What's Happening | Marrakesh

INGRID PULLAR / FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Every generation, Westerners find new reasons to go gaga for Marrakesh. Medina is the city's old quarter.

Every generation, Westerners find new reasons to go gaga for Marrakesh. For Edith Wharton and Winston Churchill, the draw was medieval Islamic architecture and rugged mountainous landscapes. For the globe-trotting hippies of the woozy ''Marrakesh Express'' days, the appeal lay in ''charming cobras'' and ''blowing smoke rings,'' to quote Crosby, Stills and Nash. These days, with Marrakesh emerging as the center of North Africa's style and night life, everyone from Julia Roberts to Naomi Campbell has threaded through its labyrinthine old lanes in search of celebrity chefs, opulent spas and designer boutiques. Indeed, for many of Europe's jet set playgrounds -- Ibiza discos, Riviera beach clubs, Paris hotels -- a Marrakesh outpost is now de rigueur.

WHERE TO STAY

Annie Lennox, Sacha Baron Cohen and other V.I.P.s have dropped in at the 18-room Riad El Fenn (2 Derb Moulay Abdallah Ben Hezzian; 011-212-2444-1210; www.riadelfenn.com) in the Medina. Owned by Vanessa Branson, sister of the Virgin mogul Richard Branson, the boutique hotel has five pools, a spa, a home cinema, and a bar and restaurant. Doubles from $418, with breakfast and airport transfers.

Just outside the bustling Medina, Hivernage Hotel and Spa (Rue des Temples and rue Echouhada; 011-212-2442-4100; www.hivernage-hotel.com) has a pool, a well-equipped spa and a restaurant operated by a St. Tropez-based chef, Christophe Leroy. Doubles from $258.

Farther afield, in the Bel Air-like Palmeraie district, the Palais Mehdi (Palmeraie; 011-212-2430-7577; www.palais-mehdi.com) is a sprawling, resort with a huge pool and verdant grounds. Doubles from $389, with breakfast and airport transfers.

WHERE TO EAT

Everything is romantically presented and expertly cooked in the sumptuously Moorish interiors of Le Tobsil (22 Derb Moulay Abdallah Ben Hezzian; 011-212-2444-4052). The menu, which changes daily, typically includes cold Moroccan tapas-like salads, savory-sweet tagines and couscous with stewed meats and vegetables. Dinner for two, including wine, is fixed at about $163. Reservations essential.

Next to the former Jewish quarter and overlooking the time-worn walls of 16th century El Badi Palace, the terrace of Kosybar (47 Place des Ferblantiers, Medina; 011-212-2438-0324) is a chic perch for a noontime bite. Settle into the deep couches, absorb the jazz-soul soundtrack and contemplate the menu of sushi, sashimi and various Euro-Oriental fusion dishes. Seafood velouté with spiced aioli is $15, shoulder of lamb with sweet tomatoes and shallots is $49. A sushi assortment is offered for $25.

You might not glimpse a white-jacketed Humphrey Bogart at the Grand Café de la Poste (Boulevard El Mansour Eddahbi and rue Imam Malik, Gueliz; 011-212-2443-3038; www.grandcafedelaposte.com), but the French colonial details are pure Casablanca. Built in 1925 and renovated two years ago, the restaurant serves French fare with Moroccan touches, including foie gras with fig jam ($26), roasted sea bass with fried spinach ($20) and, for dessert, litchee and strawberry douceur with rose water ($13.)

More information: www.visitmorocco.com.

-- SETH SHERWOOD

Travel Times