9 Cool Riads To Book In Marrakech
L’Hôtel Marrakech
This is a privately owned riad in the Medina. Built in the 19th century, it was originally the central part of a Caidal palace. Today, five spacious suites surround a wide courtyard garden and swimming pool. Owned by Jasper Conran, the riad combines superb Moroccan craftsmanship with antique furniture, textiles, lighting and art from his collection, making it feel more like a high-end home than a hotel. The roof terrace offers views of the Atlas Mountains and the city skyline, and is the perfect place to unwind after a day exploring the souks. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea can be taken under the pergola, and drinks can be enjoyed among the orange blossom and fig trees on the terrace.
Derb Sidi Lahcen Ou Ali, Bab Doukkala, Marrakech
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Le Riad Yasmine
French couple Gabriel and Alice moved to Marrakech in 2015 to take over the direction of Le Riad Yasmine. They have since transformed it into a modern green paradise in the centre of the Medina. The verdant riad has eight well-designed bedrooms – each filled with plenty of plants and cacti – a swimming pool, a rooftop solarium plus a friendly resident cat named Bowie. If you’re after a spot of relaxation, enjoy a mint tea in the living room and reading nook. The whole place can be booked exclusively for up to 16 guests – perfect for family trips or a girls’ weekend away.
Rue Ank Jemel, Bab Taghzout, Marrakech
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La Sultana Marrakech
La Sultana Marrakech is an ultra-luxe hideaway within the old city, close to the main attractions and ten minutes from Djemaa El Fna square. The 28-bedroom hotel offers an outdoor heated swimming pool with a jet stream, panoramic terraces, misted solarium, gym, library, spa and on-site cooking courses. Each bedroom has its own design and style of decoration, and is filled with antique furniture and artworks. On the spacious outdoor terrace overlooking the Medina, La Table du Souk restaurant offers cosmopolitan cuisine, signature cocktails flavoured with Moroccan spices, and great views.
Rue De La Kasbah, Medina, Marrakech
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Le Farnatchi
Comprising ten suites set across six merchant houses, Le Farnatchi is just moments from the buzz of the Medina. An emerald courtyard pool welcomes guests, and there’s a rooftop dining area and gardens with views onto the city and Atlas Mountains. Opposite the hotel is Le Trou Au Mur. With a name meaning ‘The Hole In The Wall’, the restaurant focuses on the authentic dishes usually served in private Moroccan homes. Those in need of relaxation should visit the Farnatchi Spa, which has two marble hammams with vaulted ceilings, as well as a wide range of treatments and therapies. The team can help organise everything from nights under the stars in the desert to sunrise hot air balloon rides and sidecar rides around the medina for children. Best of all, Le Farnatchi is available to rent exclusively, sleeping up to 20 guests.
Derb el Farnatchi, Rue Souk el Fassis, Marrakech
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Dar Kawa
Seventeenth-century Dar Kawa is set within the Medina’s maze of souks. In 1999, owner Valérie Barkowski restored the house, taking it back as close as possible to the original architecture. A neutral colour palette allows the riad’s grand proportions and refinement to take centre stage, while the artwork and design details throughout create a luxe look. Of all the bedrooms, we like the look of the Suite Mumtaz. On the first floor, this is a private two-room suite with a fireplace, individual bathroom with shower, separate toilet and dressing room, complete with bed linen by Bandit Queen. Dar Kawa also offers a spa, roof terrace, relaxed restaurant and fire pit for the colder months.
Kaat Benahid, Derb Ouali, Marrakech
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Riad Les Yeux Bleus
Renovated by a team of Marrakech artisans, Riad Les Yeux Bleus offers an ideal getaway for those keen to experience Moroccan hospitality at its best – without giving up a certain amount of modernity. The décor blends contemporary and traditional styles, reflecting the current nature of Marrakech, where vibrant urban life coexists with the ancient ways of the city. In the Bab Doukkala district – one of the Medina’s most popular and picturesque quarters – Riad Les Yeux Bleus offers 11 comfortable bedrooms, each decorated in its own style. They are scattered around two patios, two pools, a library, a full spa including massage and hammam, and a pretty roof terrace with a bar.
Derb El Ferrane, Bab Doukkala, Marrakech
El Fenn
With its tree-filled courtyards, large roof terrace with views over the Atlas Mountains and a family of resident tortoises, El Fenn is a relaxing base from which to enjoy Marrakech – just five minutes from Djemaa El Fna square and the maze of streets that make up the souks. It offers 28 stylish rooms and suites, three swimming pools, plus a restaurant, bar, spa and library. When it comes to bedrooms, we like the look of the suites, which come with private terraces, plunge pools, kilim-covered beds, hand-stitched camel-leather floors and sun loungers. All products in the El Fenn spa have been created by Les Sens de Marrakech and contain natural ingredients ranging from rose water to ghassoul clay, alongside a choice of argan-based massage oils.
Bab El Ksour Medina, Marrakech
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Riad Jardin Secret
This pretty hotel was built in the late 1960s by a close friend of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. A three-storey Moroccan townhouse, it features a private courtyard and pool, a living room with an open fireplace, bedrooms, plus several outdoor areas including a wrought-iron pavilion on the roof terrace. Riad Jardin Secret has a laidback atmosphere, and most of the furniture and design details are picked from flea markets around Marrakech. Each year a different artist in residence creates new works for the hotel. Televisions and air conditioning are not available – the riad’s way of encouraging guests to adapt to the city’s laid-back pace of life.
Arset Aouzal, Bab Doukkala, Marrakech
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Riad LouHou
This double-fronted house sits on a peaceful square in the Kasbah quarter. It was renovated in 2017 to create a five-bedroom luxury hotel. A pool is located to one side of the terrace with loungers, straw hats and towels on hand for sunbathing. The other side provides a shaded lounge, draped with curtains for taking tea or reading a book. Each night, dinner and music are served by candlelight. When it comes to accommodation, we love the look of the two spacious suites, which come with high glass-dome roofs for added light and space. The suites also come with a natural tadelakt en-suite shower room and a lounge area for taking tea, and are easily made into a triple or family room.
Al Kasbah, Derb Touareg, Marrakech
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