Riad AnaYela, Marrakech, Morocco - Explore & Book
"AnaYela is a truly special 5-bedroom riad, located in the oldest, least touristy part of Marrakech's medina. Owned by German entrepreneur Bernd Kolb and his wife Andrea, it is a painstakingly restored 300-year-old palace that offers a genuine Marrakchi experience. Authenticity is key: over 100 local artisans helped to refurbish it, using every traditional technique from silver-beating to wood carving, and working by candle-light throughout. The end result is a hushed sanctuary decorated in Berber-style natural colours (no jewel-bright limes and oranges, or heavy dark wood) and, unusually for a riad, there's no overgrown, tatty vegetation.Huge engraved silver lanterns hang at every corner, white hand-stitched pouffes line the floors, and good taste seeps from the walls. It is also the setting for a delightful love story: AnaYela means 'I am Yela', and the riad is named after a 16-year-old girl who lived there and left a note, unearthed during the restoration process, written on the eve of her wedding as she prepared to leave her grandfather's house. It feels like a house of love. Highs Cool, elegant and minimalist styling throughout, especially in the beautiful bedroomsHighly personalised service and flexible mealtimesRoof terrace with wide-sweeping views across Marrakech to the Atlas Mountains and a plunge pool for cooling off in after exploring the medinaThe level of detail is incredible: there's a tapis volant (flying carpet) in the tower on which Yela and her love stole kisses each night and were transported across the rooftopsYou are given a phone on arrival so you can contact reception for help inside or outside the hotel - a comfort if this is your first visit to frenetic Marrakech Lows Small rooms in which the windows are coloured glass; beautiful, but you may miss natural daylightSo silent and intimate that you might feel self-conscious if you were the only guests stayingNot suitable for young children, although families can book the whole riad and older children would be fineIt's expensive even by Marrakech's rising norms, but the service is outstanding and the design truly gorgeous" - Belinda Archer
