Villas Fawakay, Marrakech, Morocco

We stayed here last year with 3yr old DD and had a wonderful time. It is a bit of an oasis in the middle of nowhere but the grounds are lovely, the owners very welcoming and informal, the cooks fabulous (and happy to cater to less adventurous children's' palates if needed, as well as provide earlier meal times, if we wanted) and the swimming pool lovely. Doris the donkey was the highlight of our DD stay. The only slight issue with the accommodation is that the rooms are on separate levels and feel quite distant if you have a small child. It is however a completely enclosed compound and felt very safe. Because of the layout and the stone floors/gravel paths between apts, it is probably not ideal for crawlers but there is plenty of grass for kids to run around. We took a few of trips by taxi to Marrakech centre which was enough for us (with DD) but I can see that it would work well as '2 centre holiday' with their sister Riad in Marrakech itself, particularly if you kids are a bit older. If you want to go further afield they can arrange day trips or you would need to book a car but we just chose to relax by the pool and bar!

We had a wonderful time in this delightful oasis - a real joy to escape the mania and chaos of the Marrakech medina and souks! This "complex" made up of 3 villas (and the owners house) is about 15 minutes out of Marrakech on the outskirts of a small village. The villas are fantastic with private plunge pools and indoor and outdoor eating areas. Beautifully decorated rooms had everything you could possibly want for comfort and luxury. The gardens are lovely with a large pool (with adjacent kids pool) and great shaded bar/outdoor eating area and shady sunbeds. There is also a tennis court, boules pitch and outdoor table tennis and a little spa where you can get a number of beauty treaments. It really felt like home from home and the owners had 4 children, 2 dogs, 2 cats, peacocks and Doris the fattest donkey you will ever see in Marrakech - we enjoyed the company of all of them! The staff went out of their way to be helpful and they love children! The cook was superb and the food was a mixture of moroccan specialities and european food for the fussier amongst us...the local wine is also very good, especially in the early evening beside the bar!

You can get to the Atlas mountains easily and the coast is about 2 hours away - but to be honest you are so relaxed here it is hard to drag yourself away to do anything hot and dusty like travelling! We did not use childcare which is why I have not rated it below but I know it can be arranged if you wanted to head out for a grown up dinner in town. Taxis are cheap and readily available so there is no need to hire a car (I would not dare drive anyway!)