusty streets of the Medina, it is hard to believe that Marrakech is an enormous garden city intricately divided by a jigsaw of riads. These historic mansions have a secret pleasure garden at their heart and they epitomise the art of living in the Islamic world. In contrast to the chaotic city, riads facilitate an alternative mode of being: contemplative, delightful and relaxed. The best of them offer not only a charming bed for the night but an insight into a unique way of life.

Riad Mena has beautiful classical proportions, which owner Philomena Schurer Merckoll has sensitively respected. The 19th-century house was nipped and tucked to create an easy sense of flow from the fabulous garden courtyard to the intimate pool patio and up multiple zigzagging staircases to a romantic first-floor loggia and a jigsaw of terraces furnished with sofabeds and jaunty yellow sun umbrellas. Everywhere, Schurer Merckoll’s impeccable taste prevails. A new gallery-boutique, The Pink Door, has emerged from endless guest-requests for shopping and design advice.Jean Noel’s soulful riad was one of the earliest guesthouses to open in the medina and remains first and foremost a home. The house wears the patina of over 30 years warmly, and is filled with eclectic vintage furniture, books, music and the echo of travellers on the terrace. In the time-weathered patio, a deep portico shelters an open-air salon, while in the second a starkly simple Art Deco dining room has the feel of a mis-en-scène in an Agatha Christie novel. All of the seven rooms have fireplaces. Capping it all is the most glorious roof garden, dotted with seating nooks and hidden from view by great clouds of bougainvillea.

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The riad is owned by Milanese transplants Mauro and Claudia who have a background in design and their aesthetic sensibility shows in everything from the top-notch coffee to the smart service. Entering from the hot, dusty souk you’re plunged into a hushed, midnight blue corridor. A bright doorway at the end draws you forward into a brilliant white patio paved with polished white terrazzo and planted with two verdant green citrus trees. It's beautiful, still and peaceful. There’s a sizeable plunge pool set in a sun spot on the first floor, while the roof terrace is laid with punchy green loungers and mosaic-topped tables where glam guests linger over breakfast.Passing through the low, thickset door into this fabulous boutique riad knocks most people off their feet. It is everything a medina riad should be: tranquil, cossetting, beautiful and relaxing, and full of artistry and fine craftwork. A deep plunge pool invites dangling legs in summer, while in winter you can retreat to the luxurious living room which is filled with soft, suede-covered sofas, brightly-coloured Berber rugs, twinkling brass lanterns and turn-of-the-century paintings.

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Sobriety and authenticity are the watchwords of this riad. A wooden door opens from the noisy alley into a soaring, white courtyard filled with large banana palms and clipped citrus trees bearing golden oranges. The double-storey space lifts the spirits and eyes up to a lofty roof terrace where once Marrakeshi housewives would have gossiped over parapet walls and where now magical candlelit dinners and sunny breakfasts are served. At the centre of the courtyard is an octagonal pool where you’ll often find the sphinx-like house cat curled up on a large cushion. Just five rooms, three of them with balconies over the garden, run the length of the house. A refreshingly light, bright riad set in a restored foundouk (a travellers' inn) which once sold babouche (leather slippers), but now houses five soothingly decorated suites set around a turquoise pool framed by sculptural palms and pretty graphic tiles. Tiled stairs draw you upstairs to first-floor bedrooms and then out onto the roof terrace where guests lie snoozing on curvaceous rattan loungers.

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With its sun-baked pink patio tiles, carved white plasterwork and elegant Lancet arches, this riad has an unmistakable Arabo-Andalucian feel. Owner, Eveline, has an impeccable design eye and you’ll find much to admire from the beautifully knotted silk curtain ties to impressive artworks, such as the sun-drenched oil paintings by Jacques Majorelle in the Mogador suite. The clever structural design keeps public and private spaces separate with multiple staircases revealing a shaded first floor loggia, a secluded mezzanine pool, a self-contained, two-bedroom douiria (guesthouse) and two roof terraces, one with a most welcome misting system. Riad Adore was cleverly restored by renowned architect Christophe Siméon. Two courtyards – one centred on a classic marble fountain, the other set with a plunge pool – merge seamlessly into each other via an open-sided salon set with comfortable fireside club chairs and sofas. The pale sand-coloured tadelakt and oyster-grey paintwork add to the calm, spacious feel which is wonderful to return to after forays in the souks. Staff are always on hand with maps and recommendations. Seeking a perfect carpet but don’t know where to start? They’ll tell you. Looking for somewhere to combine a day by the pool with a civilised lunch? They’ve got just the place. Opt for the Victoria Suite and you’ll even have your own Juliet balcony.

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The art of doing nothing is sometimes the hardest thing of all, but fashion duo Cyrielle and Julien have perfected it in their soulful seven-bedroom riad where they have preserved some extraordinary craftsmanship. Deep bhous (seating nooks), a shaded roof terrace and tranquil salons lit through stained glass windows are where you’ll find guests resting, reading books and drinking tea. As part of their sustainable ethics the house doesn’t have a pool or a hammam, but then part of the adventure of staying here is living as the locals do. Italian owners Antonio and Stefania have a background in furniture design and their aesthetic sensibility shines through. During the renovations, they lavished great care on restoring original features to the house: beautiful painted ceilings, an intricately carved balcony and lattice-work moucharabieh windows. Instead of the ubiquitous patio plunge pool, they have retained a traditional wall fountain, which means the patio serves as an outdoor extension to the two large salons, one of which features a fabulous 1930s dining table and chairs and the other which is comfortably furnished as a living room, with a shared television. The late, great Tunisian-born architect Charles Boccara renovated and restyled this elegant house. The decorative finish is particularly fine: intricated zellij tiling rings the patios and zigzags up staircases while lacy stuccowork frames the scalloped edges of tall Lancet arches. The crowning glory is the spacious roof terrace with its relaxed raffia furniture, beautifully planted pots and stunning views of the nesting storks atop the palace walls. The original hammam is small, but perfectly formed with a star-studded dome over the plunge pool, while massages are taken in a spectacular double-height room filled with multi-coloured light refracted through stained glass windows. There's a smart shop stocked with billowing kaftans and a rather good library.This restaurant-with-rooms is a new concept for Marrakech. Owner and chef Carlo Simons earned his stripes in various Michelin-starred kitchens and so he approaches both his cooking and hosting with a deep sense of care. Everything in dar (house) reflects this, from the gleaming high-spec, open kitchen to the bespoke and vintage furniture, and the thoughtful service. The enclosed courtyard downstairs is devoted to an intimate dining room that seats just 14, where you'll taste some of the finest food to be had in the Medina. An inventive five-course dinner menu (€75/£63) which explores the best seasonal Moroccan products: think seabass ceviche on a base of local liouba beans, pigeon with lively Szechuan pepper or lamb and lemon leaf.