Here are the available villas for rental in Morocco.

Marrakesh — living up to the legend

Marrakesh has always loomed large in the popular imagination as a genuinely exotic and fascinating destination. The good news? It deserves its reputation.

Founded in the 11th century, it is one of Morocco's four Imperial cities and functioned as the North African country's capital until 1688.
Now it's a bright, bustling and very modern city with a plethora of sights and attractions for the eager tourist.
A labyrinth of souks and bazaars lies at the heart of the city. Vendors selling spices, leather goods, slippers, pots and various trinkets vie for your attention as you snake through the maze-like streets and alleyways.
Watch carpets being woven in the Zarbia Souk or seek out jewellery in the Souks des Bijoutiers. Haggling is compulsory.
The Place Jemaa-El-Fna lies at the very heart of the pink and ochre-toned city and draws tourists to its busy environs like a magnet.
This teeming square is a riot of spice hawkers, snake-charmers, jugglers and story-tellers, all indecently keen to separate visitors from their dirhams.
If it all gets too much — and it does — retreat, and enjoy a mint tea at the rooftop cafes overlooking the Place.
Visitors keen to escape the city's commercial hustle and bustle find their way to Menara Gardens near the market area. This picturesque retreat houses a lake that was man-made in the 12th century, plus 9,000 olive trees. Morocco has few lovelier sights. ... more

Why not pop over for the day?

The idea seemed like an improbable adventure: Bournemouth to Marrakesh. Just for the day.
As we drove down to the airport first thing on a sunny Monday morning, I had the Crosby, Stills and Nash song Marrakesh Express on the CD player - and you don't get much more of an express than a day trip from Bournemouth.
Friends couldn't quite get to grips with the concept: ' Bournemouth to Marrakesh... and back... in a day?'
Some said: 'Why?' Others echoed my thoughts and said: 'Why not?' A delicious quick slice of Africa - it was the travel equivalent of fast food.
We arrived in Marrakesh mid-morning and left just after teatime. So not so much a day, more a long afternoon. But thanks to Bath Travel's smart organisation, it's surprising just how much you can cram into seven hours.
Straight from the plane, we got on the bus waiting at Marrakesh airport and it took us into town for a brief sightseeing spin.
We stopped at the wonderful Majorelle Garden, owned by recently retired couturier Yves Saint Laurent, and then on to the charming Bahia Palace.
The coach dropped us off at the Jemaa el Fna square, normally famous for its teeming throng of acrobats and snake charmers and the like. ... more

Our little piece of Africa

Finishing my coffee, I used the rest of the hot water to defrost the windscreen; then we set off to Gatwick, 90 minutes away, under snow-laden skies.
Later that same morning, we were basking under an African sun. Our flight from Gatwick to Marrakech landed at 11.40am, and the journey into Morocco's ancient capital took 10 minutes from the airport.
The three-hour flight had borne us into a landscape, a culture and a climate that was half a world away. Until three days before, the Moroccan weather had been cool and wet: now it felt like early summer.
We drove past the Mamounia Gardens and through the high mud-ochre walls - built in 1127 to protect what was then a fortified settlement - and plunged instantly into the street life of Marrakech: a cacophony of bicycle bells, klaxons, whistles, street-vendor cries, loud arguments, squeals of laughter and discordant snatches of music.
Bumping down the Avenue Bab Djedid, we passed the spiritual emblem of Marrakech, the 12th century Koutoubia minaret - to my mind one of the most beautiful buildings in the world - and weaved our way through the Casbah district.
After swerving past chickens, parked trucks and piles of oranges and artichokes, with the dust rising and the heat reflecting off the walls of the narrow streets, we suddenly stopped at a door in the wall, hardly different from all the other doors except it was white-painted and sported a brass knocker.
Porters emerged to take our luggage; the door closed behind us and the bedlam vanished as suddenly as a power-cut.
We found ourselves in a cool, domed room where we signed in, before being taken out into a glorious courtyard garden, lush with tall palms, figs, mimosas, citrus trees and flowering shrubs, and enclosed on all four sides by the washed-pink wings of what had once been the townhouse of a Moroccan princess.
Outside were dust and noise and people, and beyond them the desert. Inside was the oasis: solitude (if you wished it), shade and quietness in beautiful surroundings and with delicious things to eat and drink.
On my first visit to Marrakech five years ago, I was fortunate enough to stay at the Mamounia, which I described as reputedly the finest hotel in Africa. ... more

Superb ports of the Med

Sailing on the MSC Sinfonia in February wasn't just an excuse to escape the miserable Brit winter. Honestly.

No, this was a chance to sample the delights of Barcelona, Casablanca, Tenerife, Madeira, Malaga and Alicante - if I could be bothered to vacate my luxury penthouse cabin.
You see that's the problem with cruising. Sometimes it's hard to drag yourself away from all that pampering.
Okay, so after a severe badgering from my girlfriend, we disembarked at our first port of call, Barcelona.
This fantastic city needs no introduction and, having both been there before, we knew what to expect.
It was just a shame that we only had a little over half a day in this glorious port town. It didn't give you much time other than to take a stroll along Las Ramblas, the main shopping street.
After a brief stop in Barcelona, our ship sailed on to the Moroccan port town of .
This was the longest single spell at sea, and the choppy waters of the Atlantic were most unwelcome after the millpond-like tranquility of the Med.
Fortunately the prospect of spending a day exploring the exotic back streets of Casablanca kept our spirits up - how deluded we were. I can honestly say Casablanca is one of the worst cities I have ever had the misfortune to visit.
Forget any romantic associations you may have with the classic Humphrey Bogart film of the same name. You won't find a smokey Rick's Club here with the sound of wartime jazz music wafting through the air. This is a grimy, filthy, dust-bowl of a city with a menacing feel to it.
Casablanca really did mark a low point in our cruise. It's hard to describe just how bad this place was. Imagine Coventry in a heat wave on the morning after a particularly savage wave of bombing during the blitz - that's modern day Casablanca.
Fortunately we were only there for the day and Tenerife was just a day's sail away. This was going to seem like paradise in comparison.
For me, the island's capital was the highlight of our cruise destinations.
Located in the north of the island, it couldn't have been more different from the tourist hell that is Playa de las Americas on the south coast.
The Spanish-inspired architecture gave the town an almost South American feel and the locals we encountered couldn't have been more welcoming.
Sadly, the torrential rain ruined what could have been a lovely day in Madeira so the free sauna and massage onboard the MSC Sinfonia was a lot more appealing.
On the last two days, we made consecutive stop-offs in Malaga and The Picasso museum in Malaga was a real treat, and a much-needed culture injection. In Alicante, the Castle of Santa Barbara on the outskirts of the city was a must see. You could just imagine an ancient garrison of soldiers sat here keeping a watchful eye over the old town.
A day here was just enough, leaving a final 48 hours at sea for some vital last minute pampering.
Our 10-day Mediterranean cruise was a great introduction to life on the ocean waves for first-timers.
It was also a brilliant way to cram a lot of sight-seeing into a short period of time, while there was always the option to kick back and stay on board if you wanted to take things easy.
On the downside, I would say some of the destinations were a bit unimaginative and sailing to three Spanish towns was too much.
There were organised excursions for all the destinations on this cruise, but my girlfriend and I decided to opt out. They were often pretty costly, about £100 per person. And the thought of being frog-marched around by a tour guide has never appealed to me.
For instance, the neck-breaking optional tour to Marrakesh after docking in Casablanca was way too much to do in one day. I'd rather go back and visit the city properly.
So would I do a cruise again?
On balance, I reckon I would, although I think I'd always have to do it in style, with a balcony and a large cabin. The thought of an inside cabin with no sea view just doesn't appeal.
That might be okay if you spend a lot of time off the boat, but we really wanted to use the trip as a chance to relax and unwind, and for that you need some serious luxuries.
* For reservations on MSC Sinfonia, call 0870 850 4883 or see www.msccruises.com ... more

How many camels for your mother?

A young man in the souk called after us - '25,000 camels for your mother'. My mother pinched my arm. 'Did he mean me?'
'Yes, Mum,' I sighed, 'Come on'.
'How flattering. That's a lot of camels. See? You should appreciate me more.' And that was as much hassle as we received in Marrakech.
My thirty-something girlfriends often pop off for long weekends with their mothers but this would be a first for me.
'Why Marrakech? Isn't it dangerous for women?' my mother had replied to my invitation.
I'd wanted to spend three nights somewhere exotic, with a short flight and anyway, I said, new laws forbid the hassling of tourists.
Just so long as we didn't wear shorts - it's a predominantly Moslem city - there wouldn't be a problem.
Rather than seeing backpackers of questionable cleanliness boarding our flight, Mum nodded in approval as men in blazers and 'rather nice people' filed in.
But Marrakech's seal of respectability was sealed when we later spotted Rosa Monckton, director of Tiffany's, buying jewellery with husband Dominic Lawson in Al Badii, an antique shop in Gueliz.
Just over three hours from London (and in the same time zone) Marrakech, the so-called Red City because of its glowing pink stone buildings, sits in the heart of Morocco. ... more