When planning a weekend break, you might not immediately think of North Africa as an obvious destination.

But there are plenty of reasons why Morocco – and in particular Marrakech – makes sense.

A three-and-a-quarter hour flight from Gatwick and a taxi ride of barely 20 minutes takes you to the heart of this 1,000-year-old city.

Arriving late at night, we got our first taste of the maze of streets and alleyways that make up the walled Medina, the city’s Medieval quarter, before realising that behind every innocuous door potentially lies a world of wonder.

This was the case with the Riad Star, our base. Behind a completely normal door in a wall lies a stunning Riad – the name coming from the Arabian term for garden, ‘ryad’.

Riads are inward-facing and beyond that non-descript door lies a stunning home that has been converted into a seven-bed hotel, with a central courtyard with open roof and a delightful roof terrace. It is one of four owned by Marrakech Riad and the Riad next door is being refurbished as well.

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The Riad Star was once owned by American-born French dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker and there are plenty of tributes to her inside, with pictures and artefacts adorning the walls. We were housed in the Jazz room, another nod to Baker, with props including a clarinet above an open fireplace – and a fez for each guest.

A friendly host and staff meant that the Riad Star felt more like staying in someone’s home than in a hotel and it made for a perfect haven away from the craziness of the city, which we were about to experience.

Marrakech in a day was our aim and we weren’t to be disappointed. A guide, at least to begin with, is essential if you don’t want to get lost and we felt happier heading into the souks – the famous marketplaces – with a local on hand. After that, the excellent Marrakech Riad and Hip Marrakech apps, which were developed by the group behind the Riad Star, were invaluable.

It works without internet access and pinpoints your location, helping you to find your way around, and also highlights restaurants and places of interest. They say that if you can’t find what you want to buy in Marrakech you won’t find it anywhere and it rings true, with everything from spices to carpets to clothes on offer.

Bartering is all part of the game – in fact your vendor will expect it – and it’s an art form to say the least.

But it’s also easy, as long as you are firm with those who approach you with their wares, to simply wander through and drink in the sights, sounds and scents of the souks. At the end of this maze is the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, which is the centre of activity and trade, with snake charmers, thousands of people, music and a general assault on the senses. A World Heritage site, it is bordered by restaurants with high terraces – the perfect place to people-watch.

Among the sights and sounds of the square – and the city as a whole, in fact, is the mesmerising Call to Prayer, which rings out over loudspeakers five times a day and is the only thing that temporarily calms the atmosphere of the square as Muslims stream into Mosques.

But Marrakech is a city of contrasts, with Berber, Arabian and European influences and you don’t have to go far to discover tranquillity.

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A walk outside the Medina walls takes you to the 12-acre botanical Majorelle Garden. Designed by French artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and 1930s, when Morocco was a protectorate of France, it was opened to the public in 1947 and it was later famously owned by French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent. After his death in 2008 his ashes were scattered in the garden and there is now a memorial there to him.

Food is a key experience of any trip and we were treated to a superb traditional Moroccan lamb tagine back at the Riad Star, sitting on its stunning roof terrace as the sun went down.

It really is feasible to get a great experience of Marrakech in just one day. So, on day two, we decided to see what the wider country had to offer and, around one-and-a-half hours away, you’re in a different world.

Driving south from Marrakech, flat open land gives way to stunning scenery as you happen upon the Atlas Mountains. In valleys you can see locals washing their clothes in the rivers and goats roaming the near-vertical slopes as the temperature noticeably chills.

The village of Imlil, 5,700ft above sea level, is an excellent place from which to do some exploring and again a local guide is essential. Ours, Mohammed, was invaluable in taking us on a trek up tracks and trails.

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He showed us stunning scenery, with snow-capped mountains as the backdrop, valleys and waterfalls.

We visited a Berber man’s hut, where the traditional welcome of mint tea was laid on before the sales patter that we had successfully avoided in Marrakech began. A traditional Berber rug now sits on our lounge floor back in Poole.

Imlil is also home to several hotels and restaurants where you can sit outside and enjoy the awesome vistas.

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Back in Marrakech, there was a chance to soak up the atmosphere at Jemaa el-Fnaa Square one final time. As we sat on the terrace of the Café France as day turned to night, listening to the snake charmers and the Call to Prayer, it summed up this magical place.

Getting there

English owned and managed, Marrakech Riad consists of four boutique hotels in the old town Medina of Marrakech, including the newest addition, Riad Star.

Rooms cost from £112 per night on a bed and breakfast basis; see marrakech-riad.co.uk

The Hip Marrakech and Marrakech Riad apps contain a wealth of information, including excursions that can be booked ahead of your trip.

We travelled with Easyjet from Gatwick to Marrakech Menara; flights can be found for less than £100 return; visit easyjet.com

National Express run coaches from Poole and Bournemouth to Gatwick; visit nationalexpress.com