Picture the scene: an old house, a riad, full of beckoning arches and curvaceous carvings, with a cool pool and a picture-book palm in the courtyard. Orange juice and pancakes on the roof for breakfast, couscous and salads under the stars at night. And all this in the middle of the medina, the old town of Marrakesh, where the call to prayer rings out every morning and the sun shines all year round.

It’s no wonder we love Marrakesh, and no wonder that more than 400 riads offer rooms in the medina. Up to now, however, this has been very much a weekender’s city, overflowing with atmosphere, but a little short on diversions. Once you’ve seen the Saadian tombs and the Bahia Palace, excavated the souks and wriggled among the snake-charmers on the Djemaa el Fna, you’re done. What next?

Plenty, actually. There’s a host of activities on offer beyond the medina, more than enough to make a week’s break here a tempting proposition. Here are some of the best.

Take me to the beach: a few days in Marrakesh is bound to mean UV overload, and cooling off is compulsory. Until lately, you had to make do with a dunk in the narrow pool at your riad, or endure a 100-mile drive to the Atlantic coast at Essaouira. Now, though, in the city’s hinterland, the Nikki Beachclub complex at the Palmeraie Golf Palace (00 212-24 36 87 27, www.nikkibeach.com/marrakech ) brings a touch of St Tropez to North Africa.

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With its outsize pool, nubile young things and surprisingly tasty Mediterranean food (once it comes - the service is slow), it attracts Marrakeshis and visitors in search of chilled days and hot parties. All-day admission costs £17.

If that sounds a little slick, try Oasiria (Km 4, Route du Barrage; 24 38 04 38, www.oasiria.com ), Morocco’s first water park. Hurtle down a water chute, catch a wave in the surf pool or just splash about, all for £12.50 a day (£7 for children). Usefully, Oasiria runs a free shuttle from the medina.

Head for the hills: it’s just an hour’s drive from the centre of Marrakesh to the cool kasbahs of the Atlas Mountains. Imlil is your obvious target. The approach, along a slinking valley road, is beautiful, and waiting at the end is the Kasbah du Toubkal (00 33-5 49 05 01 35, www.kasbahdutoubkal.com ), where the rooftop restaurant dishes up traditional Moroccan tagines and immense views of Jbel Toubkal - at 13,671ft, the highest mountain in North Africa.

The same kasbah organises what it calls “a day with the Berbers”, mixing a stop at a rural souk with village visits, a walk in the mountains and lunch (£70pp, including your pickup in Marrakesh).

For proper treks, head for the city’s Bureau des Guides (00 212-24 48 56 26) or contact the Atlas superguide Mohamed Aztat (68 76 01 65, aztat.rando.free.fr ), who can arrange day trips and longer hikes into the mountains, with your transfers from town laid on.

Ride out: there is no shortage of stables in and around Marrakesh, but finding one where the horses are properly kept and the tack is up to scratch can be a headache.

Bensassi Ranch (Zaouiet Bensassi, Route de Fes; 00 212-61 43 74 79) stands out. Swedish-born Jenny Angman and her Moroccan colleagues work to the highest standards and have collected a stable of fine horses. By all means join them for a short ride in the country (from £17 for 90 minutes), but their full-day expeditions are much more fun - they’re proper back-country adventures. Prices start at £50, which includes a picnic lunch.

Go clubbing: we don’t mean the down-and-dirty kind of urban clubbing, though you can find that close to town at the enduringly hip Pacha (Boulevard Mohamed VI; 00 212-24 38 84 00, www.pachamarrakech.com ), where the Michelin-starred Pourcel brothers recently took over the Crystal restaurant.

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