La Tour Hassan Palace

La Tour Hassan Palace stands on Rue Chellah in central Rabat, and the hotel dates its building to 1912. It was put up as a tribute to Moorish architecture rather than in the French colonial manner, so what you walk into is horseshoe arches over marble floors, carved plaster, mosaic and inlaid fountains in courtyards modelled on Andalusian pleasure gardens. It takes its name from the Hassan Tower, the unfinished minaret begun in the 1190s under the Almohad ruler Abu Yusuf Yaqub al Mansur, which stands a short walk away beside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Rooms and suites mix carved wooden furniture with modern comfort. There is an outdoor pool, a fitness room and several bars and restaurants. This is the address for a stay where the building is part of the visit, and where you want to walk to the monuments rather than drive.