"In the heart of the heart of the city that is the crossroads of the world" is how our guide introduced Place Djemaa el Fna, an enormous open square in the midst of the ancient fortified medina (old town) of Marrakech, the principal exchange on the age-old trade route from Europe to North Africa. Once an oasis for bus and camel caravans continuing to Timbuktu, today's pedestrian-only Djemaa el Fna attracts traders, immigrants and travelers from around the world with its non-stop party of orange juice vendors, musical performers, night market stalls, pickpockets, snake charmers, transvestite belly dancers and more. That a Club Med should have been built here more than 35 years ago is a tribute to the indomitable French company's ability to be at the right place before anyone else even dreamed of it.

Pick up any copy of Architectural Digest or Vogue or Elle and you'll see the jet-setting Europeans who have bought retreats in Morocco. In the wake of designers like Yves Saint Laurent, who made Marrakech his home in the 1970s, celebrities, pop stars and entrepreneurs such as the late Malcolm Forbes and Sir Richard Branson developed their own kasbahs, or fortified estates. More recently, wealthy Moroccan expats and chic hoteliers have bought up the classic riads, or walled compounds around a central courtyard garden, and converted them into intimate guesthouses.

La Medina in the Heart of the Medina

While it can't match the finely detailed spaces and personal service of a small inn, the 207-room Club Med La Medina does provide a very authentically Oriental atmosphere in two-story, pink stone room blocks whose rooftops are planted in succulents and bougainvillea. The shaded outdoor dining terrace overlooks the hotel's gardens and pool; small fountains and reflecting pools accent palm-shaded passageways open to the stars; the intimate bar (also an evening lounge) is draped in rich Moroccan embroideries and upholstered banquettes.

There's no PA system calling out activities, none of the rah-rah cheerleading typical at the more sports-oriented Club Meds. Instead, La Medina is a sophisticated inn respectful of its surroundings, as well as a fun hotel where kids can connect with each other and chill out by the pool to some Western pop music or a Fanta. Meals and drinks are included in the rates, the buffets are varied and offer lots of fresh salad, and a new snacking and bar menu have been added to keep noshers happy. Our peeve:  coffee and tea are dispensed by machine to minimize work for the wait staff. Quel horreur in a resort catering to the French!

La Medina's 207 rooms are well designed, with two double beds arranged in loft-like fashion, either above or below the main living space. The lovely, all tiled bathing and toilet areas have mosaic floors, large closets, sunken bathtubs with Danish showerheads, separate toilet stalls and a plush cushioned banquette windowseat.

Why book a Club Med when you can find one of the newest restored riads on the Internet for about the same rate? Because it's a safe, known, quality brand. For families with curious older children, this Club Med is at the heart of all that wonderful Marrakech has to offer: historic tombs of Sultans; ornately tiled mosques; opulent Arabesque gardens; skilled crafts workshops; thriving markets. Several moms told us they loved the city walking tours led by G.O.s (Club Med's signature staff, gentils organisateurs) and the evening forays into the Djemaa el Fna because they felt more comfortable having an escort. Many expressed gratitude for the nurse who handed out aspirin, the friendly staff who helped them find a cybercafé, or the front desk who arranged an airport transfer in this exotic land.

A Suburban Alternative

The Club Med La Palmeraie village opened in 2004 in Marrakech's most posh suburb, La Palmeraie, on 32 acres among groves of date palms. In 2006, chic Le Riad became a separate walled enclave of 30 elegantly furnished suites (some connecting), each with their own private patio and gardens, within the village. Exclusivity, the antithesis of Club Med's founding philosophy, seems to work; the French star Charles Aznavour was a guest at our visit. Just 15 minutes by free shuttle bus from the non-stop, bustling circus that is Place Djemaa el Fna, La Palmeraie is a model of organization and calm.

La Palmeraie's large freeform pool sweeps around a sundeck used for cocktails and live music at sundown. There's a nine-hole golf course, putting green and driving range (18-hole courses nearby), plus 10 clay tennis courts. Long colonnaded public spaces reflected in still pools are broken into smaller card and game lounges stuffed with silk tassled cushions that recall the “Thousand and One Nights.” During our summer visit, there were many children registered at La Palmeraie, where G.O.s organize activities for kids under age 11 during the school holidays and make camel rides available year round.

This larger Club Med sleeps 800 guests in spacious -- but surprisingly colorless -- rooms for two (37 are connecting doubles), or in 16 suites sleeping three (two single beds and a sofabed for a child under 13 years).  Parents with infants and toddlers will find the spare ground-floor doubles with patios easier to navigate than the second floor rooms, though both have separate toilets and shower stalls. Baby cots are provided free of charge and babysitting is available through the Club Med staff our housekeepers at MAD 50/HR (US$5).

The Choice Is Yours

Families staying at either property may use the complimentary shuttle bus to access the facilities of the other. The family with elders or young children who prefer the country club ambiance at La Palmeraie can dine at the Club Med La Medina on days they choose to sightsee in Marrakech's medina. Conversely, the many parents and teens we met at La Medina spent several days shopping and sightseeing in town, punctuated by afternoons of rest around the pool and lawns of La Palmeraie.

One of Club Med's top attractions is the three times daily, hearty and healthy buffet. Family members who are reluctant to sample new foods should try El Kebir, the authentic tented restaurant at La Palmeraie. Available to all guests with an advance reservation, it serves an elaborate traditional Moroccan menu of mezes (chopped salads and vegetable appetizers), savory pastries, tajines (stews cooked in a peaked clay pot) and couscous, with ceremony and style. In short, there's something for even the fussiest eater. Halfway through the meal a belly dancer appears, gyrating to the beat of drummers who remain to accompany the final course of honeyed deserts.

Both of Club Med's Marrakech villages feature an Espace Decouverte, or Discovery Center lounge, where knowledgeable staff book day trips and local tours. Guests who tire of the variety of weekly offerings – including Arabic language, Moroccan cooking seminars, Oriental dance lessons, Bridge competitions and other complimentary low-key activities held at one or both properties – can book guided tours of the souks (markets), gardens or monuments of Marrakech, crafts tours, daytrips to nearby Berber villages or the colorful port of Essaouira, ATV tours of the Middle Atlas Mountains (16-years is the minimum age), or a massage at the Cinq Mondes Spa (all for a fee). All excursions within and around Marrakech depart from the Club Med La Medina at the entrance to Djemaa el Fna. Those with more time to explore Morocco can book a two-day, off-road desert excursion to the High Atlas Mountains or add a few days' stay at the beachfront, international style Club Med Agadir. Our excellent English-speaking guide and driver came from Transport Asfalou Lahcen (212 (0) 62 45 40 37; oufliyene1@yahoo.fr).

In the end, our family preferred staying in the “heart of the heart of the crossroads of the world” that we'd come to experience, knowing that the calmer La Palmeraie was there if we needed it. With Club Med's new strategy of mixing culture, sporting and luxury facilities at the same destination, the choice is yours.

Marrakech La Medina Marrakech, Morocco www.clubmed.fr;   212/44/ 44 40 16 $ - $$$$  A  B+  B  B  Extra Credit: La Medina is a safe oasis for families in a fabulous but intense city. Comments:  CM village in the ‘burbs offers extra R'n'R and resort facilities when the city overwhelms, and you won't pay a dirham more.