We were keen to take a tour of the old city, and so the hotel helped to arrange a guide, Mustafa, an extremely friendly guy with a thorough knowledge of Marrakech.
Beach-ready and already relaxed, we headed west on a three-hour drive to Essaouira, the nearest coastal town to Marrakech, where we lunched at OceanVagabond, a laidback surfers' hangout.
Easyjet (easyjet.com) flies from Luton and Gatwick to Istanbul 4. MARRAKECH There is something hugely romantic about disappearing through an unmarked door in the medina into a coolly elegant hotel or ornately tiled cafe.
Rooms from £140 (marrakech-riad.co.uk/riad-star-homepage/) Le Palais Paysan This modern retreat opened in the foothills of the Atlas mountains this summer, offering respite from the heat and hustle of Marrakech, 25km away.
If it's booked try riadzamzam.com; riad-sabah.com; riadcamilia.com Get there easyJet (easyjet.com) flies from Gatwick and Manchester to Marrakech from £70 return.
Flights were provided by easyJet; flights to Marrakech from Bristol, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester from £30.99 one way, including taxes.
The European champions defeated the Argentinian side San Lorenzo 2-0 in Marrakech on Saturday night to add the global crown to their Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Copa del Rey triumphs.
It describes its Marrakech and Mountains trip, as "an adult holiday that children will enjoy", pointing out that the accommodation is not specifically aimed at families and swimming pools may be unattended.
Next morning, it soon became clear why Taroudant could never rival Marrakech.
Two days later we headed back to Marrakech on the shiny new motorway.
The trip was made easier by the motorway linking Marrakech to Agadir that opened in 2011, which knocked several hours off the journey time back from Taroudant.
