Casablanca, Morocco

Morocco’s largest city has emerged as the gateway between Europe and Africa—and not just for the corporate types moving into the upcoming Casablanca Finance City complex. The Four Seasons has opened its doors at Anfa Place, a mixed-use development by Foster & Partners that abuts the city’s beachfront Corniche area. The building has 186 rooms and suites with Fragonard bath amenities and customizable beds, shops ranging from Moroccan fashion label Diamantine to Marks & Spencer, and more than a dozen cafés and restaurants (head straight to the Philippe Starck–designed Paradis du Fruit). Within a few years, the city skyline will be dominated by Africa’s tallest skyscraper, the $1 billion, 114-story Al Noor Tower. Go now for uncrowded access to architectural wonders like the seaside Hassan II Mosque, with its magnificent marble interiors and the world’s tallest minaret—the mosque is among a small number in the country that are open to travelers of all religious backgrounds. —Nikki Ekstein