Tips on Renting a Riad in Morocco – For Authentic and Enriching Experiences. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Tips on Renting a Riad in Morocco for an Authentic and Enriching Stay

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Atmospherically located down alleyways in everyday neighbourhoods in the medinas of Morocco’s cities, riads or traditional courtyard houses, offer up a more authentic and enriching experience compared to staying in a centrally-located hotel in the new city. Here are our tips on renting a riad in Morocco.

We stayed in a couple of different types of HomeAway riads during our two weeks in Morocco, Dar Rocmarra in Marrakech and Dar Lazuli in Essaouira, each offering quite different but equally delightful experiences.

While Dar Rocmarra, the first property we made our home, can be rented as a whole house, February is a busy period in Marrakech so while we were there the riad operated more like an intimate boutique hotel or upmarket B&B.

We stayed in a spacious suite with living area, while there were other guests in the property’s four other rooms. Staff are on duty 24 hours, including a manager-cum-chef and two other staff, who serve breakfast daily and cook dinner for guests.

Guests don’t usually have access to the kitchen, although Jamila was kind of enough to give Terence a cooking lesson and let him use her kitchen so if you are an enthusiastic cook you could ask nicely.

Dar Lazuli, on the other hand, consists of four separate self-catering apartments, each with their own kitchens. Guests also have access to the housekeeper-cum-chef who can take guests shopping, give them cooking lessons, and prepare guests dinner in their own kitchens. The property can also be rented in its entirety.

Our Tips to Renting a Riad in Morocco

Our tips to renting a riad in Morocco for more authentic and enriching experiences than you’d have staying in a hotel.

For Families and Groups of Friends

You should consider renting a whole riad for the freedom, flexibility and privacy it offers. Sound travels across the courtyards, so noisy kids or late night dinner parties might not go down well with other guests.

If your travelling with family or a group of friends, we strongly recommend booking your riad well in advance of when you want to travel to ensure the owners can block out the whole place for your entire stay.

For Couples and Budget Travellers

Budget travellers will find it more economical to stay in a B&B-style riad with other guests but if you want to cook your own food try to rent an apartment with a kitchen within a riad with a set-up like that at Dar Lazuli.

Couples in the mood for romance will value the privacy of a riad apartment, as it’s hard to escape other guests in a small B&B-style riad, where the atmosphere is relaxed and social can sometimes be more akin to an upmarket hostel.

Private Chef or Kitchen?

If you love to cook, especially when you’re on holidays, so you can cook with local produce and ingredients, try your hand at Moroccan cooking, or you just want use of your own kitchen to make the kids breakfasts, the look for an apartment with kitchen within a large riad or a whole riad with a kitchen you can use. Just make sure in advance that you have use of the kitchen.

If you’re happier if someone else does the cooking when you’re on holidays, you’re planning to eat out a lot, and you’ll be satisfied with a small fridge or mini bar for your bottles of Moroccan wine and local olives for early evening snacking, then you’ll be happy in a B&B-style riad or a small boutique hotel set in a riad with a chef.

Personal Service and Pampering?

If you’re after the services that a hotel has to offer, such as airport transfers, daily breakfast, regularly changed sheets/towels, a concierge-like manager to arrange taxis, tours and make dinner reservations, and a chef to cook breakfast and other meals, then look for a B&B style riad with full-time on-site staff, as we had at Dar Rocmarra, or a boutique hotel located in a riad.

Solitude and Self-Catering?

For privacy, peace and solitude and to be able to do things at your own pace and dine when you wish to, then rent a whole Moroccan riad with kitchen. But you’ll need to be confident enough and capable of arranging your own transport and restaurant reservations, which isn’t always easy to do in Morocco.

Facilities and Amenities

Facilities and amenities vary considerably from one riad to another riad in Morocco. Some riads are very basic with simple furnishings and few amenities and are on par with backpacker or flashpacker accommodation. The low price should be an indicator.

Other Moroccan riads are in the same league as luxury boutique hotels, with heating/air-conditioning, fireplaces, quality sheets, big fluffy towels, hairdryers, iPod docking stations, books and so on. Decide what’s important to you, scrutinise the property listings, and ask the owner or manager questions before making a booking.

Atmosphere and Ambiance

Atmosphere and style are crucial to a riad stay in Morocco. They’re often determined by things such as welcoming staff greeting you with a lantern for a late night arrival or mint tea and pastries served when you return home from medina explorations.

A fountain trickling in the courtyard, flower petals strewn about the room, soft oud music, flickering candles, and a fireplace lit in your room in the evenings. If this kind of attention to detail is important, study the riad photos on the website and read the testimonials carefully.

Location, Location, Location

In contrast to hotels, which we often want to be centrally located and close to the sights or transport, the best riad experiences come from settling into properties buried deep within a medina, hidden down a gritty alleyway in a living-breathing neighbourhood. Study the property’s Google map carefully, do some research, and ask the owner questions to ensure the location is interesting.

Meet and Greet

Note that a secluded location can also mean the riad might be a challenge to locate the first time, so once you’ve booked your property obtain clear directions from the owner, arrange a transfer from the airport or to be met at an easy-to-find location. If the taxi can’t get close to the entrance, find out if they have a porter service.

Create Your Own Vibe

Keep in mind that if you can’t afford a luxurious riad there are plenty of simple riads around that are very affordable, and if you are settling in for a while you can always enhance the ambiance by buying some scented candles, a bunch of flowers from the market, and some local music to create your own romantic riad experience.

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A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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