6 of the best city hotels

Marrakech is a thrilling but tiring town, so I would always opt to stay away from the madcap main square of Jemaa el Fna and the medieval warren of the souks. My top choices would be the Royal Palm, a new oasis south of the city with the snow-capped Atlas Mountains on the horizon. It has a top spa, a golf course, a choice of places to eat and regular (free) shuttles into town. An alternative luxury retreat is Palais Namaskar, which has a 5-acre spread of gardens and cool pools with lots of loafing spots.
 
Go with: beachcombertours.co.uk

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If Venice is pure theatre, the Cipriani hotel (view from the restaurant pictured), just ‘Cip’ for short, is the royal box. It stands on the eastern tip of Giudecca, just across the water from the Doge’s Palace. It feels totally exclusive and is accessed by a beautiful wooden launch which shuttles between the hotel and a private pier next to the rows of gondolas nodding in the swell besides St Mark’s Square. The Cip has a tennis court and an amazing Olympic-size heated outdoor pool – the perfect retreat after exploring the city.
 
Go with: The Ultimate Travel Company
 
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After you’ve walked the Promenade des Anglais in Nice or the La Croisette in Cannes, done the shops, maybe had a swim in the Med and inspected the superb museums, head for the hills. You could do a lot worse than roosting in Picasso’s old hideaway in sleepy Mougins, staying at Le Mas Candille, an 18th-century olive farm owned by a Brit and just a 20-minute taxi ride from Nice airport. The pretty 45-room hideaway sits in 8 acres of lawns, trees, herbs and birdsong. There are 2 pools, a Michelin-starred restaurant and Europe’s first Shiseido spa. The village also has a particularly interesting museum devoted to ancient sculptures and other antiquities juxtaposed with classically-inspired modern works by Chagall, Gormley, Hirst and others.
 
Book direct: lemascandille.com 
 
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The big issue is whether to stay in the city and visit the vineyards or stay in the vineyards (pictured) and visit the city. I’d opt for the latter, choosing The Cellars-Hohenort in Constantia on the slopes of Table Mountain and just a 20-minute ride (complimentary shuttle) to the Waterfront. It has one of the city’s top restaurants, The Greenhouse.
 
Book direct: collectionmcgrath.com
 
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In this culturally-exotic but frenetically paced city, my recommended bolt hole would be one of the converted Ottoman palaces which stand on the banks of the Bosphorus. One is the Ciragan Palace, where most rooms have views of boats plying the busy artery of water that connects the Med with the Black Sea. The other place to play pasha and concubine is the Four Seasons, again on the Bosphorus. Both have with gorgeous pools and spas with hammams.
 
Go with: Exclusive Escapes

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Santa Monica (pictured) is LA on sea, still part of the big urban sprawl but it feels more like a resort. The place to stay is Shutters on the Beach. Step outside and you are straight on to the beach. Rent a bike and cycle the mile or so along the promenade to the funky Venice neighbourhood, famous for the bodybuilders on Muscle Beach.
 
Book with: northamericantravelservice.co.uk 
 
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