Bart H
Google
We spent eight nights at Riad O, from December 27 to January 3, and it was truly everything we hoped for.||The Riad consists of two adjoining buildings interconnected via the ground floor. Each building has a plunge pool on the ground floor, one of which was heated. Our room, Saadienne, was located on the first floor of the first building. On the same floor, you will find Almohade, Idrisside, and Almoravide rooms. The breakfast area was located on the rooftop above us, and there were also cozy sofas. Although it was a bit cold in December, I can imagine it is a great spot to hang out during other periods. Note that the view is limited from this rooftop.||The other rooms were located in the adjoining building, most of them on the first floor. The rooftop on the second building had five or six fancy sun loungers, which were perfect for sunbathing even in December. It also has an elevated lounge area that offers a great view over the Medina to the Atlas Mountains.||The Riad is located in the Bab Doukkala area (Bab Doukkala is the name of the nearest mosque), a lively area with plenty of nearby restaurants ranging from basic to more upscale. On Fridays, you might hear early morning prayers from several mosques, but this happened only once during our stay. The location is absolutely perfect, as it is situated around 50 meters in a dead-end alley. Staff will carry your suitcases on the day of arrival and departure, so no need to worry about that.||All points of interest were within walking distance. Here are some examples: the souk – 10 minutes, Jemaa El-Fnaa – 25 minutes, Jardin Majorelle – 20 minutes, Gueliz – 25 minutes. So, you will be in a quiet riad and in the middle of all the sites you will want to visit.||Breakfasts were lovely and varied. I think they took previous feedback into account since we always had both sweet and savory dishes. Besides the basics like bread, pastry, marmalade, fruit juice, a fruit platter, and coffee/tea, we always received eggs (the best omelets…) and a sweet dish like homemade cake, rice pudding, or yogurt with preserves. Breakfast is served in a greenhouse on the rooftop, and it is temperature controlled.||On three evenings, we had dinner at the hotel. The New Year’s Eve festive menu was included in our room rate, and it was phenomenal! I don't think there was another place in Marrakech that evening where guests were so pampered and enjoyed such creative, tasty dishes. Fantastic – all our compliments to Zakia and Sanaa for creating this menu and the perfect coordination on the evening itself! On our first evening, we selected from the standard menu, and it was all really tasty, well-prepared, and absolutely recommended. On our last evening, we asked for a ‘surprise menu’: the cook could decide what to serve us, and once again, it was superb.||Last but not least, we have to compliment Manu and the whole Riad O team. Manu deserves all our respect for managing this Riad in such a perfect way – he is always available, focused on customer service, and cares for his guests and his team. The other team members are all quite young, but you can tell they enjoy working at the Riad – always smiling and ready to do whatever it takes to give guests a great experience.||In short, Riad O ticks all the boxes for us and probably also for you! Don’t hesitate: book and become part of the Riad O privileged guest circle. We will return, that’s for sure. A big thank you to Manu and team!!
