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Tucked into a smart residential area of the Palmeraie, this gem of a place, small and luxurious, has a wonderful staff who are fantastic with children. There are only seven bedrooms, which means it’s also a great place to take over for a house-party weekend. Done up in a terribly chic, modern Moorish style, the rooms have vast baths and comfortable beds; some also have large fireplaces. The three-acre garden offers a respite amid lemon trees. Other highlights: a serene heated pool, three sitting rooms and a library for gatherings. Private dinners can be arranged with sensational food and belly dancers, and a new hammam and massage area aid recovery. Rooms from $334.

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This private estate is the creation of one of North Africa’s most stylish women, Meryanne Loum-Martin. Popular with fashion designers and celebrities for its privacy, the resort offers five country villas on a sprawling walled estate, twenty minutes from the medina. (The houses may be rented together or separately, and can accommodate up to forty-eight guests.) The muted bedrooms are decorated with Moroccan furniture, Senegalese textiles, Berber rugs and Asian silks. The place feels more like a home than a hotel, thanks to the care that has gone into choosing each painting, pillow and cherished objet. The air is filled with the scent of lavender and white oleander from the garden. Meals are a relaxed affair, and the homemade food is exquisite. Loum-Martin has even trained her staff to set the tables with flair. Powerful Moroccan massages can be done in the peace of your room, and In:Spa often hosts spa weeks here, so check the Jnane Tamsna Web site for upcoming dates. In her home across the way, Loum-Martin has a fabulous shop where you can buy locally made accessories and objects with an unusually refined touch. And come nightfall, Jnane Tamsna’s swimming pools are lit with hundreds of flickering votive candles that seem to echo the stars in the desert sky. Rooms from $521.