In most cities the hotel is where the holiday pauses. In Marrakech it is a substantial part of the holiday itself, because the traditional riad — a house turned inwards around a courtyard, blank to the street and open to the sky — is one of the great pieces of domestic architecture, and you can sleep in one for the price of a chain room elsewhere.
Key facts
- Riad means a courtyard house, usually small, often family-run, always inside the medina walls.
- Medina stays are atmospheric and central but rarely reachable by car to the door.
- Gueliz and Hivernage offer conventional hotels, lifts, and space for a real pool.
- Check the rooftop. In Marrakech, the roof is the best room in the house.
The medina: riads
This is the default, and for good reason. A riad puts you inside the old city, five minutes from the souks, in a building where the temperature drops the moment you step through the door. Rooms range from simple to sumptuous; breakfast on the roof is close to universal.
The trade-offs are honest ones. Rooms can be dark by design, sound carries around a courtyard, and your taxi will stop at the nearest gate rather than your entrance. Most riads will send someone to meet you, and you should let them.
El Fenn, spread across a group of restored houses near the Bab el Ksour end of the medina, is the best-known example of a riad grown into a hotel — a serious art collection, a rooftop with Atlas views, and a look that has been imitated worldwide.
