Hotel Nord-Pinus Tanger

Rooms

The accommodation here is amongst the plushest in Tangier and has been conceived in the best riad tradition: festive, ornate and superbly comfortable. Rooms have been decorated with a big splash of Gallic savoir-faire, which marries Moroccan decorative elements with jazzy fabrics and furnishings from southern Europe and Asia.

We lucked out and spent a dreamy night in one of the pricier suites, Ocean View. The outlook across the straits to the distant Spanish coastline, framed between delicate keyhole arched windows, is what we most remember about our room: it was hard to drag ourselves away from the intimate, zellig-tiled terrace and those heart-stopping vistas.

The room's muted colour scheme and its dark floorboards were pepped up by bright rugs, an ornate wrought-iron bedstead painted crimson, and a series of moody prints by Braque.

Deco lamps, bedside tables and fauteuils, and an eye-catching cedarwood and leather door added further razzmatazz to the room. This spilt over into the bathroom where dark zellig tiles in the shower, retro sinks and soft, theatrical lighting increased the mood of chic boudoir.

We also had a peek at the other suites and double room. They had the same eclectic pick-and-mix of things Moroccan with those European. The other ocean-facing suites - Le Chameau s'en Fout and La Chambre de l'Espagnol - looked just as fab as ours and were both big on space.

Vengo, the fourth suite, looked out to the courtyard and had a massive bathroom decorated in wall to ceiling red, green and black zellig tiles. It also had a small salon with a daybed that can sleep an extra person. However, we felt the double bed, which slots tightly between the three walls at the end of the room, could make for a claustrophobic sleeping experience.

Nilaya, the only double, uses ornate herti tenting fabric to pep up its walls and comes with a wrought iron 4-poster, a beautiful inlaid desk and wall-mounted candelabra. But given the reduced dimensions of the room and the lack of an ocean view, we'd splash out and book one of the suites.

Since our visit, Maison de Jean-Luc has been added to the portfolio. Located nearby on Riad Sultan Street, it offers 2 bedrooms and a much more independent experience.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Bathrobes
• Central heating
• Coffee / tea making
• Hairdryer
• Safe box
• Toiletries
• WiFi

Eating

The restaurant was still closed when we visited, so we can't pass judgement on the food itself, but the setting is beyond reproach. You can choose between eating in the grand salon marocain, in the smaller ocean-facing rooftop salon or out on the terrace. The latter should always be your first choice whenever the weather permits: the vistas are as memorable in the daytime - when your eye is drawn out to the minarets, harbour, boats and ocean - as it is at night when the lights of the city and port glitter down beneath you.

Expect your breakfast to be of the Moroccan kind: freshly squeezed orange juice, potfuls of coffee and hot milk accompanied by Moroccan breads and pancakes, homemade jams, fruit and creamy ricotta cheese.

Dinner follows a 4-course formula and, with the exception of dessert, promises to stick to the traditional cuisine of the Maghreb. Your meal will begin with some kind of amuse-bouche: little dishes of cucumber, tomato, beetroot with coriander and cumin, carrots with parsley and butter or perhaps fennel dressed in orange water or marinaded anchovies. Typical starters might be grilled fish, a pea soup or perhaps vegetable- or cheese-filled briouattes whilst main courses are the time-tried classic dishes of Morocco: a variant on the tagine theme, chicken cooked with confit lemons and olives or perhaps a couscous t'Faya. To end your meal expect the likes of a sweet almond pastilla, a fruit gazpacho or a tarte aux pommes or au citron.

Lunches can be arranged if you let staff know at breakfast: these can be adapted according to your own culinary leanings. If you're interested in Mediterranean/Moroccan fusion cuisine, enquire about the occasional cooking lessons on offer.

Oenophiles have a good choice of bottle here. As well as all the classic Moroccan whites, reds and rosés there's a small selection of French wines and two excellent champagnes: Jean Lemaire Blanc de Blanc and Laurent-Perrier Brut. Expect prices to be on a par with top restaurants in Morocco.

Features include:

• Bar
• Breakfast
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Luxuriate on the terrace watching boats plowing to and fro between Spain and Morocco, and gulls gliding beneath you
  
  
• Visit La Tangerina's hammam next door, and discover the joys of a savon noir spa treatment; pedicures and manicures are also on offer. Alternatively arrange to have a massage in your room or on the terrace (weather permitting); a yoga instructor can come to the hotel on request
  
  
• Wander down the hill into the heart of Tangier's labyrinthine medina. Here, you can shop 'til you drop but be prepared for a more aggressive sales pitch than in some Moroccan souks. Take time out to people-watch over tea and pastries in one of the city's many salons de thé
  
  
• Search out La Galérie Delacroix, La Légation Américaine and the Lawrence-Arnott Gallery to discover the work of artists who have taken Tangier as their touchstone
  
  
• Head for the sand: Tangier has great beaches where there's live entertainment in the form of impromptu football matches; alternatively go surfing or fishing
  
  
• Play golf at the Royal Golf Tanger
  
  
• Take a day trip to Asilah where the mood of the medina, and that of its salesmen, is far more sotto voce than in the Tangier souks; or venture to the Oued Lihoud nature reserve
  
  
• Language and art lessons can be arranged on request

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Art classes
• Cooking classes
• Fishing
• Golf
• Kayaking
• Language courses
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Shopping / markets
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures
• Yoga

Kids

Children over the age of 10 are welcome. That said, this struck us as a place that is better suited to grown-ups, with the accent so firmly placed on romance.

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Hotel Nord-Pinus is in the heart of Tangier (also known as Tanger), on Morocco's north coast. If you're arriving from the north of Europe the cheapest way of getting here will probably be via a flight to Malaga, Jerez, Seville or Gibraltar and then a combination of bus/train and ferry to Tangier. However, the easiest way to get here is by flying straight to Tangier.

By Air
Tangier Boukhalef Souahel (4km). Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving this airport.

From the Airport
The hotel can arrange airport transfers. Alternatively you can just grab a taxi, but agree a price before you get in.

By Car
Hiring a car is a great idea if you want to see more of Morocco. Tangier now has fast and easy connections to the Atlantic coast thanks to the new motorway, the IP-1, which runs all the way south to Casablanca and makes the trip south a breeze. The road east to Tetouan (and on to Chefchaouen) is currently being improved. See our car rental recommendations. There are two parking spaces near the hotel.

By Boat from Spain
There are regular fast ferries from Tarifa (45 mins) and from Algeciras (1 hr 15 mins) as well as masses of normal ferries from Algeciras which take 3 hours to make the crossing.

By Train
There's a good train connection from Fes and Marrakech: in both cases the first class fare is a steal and the sleeping compartments, should you choose to travel at night, are excellent value. See Seat 61 for more details.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Morocco and getting around