Riad Nomades, Marrakesh

Advantages: Peaceful, beautiful riad
Disadvantages: Pollution, tat in markets, beggers, cats, transport

...I agree that Marrakesh is not so magical. I went there with my boyfriend for a romantic week away. It was anything but romantic. Taxi from the airport dumped us in the main square, a 30 minute walk from our riad. Got ripped off by another taxi getting to the riad. Riad was closed!!! Waited 10 minutes for the manager to return. The riad was in the heart of the medina/ To get a taxi involved a 10 minute walk through dirty streets lined with beggars staring at me and bfriend (a multi-cultural couple certainly draws attention there). Flies and cats everywhere. Tat for sale in the markets. Polluted. Chose to leave early when a cycle ran into me. Not magical, not romantic, but dirty and touristy.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Rooms and food are great, very relaxing
Disadvantages: Location, location, location!

...We have just returned from spending the Easter weekend at Riad O2 in Marrakech. Prior to visiting Marrakech we had good email contact with the riad, and we confirmed with them that we would like to be collected from the airport and have dinner in the riad on our first night. We then arranged to pay the outstanding balance by bank transfer. We arrived at Menara airport after a really easy three hour flight, and we were quickly met by one of the riad's drivers, Hamid. He helped us to his car with our bags and we set off for the medina. Having read a couple of reviews on other sites before leaving we were a little wary of the area that Riad O2 is situated in, and unfortunately on arriving I have to admit our worries were confirmed. Hamid pulled up at the end of a road near Sidi Ben Slimane, and we then walked for three or four... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A really foreign experience
Disadvantages: Too hot in July

...Jaded with trips abroad? Fed up with touristy jaunts? Try out Marrakesh for a real taste of what travelling must have once been like. We went on a 2 week package to Agadir, and, growing tired of the beach culture yet not wanting to buy into a packaged bus trip, we booked ourselves on the (real) bus to Marrakesh for a few days - really cheap, 70 dirhams, about £4.50 each way. The trip was easy - about 4 and a half hours on an air-conditioned bus, dropping us at the bus station on the outskirts of the Old City. We were mobbed by petit taxi drivers offering to take us to our destination, and took one of them up on it - a 'riad' (meaning old merchant's house which has been done up) just off the famous square of Djema el Fnaa. The taxi was bargained for and cost just over a pound to take us to the hotel. We had to go down a little... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful