A rocking riad in Marrakech?

January 6, 2009 4:57 PM

Recommend a riad in Marrakech?

Heading to Marrakech for a long weekend and would love a personal recommendation of a riad in the medina. There will be 6 of us traveling together and we're pretty chilled out people.

posted by meerkatty to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

A friend and I stayed at the Douarskoll Guesthouse (on hostelworld) in the medina ~three years ago. It was a pretty nice place with a great rooftop view and not terribly expensive as I remember, plus it includes breakfast. There are a handful of varied rooms (priced according to size, amenities, etc). It's run by a very friendly French (I think) expat.

If you book it you will probably want to be picked up from Djemaa el Fna (the huge main square) as it's confusing to find in the medina unless you know where it is. If you don't want the expense or trust your sense of direction (as I did when there), email me (it's in my profile) and I can send you a map and directions. It's simple but easy to get lost. It took my friend and I a good bit of wandering and asking for directions a few times before a local knew the place.

Here's the contact information I dug out of old emails:

Douarskoll
Derb el Hammam 66, Mouassine
Marrakech

p. [phone]
f. [phone]
e. douarskoll [at] menara.ma

Don't know if the numbers or email are still good.

Have a fantastic trip! Marrakech is great.
posted by thebabelfish at 5:21 PM on January 6, 2009

On second thought here's the map so you have a sense of where it is in the medina. Take the names of the "streets" with a grain of salt: you'll be very hard pressed in most areas to find any sort of sign or label on the wall. Rely on your sense of direction instead.
posted by thebabelfish at 5:45 PM on January 6, 2009

Riad Massine II is a great place to stay. It's got a great open courtyard, it's within only a few minutes walk to Djemma el Fna, and, though getting there is tricky the first time, it's neat and Aladdinesque (and safe) neighborhood. Free mint tea, hookah, and tasty sweet bread, and the most friendly staff I've seen at any hostel anywhere. It's a wonderful Riad, and the link to hostel world is full of helpful reviews. Also, in terms of people, it's very chilled and relaxed. I was traveling alone and soon met a lot of nice, young, chilled out folks, and we spent a lot of time on the Riad's beautiful roof (with couches and a badass cat) smoking and looking at the stars. Also, the owners organize trips into the mountains, etc, so it's a convenient way to do outings. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Also, bring a compass. Essential for negotiating Marrakech's wonderful, crazy markets.
posted by farishta at 7:00 PM on January 6, 2009

A friend who was recently there had this to say:

Riad Marana is awesome. Extremely close to the main square, clean, friendly, and quiet. The details on the web site are all in French, but in person they speak English perfectly.
posted by mmascolino at 9:35 PM on January 6, 2009

I wouldn't describe it as "rocking" but Riad Houdou was very nice. Its not that close to the square but I wasn't all that impressed with Djemma el Fna
posted by Hash at 6:06 AM on January 7, 2009