El Bahia

“The beauty of Moroccan palaces is made up of details of ornament and refinements of sensuous delight too numerous to record, but to get an idea of their general character it is worth while to cross the Court of Cypresses at the Bahia and follow a series of low-studded passages that turn on themselves till they reach the centre of the labyrinth,” Edith Wharton, "In Morocco."

Edith would know. While in Marrakech the little minx stayed at the Bahia Palace. Ah, those were the days.

The palace, built in the 18th century, is a fairly recent addition to Marrakech. And it is stunning – room after room of intricately painted ceilings and doors, carved arches, and gardens twittering with song birds. The problem, however, is that so many buildings in Marrakech are voluptuously adorned. After only a few days, I began to feel overwhelmed and then blasé about it all. But not bored.