Riad O2, Marrakesh

...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 ...
...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 minutes to the riad. It isn't unusual for cars not to be able to get to the a front door as the whole medina is narrow, however the walk to Riad O2 isn't pleasant. The route is confusing (although we mastered it after a couple of trips), ... more

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 minutes to the riad. It isn't unusual for cars not to be able to get to the a front door as the whole medina is narrow, however the walk to Riad O2 isn't pleasant. The route is confusing (although we mastered it after a couple of trips), and the passageways are winding, although a lot of the medina is. The biggest problem is that you have to pass through two tunnels, and the riad door is actually situated in one of these tunnels. They are quite dark even during the day, and as mentioned in another review there are a lot of people hanging around in the alleys. It does feel intimidating, but we found the more nervous you appear the more hassle you get, so just hold your head high and make it appear that you know where you're going…even if you don't. I noticed that the management have responded to a review on another site saying that signs have now been put at certain points on the walk, we didn't notice any at all. The lights in the alleys are now fixed, but the tunnel lights are pretty dim, so getting back at night is quite a nervy experience.

But, all that said, once you arrive at the riad and the door opens you are literally transported into another world. In stark contrast to the dark alley outside, the riad is light and inviting. It isn't as polished as it appears on the website, but it is still lovely and its very welcoming. Fathiya (the manager) spent five minutes going over a map of the medina with us, gave us directions back to the riad from Ben Slimane, and Rachida, the riad cook, brought out some delicious mint tea. Word of warning - do not use the toilet situated downstairs in the riad. I made the mistake of not waiting to be shown to our room and the smell of the drains was overpowering, if you can, hold on!

We stayed in the Egg Suite (Suite Oeuf) and it was lovely. Very minimalist and white, with a huge ceramic bath at the end of the room. The room is a great size, the bed is almost a king and although the mattress is firm we found it very comfortable. One of the windows is on the alley side, so you do get the noise of the kids and motorbikes going up and down, but this actually adds to the atmosphere. The room is extremely clean and we found that our towels and sheets were changed every day of our stay. There is one bottle of mineral water in the room on arrival, but you just need to ask for more when you run out.

We had decided to have dinner in the riad on our first night due to a very early start. I booked a massage through the riad beforehand, but have to say I was quite surprised when the masseuse turned up and was a twenty-something guy in a baseball cap. However the massage itself was brilliant, just be warned that you won't be left with much to cover your dignity! We arranged with Rachida that we would eat at 8pm, but at about 7.15pm a boy (about 18 and we assume the management's son) started knocking on our door. We headed downstairs for 8pm as planned, and we were met with an extremely frosty response from him. No one else appeared to be around. We were seated, in total silence, and two minutes later he brought out some soup and bread. He gave no explanation as to what it was, nor did he offer us anything to drink, not even water. The soup was delicious although we still have no idea what it was made from! As soon as the soup was finished he brought us a chicken tagine which was fantastic, but again, this was literally dumped in front of us in silence. In between bringing food he hung around on his mobile or disappeared out the front of the riad where I assume his friends were outside. Eventually after realising that he wasn't going to bring drinks, we asked for a bottle of water and two glasses of red wine, and we were brought two very small glasses. The tagine was fantastic, having tried a few whilst in Marrakech this was definitely the best, however the total lack of friendliness did spoil the meal. We were offered no refills and once the tagine was finished he brought out some fresh fruit and literally ran out the riad door. I can only assume we had delayed his evening plans by eating at the riad. I would highly recommend sampling Rachida's cooking, it is delicious, but be warned that if served by the son service may be non-existent. A tip - we were told on Sunday that we owed 150DH (about £10) for the two glasses of wine from Friday night. When I mentioned that this seemed steep for two small glasses, I was informed we were paying for the bottle, even though this had not been mentioned, the bottle had not been left on the table nor had any more wine been offered. So bear in mind if you order wine that you are paying for the whole bottle, but unless you know chances are you may not see the rest of it.

Breakfast is lovely, lots of fresh bread, potato cakes, fresh jams, coffee and mint tea. It can be taken in the central courtyard (which is covered), or up on the roof terrace. The terrace is very pretty and relaxing, and its great to collapse on a sun lounger or on the large cushions after trekking around the city all day. There is also a small hammam adjacent to the treatment room where I had my massage, but we didn't use this and went to a spa at the Sultana hotel (highly recommend a visit) near Bab Agnaou in the south west of the city. This area of the city is lovely and well worth a visit to the palaces, or the small square to see the iron lanterns being made first hand.

Another recommendation - as per the email sent by the riad on booking, payment is required either prior to or on arrival in cash. We decided to pay by bank transfer as previously mentioned, as they use First Direct based in the UK. This was made the Tuesday prior, and should have reached them by the time we arrived, and I emailed the riad to confirm we had done this once the transfer was made. However, on Sunday morning while enjoying breakfast, Fathiya came over and said the money hadn't been received and that we needed to pay them around 3,300DH in case that day (about £230). We explained that as per our email we had transferred the money, but due to it being Easter in the UK it may not have arrived in their account. Fathiya was quite frosty and demanded that the money be paid in cash, so I emailed their finance manager and asked him to call First Direct as it should be showing as a credit due to arrive in their account as soon as the banks reopened on Tuesday. We also had a print out showing the transfer had happened. He responded whilst we were out and said that the money had to be paid to the riad, so I can only assume he didn't call the bank. Although the riad had said if the money arrived with them on Tuesday they would refund it to us, we were wary of handing over that amount of cash, plus many cash machines in Marrakech will only allow you to withdraw 2,000DH a day. This obviously blighted our day somewhat as we were quite worried about what to expect when we returned to the riad. On returning we spoke with Fathiya again and explained our worries, who told us we would have to pay the cash and we would have to call the riad owner if we didn't want to. So we called the owner, Gerard, who was great, accepted what we were saying immediately and said it was fine. Whilst we understand that Fathiya was doing her job as manager, if we had been told to call Gerard in the morning it would have saved a lot of worry during the day and the matter would have been resolved straight away. So if you are paying by transfer ensure you leave plenty of time for your money to arrive in their account, to avoid any animosity during your stay.

Also bear in mind that you are likely to be ripped off actually in Marrakech - if you have to withdraw money from the cash machine break your notes down as quickly as possible. We had a number of experiences where we didn't have the right change and we just weren't given our change back, and beware of the orange juice vendors in Djema el Fna. The orange juice is delicious but will cost you a lot more than the advertised 3DH if you aren't careful! We brought two glasses for 6DH but had to pay with a 200DH note (about £12), and we were given 70DH change. It was only when leaving the stall that we realised this, and we had to stand there for literally ten minutes before the vendor gave in and gave us the 100DH note he had tried to keep back. Taxi drivers will do the same if they can. Always ask the price before getting in the cab, on leaving one restaurant we were sat in the cab and quoted 80DH for what turned out to be a journey of a quarter of the length of a 30DH one earlier in the day. We tipped everyone (except if they had tried to rip us off), and it is wise to have some small change on you at all times.

Djema el Fna is about a 15 minute walk from Riad O2, but rather than sticking to the main road you can cut through the souks which is a lot more interesting. Although the management have said Medersa Ben Youssef and the Musee of Marrakech are five minutes walk from the riad, they aren't. On our way back from the souks on our first day we accidentally wandered into the north east area of the medina, passing both of these landmarks, and the journey from there to the riad was around fifteen minutes and it was extremely scary. It was obviously an area that tourists do not go, as we got hassled and followed the whole way. I recommend avoiding this area. If you want to visit these two sights do so from the main square, and then head back the same way rather than cutting across, or get a taxi. Majorelle Gardens is well worth a visit, and can be walked to in about 15 minutes from the riad.

On the whole we had a fantastic time in Marrakech and it really is an amazing city. Riad O2 is lovely but is unfortunately tarnished by the location. The staff are all extremely friendly, especially Rachida, as is Fathiya, just ensure the money is sorted out prior to arrival so you have an uninterrupted stay. I would love to recommend the riad, and would do so to groups, but I would not stay here as a female only party or a female on your own, not because of the riad, but because the walk is unpleasant. Even as a couple we felt extremely uncomfortable. If we return to Marrakech we wouldn't stay at Riad O2 for this reason. 

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