Sofitel Agadir

Description:

• This sleek and chic resort is a good mix of traditional architecture with some classy touches. The low-rise kasbah has a grand entrance -- 10m-high (33-ft.) wood doors and oversize, rooftop Moroccan lanterns -- and it doesn't disappoint once inside, either. A courtyard of sandstone, marble, zellij, and tabout-rendered (rammed earth) walls houses a lounge of plush velvet chairs. Though the hotel has more than 270 rooms and suites, one doesn't feel cramped when staying here except within the rooms themselves, which for the most part are on the small side. It's worth paying more for the rooms with a balcony for the extra space.

  The resort has four restaurants, six bars -- including a cigar and cognac lounge -- and a beautifully designed and landscaped pool. King-size, four-poster sun beds and oversize hammocks add a luxuriant touch. A wood path through palms and succulents leads to the private beach where you'll find more sun beds, a watersports center, and a small, well-kept horse stable (2-hr. rides cost 350dh/$44/£22).

• © Frommer's 2013