Ifoulki’s attraction of all the riads in Marrakech lies in its continued resistance to the ‘designer riad’ boom since the late 1990s. While many have been busy transforming their locales into Vogue-esque visions of contemporary cool, Danish owner Peter Bergmann kept Ifoulki’s atmosphere distinctly traditional. This means that Riad Ifoulki, which is made up of several royal houses, has a fairly austere quality, but the advantage is, of course, a much greater sense of authenticity, not to mention larger rooms. The main courtyard especially – a grand old place full of jasmine, olive and orange trees – has impressively big dimensions, while the rooms that run around it are correspondingly large. The place carries a sophisticated and discreet air, enhanced by the presence of the Bergmanns (who speak ten languages between them) and by such touches as a well-stocked multilingual library, a marble spa (with male and female masseuses), musical and cultural evenings, tadelakt and calligraphy courses, a broad selection of fine antiques and an atmosphere of refined congeniality, which all make the place part palace, part cultural centre. Its broad appeal extends to holidaying families, celebrities and foreign diplomats alike.