OKAY, maybe you have saved a fortune by buying EasyJet flights. Perhaps Auntie Hilda has left you a wad of cash that's burning a hole in your pocket. Or else you've decided to blow your redundancy package. Regardless of how you pay the fare, if you fancy a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Morocco, here's how to tour in sumptuous style and five-star luxury.
Most flights arrive in Marrakech, and this east-meets-west slice of the Muslim world is well worth a visit before the rapid influx of tourists changes it forever. If you've never come face to face with traditional Arab culture, the chaotic, cluttered
souks of the medina are like nothing you've ever seen before and will keep you happily occupied for a couple of days.
In the crowded, labyrinthine passages of the old city's markets there is everything from carpets to beautiful embossed velvet shawls, craftsmen designing the intricate iron lamps that define Morocco and hawkers selling drinks and fruit – all manner of commercial life can be found in the back streets of Marrakech. In the bazaars, bargaining is de rigueur, but at least there's a laid-back informality about the process here rather than the aggression found in so many Arab cities.
Once out on to Djemaa El-Fna, the main square of the medina or old city, observing the throng of people enjoying themselves is an entertainment in itself, especially at night when families promenade and the snake charmers, acrobats, soothsayers and musicians are at their most active. There are countless good places to go and eat tagine around the square, although we really enjoyed the Café Alhambra.
If it's culture you have an appetite for, there are several historic sites to see. The Koutoubia mosque on the main square is a must, as are the Saadian tombs and the Majorelle gardens, but on the whole Marrakech's culture is the living, breathing one you see all around you.
Yet the centre of Marrakech is a bit frenetic and while it's easy enough to stay in the cloistered serenity of one of the hundreds of excellent riads, the houses with a courtyard and no windows looking outwards, when the real high-fliers head into town, they also head out of town, to Ksar Chag-Bagh, where city meets the desert. This is where Bill Gates stayed when he visited Marrakech. There are just 12 harims or suites, each with their own pool, in this incredibly plush Moorish hotel. There's even a room for visiting VIPs' bodyguards, complete with rooftop pool, and the place has its own golf course.
From there, you can go south to the desert and the Atlas mountains where Richard Branson is just one of the super-rich to have a house. If you take this option, stay in Dar Ahlam, one of the world's most unique hotels.
Instead, we take a three-hour drive along the coast to Essaouria, the laid-back coastal town that was once home to Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley and which has become one of the hotspots for Europe's smart set. How this unassuming little fortress town with its café culture, Gallic ambience, long beach with watersports and a souk specialising in wood carvings from local thuya roots continues to remain Morocco's best-kept secret is a genuine mystery.
There's a real café society to Essaouria, with plenty of places to while away the hours if you don't feel like going down on to the beach. The other main option is to go shopping for the wooden furniture or knick-knacks produced by the town's skilled craftsmen. Failing that, Essaouria is a centre for jewellery and leather bags and there are some great bargains to be had for careful shoppers.
Essaouria is also home to L'Heure Bleu, a grand, central hotel that epitomises the town's appeal by mixing the panache of French colonial Moroccan style with the five-star luxury of the Ritz. Inside the walls of the old town, it is reminiscent of the way that Raffles Hotel in Singapore must once have been, boasting a rooftop swimming pool, a restaurant that wouldn't be out of place on Paris's Left Bank and a glorious Hammam in which to wash away the strains of a day's strenuous relaxation.
Essaouria is also, happily, just along the coast from Oualidia, a seaside village that is even less well known than Essaouria but equally beloved by those who know it. A natural lagoon that remains a centre of oyster production and a nature reserve, Oualidia is almost completely deserted and made for boat rides and long walks along the beach at sunset.
When it comes to accommodation, La Sultana is the quality option, although the quaint little Hippocampe is also worth considering, with its right-on-the-beach location and terrace overlooking the lagoon.
For those who like to do a little more than lounge around watching the water ripple, however, Oualidia has a surf school that is strictly for beginners. And, given that novices tend to spend more time in the water than on it, it's an added delight that it's warm and balmy.
So if you can afford to throw caution to the wind, dip your toe into Morocco's most luxurious destinations and put the chilly cold of the credit crunch behind you.
fact file moroccoGetting thereFlights from Glasgow to Marrakech are available through Worldwide Flights (020 8782 4496,
www.worldwideflights.com) from £249 return, including tax, and from Edinburgh though CheapfaresRus (0870 141 4141,
www.cheapfaresrus.com) from £179, including tax.
Where to stayDouble rooms start from £514 a night at Ksar Chag-Bagh (
www.ksarchagbagh.com), in Marrakesh; from £640 at Dar Ahlam (
www.maisondesreves.com), in Marrakesh; from £264 at L'Heure Bleu (
www.heure-bleue.com), in Essaouria; from £250 at La Sultana (
www.lasultanaoualidia.com), in Oualidia; and from £140 at Hippocampe (
www.farsideafrica.com), in Oualidia
