What should you expect from your stay in a riad?
Let’s begin at the beginning :
Your arrival at the airport. Make sure that a taxi or other means of transport is coming to collect you, in order to avoid getting stuck with a taxi driver who will drop you off “anywhere and nowhere” in the medina and demand an exorbitant fare for doing so!
Riads normally provide this service (sometimes for a fee), which will ensure that you arrive at their door cool, calm and unflustered.
Then comes your welcome. Generally speaking, nothing should be lacking in its warmth, the Moroccan sense of hospitality being what it is. Your host and his or her team will go to all ends to see you are comfortably settled in, and make sure that your slightest wish is taken care of. They can usually get by in several languages, and will be happy to advise on planning tours of the city and excursions, where to eat, care rentals, and so on.
Meals. Apart from breakfast, which is usually included, you can, upon request, (sometimes) have lunch and (always) have dinner at the riad – with the advantage of being able to choose dishes from the cook’s ‘catalogue’ to suit the season and your tastes! And, if you know how to approach her, acquaint yourself with the hidden treasures of Moroccan gastronomy...
Terraces and the idle life. All riads have terraces where life is for the living, whatever the time of year (except when it’s raining, of course), equipped with deckchairs if you’re looking to take home an impressive tan, summer lounges (sometimes beneath the shade of a tent), and even jacuzzis or showers.
Let’s begin at the beginning :
Your arrival at the airport. Make sure that a taxi or other means of transport is coming to collect you, in order to avoid getting stuck with a taxi driver who will drop you off “anywhere and nowhere” in the medina and demand an exorbitant fare for doing so!
Riads normally provide this service (sometimes for a fee), which will ensure that you arrive at their door cool, calm and unflustered.
Then comes your welcome. Generally speaking, nothing should be lacking in its warmth, the Moroccan sense of hospitality being what it is. Your host and his or her team will go to all ends to see you are comfortably settled in, and make sure that your slightest wish is taken care of. They can usually get by in several languages, and will be happy to advise on planning tours of the city and excursions, where to eat, care rentals, and so on.
Meals. Apart from breakfast, which is usually included, you can, upon request, (sometimes) have lunch and (always) have dinner at the riad – with the advantage of being able to choose dishes from the cook’s ‘catalogue’ to suit the season and your tastes! And, if you know how to approach her, acquaint yourself with the hidden treasures of Moroccan gastronomy...
Terraces and the idle life. All riads have terraces where life is for the living, whatever the time of year (except when it’s raining, of course), equipped with deckchairs if you’re looking to take home an impressive tan, summer lounges (sometimes beneath the shade of a tent), and even jacuzzis or showers.
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Mint tea on the terrace at Dar Warda, with views of the medina rooftops... | Swimming pool at Riad Catalina. |
The hammam. The benefits to be reaped from this oriental-style art of living are no longer in question, and services get better and better as interest continues to develop. Many riads are equipped with their own hammams, and those that are not will direct you to their favourite establishments. Traditional body-scrubs and massages with essential oils – 100% organic and extracted from plants gathered in the Ourika Valley – do wonders for you, and a few top specialists find themselves having to turn away clients! !
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Rest area in the Riad Jardins d’Hénia spa. | Massage room at Dar Les Cigognes. |
Charm. Why not regard this as a service? The few days you spend in a riad should make you feel as if you have slipped into another world altogether. You will experience Marrakesh as a dream, seeing only the surface attractions of the city and knowing nothing of its inhabitants’ day-to-day problems – for they have them sure enough, just as you do, along with the friends and neighbours you’ll be seeing again when you get back home...
And if your stay leaves you with a magical memory or two, tell yourself that this is where the city’s charm lies. A spell that so many of us have fallen under and that we hope to help weave for you.
See you soon!.
And if your stay leaves you with a magical memory or two, tell yourself that this is where the city’s charm lies. A spell that so many of us have fallen under and that we hope to help weave for you.
See you soon!.
Daniel Smith
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