Luxury riad or desert camp — where should I splurge?

If your budget can only stretch to splurge in one place, I almost always point clients toward the desert camp — and I'm a luxury designer who adores a fine riad, so I don't say that lightly. The reason is scarcity of experience. A truly high-end Sahara camp — proper beds, en-suite bathrooms, candlelit dinners on the sand, rugs and lanterns under that staggering sky — turns one night into a centerpiece memory. You'll only have it for a night or two, which is exactly why making it exceptional pays off so vividly.

A luxurious riad is a genuine pleasure too, and I'd never undersell it. Sinking into a restored palace with a plunge pool, intricate tilework, a rooftop for breakfast, and impeccable service is a huge part of Morocco's romance, and it shapes how your whole city stay feels. Honeymooners in particular often want at least one knockout riad night, and I happily build that in.

But here's the practical maths I share: across a typical trip you'll spend several nights in cities and only one or two in the desert. Pour your top dollar into every city night and it adds up fast for diminishing returns; concentrate it on the irreplaceable desert night and the impact is far higher per dirham. A lovely mid-range riad is already delightful, whereas a basic desert camp can genuinely undercut the magic of the dunes.

So my honest formula for most travellers: book a characterful, comfortable riad without going to the very top, and spend the saved budget on the best desert camp you can. If you're celebrating something and want one showpiece riad too, do that on purpose for a night. But if it's truly one splurge, let it be the Sahara — that's the night you'll be describing for years.