Marrakech gives you three very different ways to stay, and the choice matters more here than almost anywhere. The medina riad, the new-town hotel and the out-of-town villa each deliver a distinct holiday, and picking the one that fits your trip is the difference between a good week and a great one.
The riad is the romantic choice, and the classic one. Staying inside the medina walls, in a restored courtyard house of a handful of rooms, puts you at the very heart of the old city — a two-minute walk from the souks, a rooftop breakfast over the rooftops, and a hush behind thick walls that the lanes outside never quite reach. The trade is that you arrive on foot, luggage and all, and the medina is a maze; most people find that part of the charm.
The new-town hotels are for comfort and calm. Guéliz and Hivernage offer the pools, the space and the easy taxis that the medina cannot, along with the bars and restaurants of the French quarter on the doorstep. It is the less romantic but more restful base, and for families or first-timers wary of the medina's intensity, often the wiser one.
Then there are the villas of the Palmeraie and the outskirts — private houses with gardens, pools and Atlas views, a short drive from the action. For a group or a family, a villa with its own pool and a cook changes the whole character of the stay: space to spread out, meals on your own terrace, and privacy the medina cannot offer. It is a growing way to do Marrakech, and for the right party it is the best of the lot.
Whichever you choose, stay at least three or four nights in one place rather than dashing about, and book the good addresses well ahead — the best riads and villas are small and go months in advance for the cool, popular seasons. Get the base right and Marrakech opens up around it; get it wrong and even a beautiful city can feel like hard work.