We’re headed to the House of Dreams on the fringes of the Moroccan desert. The journey there from Marrakech will take about four hours, which is not long, when you consider what we encounter. Our vehicle traverses mind-bending landscapes – from vertiginous mountain ranges to fields of roses and lush oases of date palms and pomegranate trees. At last, there’s just a rocky river bed to cross before the dusky pink walls of a magnificent kasbah appear before us.

We’re led through dark, candle-lit passages to the centre of the building, which opens up to reveal a series of vignettes – curtained chambers, mysterious staircases, the outdoor ‘rooms’ of a luxuriant garden. In the central Grand Salon we’re welcomed with drinks, sweet almond-filled pastries and skewers of fruit. There’s no check-in. It’s all very quiet. Everyone speaks in a whisper, enhancing the magical atmosphere.