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

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Advantages: Peaceful, pretty with wonderful owners and staff. One of my favourite places ever.
Disadvantages: No tea making facilities. Early morning call to prayer gives a swift awakening

...What kind of traveller are you? Do you like to spend your holiday budget on a luxury villa somewhere, with all the mod cons, or do you prefer more Spartan accommodation, on the basis that you're just renting somewhere to rest your head at night? Usually, I fall into the latter category - as much as I like luxury, I cannot justify spending large sums of money if I'm visiting a city in order to get out and about, and discover the culture and meet the people. However, I've just returned from Marrakech, and found a happy medium. Riad Dar Sbihi is in the northern part of the Medina (old city) in Marrakech. A riad is a traditional Moroccan dwelling. It is laid out around a central courtyard, with the rooms communicating with the courtyard, but not with each other. The result of this design is that you step from a bustling (and dusty... Read review

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Advantages: good food, clean, great cocktails, nice rooms
Disadvantages: --------------------

.... Emphasis on the cheese. My boyfriend had rigatoni quattro formaggi and I had gnocchi al pesto, each around 100 dirhams. Dinner comes with a basket of assorted breads flavored with various herbs and spices. Price per person includes having wine. I eat a great Tiramisù and my boyfriend a dessert that I never had haerd, called Pavlova: super. The manager, Mr Paolo, told us, that the Cafe has 2 double rooms and a minisuite. We asked him the see the rooms. No problems, in this way we could shoot some photos. I think it's a good idea to sleep in a riad for enjoy the real Morocco, that's not possible in a 5 stars hotel :-( ....next time The Sunday Moroccan-international brunch tasts optimal. It's a great buffet, for 200 DHS. It's not expansive, but unfortunatly it comes suspended in July and August because it is too warm and the buffet it comes... Read review

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Advantages: Not as "touristy" as other parts of Morocco, steeped in history, a beautiful city
Disadvantages: Beware small children and Moroccan men

...instead recommend walking up to the Merenid tombs on the hillside neighbouring the old city. The tombs themselves are nothing special, but from this hillside you will be given an amazing view of the city (see photo below). ACCOMMODATION For as authentic a Moroccan experience as possible, I would highly recommend staying in one of the many riads situated in and around the city. These are traditional Moroccan houses set around a central courtyard, which generally only have a handful of rooms available. Serving traditional Moroccan breakfasts (fresh orange juice, pancakes and traditional pastries), they will generally also serve lunch and evening meals on request. We stayed at the Riad Clé de Fès, a beautiful riad just outside the medina, which, despite being so close to all the action, was incredibly peaceful. Many riads, we noticed, seem... Read review

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Advantages: Sun, culture, beautiful
Disadvantages: I wanna buy a Kasbah

...The word Riad in Classical Arabic stands for a garden. This evolved in time to refer to a Moorish patio garden. The definition in Morocco now describes accommodation of traditional or historic character and of a high standard reflecting quality and local charm. So that’s how Morty and I stood at 10.15am squinting in the unaccustomed sunshine one January morning having just flown on a 7.00am flight from Gatwick landing at Marrakech airport, and apprehensively wondering which of the strangers collecting their luggage from the carousel were to be our six travelling companions on our ‘Riad Adventure’ Bit of a risk really, booking a seven day holiday knowing we’d be travelling in a small people carrier with just them, a driver and a guide. Especially as I’m a certified coward and we were about to journey... Read review

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Advantages: Very different to anything in Europe, but very close to the UK
Disadvantages: You have to haggle over everything

...walls including the Royal Palace, tombs, mosques lots of busy back streets and markets and various other palaces. Places to Stay There are a variety of different types of accommodation in Marrakech from simple bed and breakfast places to grand hotels, but the most traditional type is the Riyad or Riad, which is a word now generally assumed to mean guesthouse, but in fact refers to the traditional architecture, arranged around a central courtyard with four flowerbeds. We stayed at the Riad Altair, a four star guesthouse costing £363.00 for one Double room for 4 nights Bed and breakfast. Hotel Riad Altair is a very pleasant old Riyad guesthouse with courtyard with alcoves enclosing Arabic style sofas and chairs and an enormous banana tree rising up through the centre of the three storey building to the roof terraces with excellent... Read review

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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... Read review

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Advantages: It's cheap, fascinating, beautiful and not even that far.
Disadvantages: The hassle.....

...'d recommend staying in a traditional riad which are abundant. A riad is typically a three storey building based around a central courtyard with a roof garden at the top. There range from small, just a few rooms run by a family to those that have been adapted to cater for many. Of course there are many posh hotels, particularly in Marrakech, but these are in the modern part of the city away from all the best bits. In the summer there is also camping available throughout the country. Money. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Moroccan currently is the dirham and at the time of writing approximately dh16 was equal to £1. This is an excellent exchange rate for us in the West. Here are a few examples of how cheap things are. A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the Djemma in Marrakesh will set you... Read review

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Advantages: The staff, the decoration, the private plane and nora !
Disadvantages: : - )

...... Read review

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Advantages: Unspoilt by French colonialism, friendly people, extremely cheap
Disadvantages: Along way from major tourist areas

...of the restaurants have a French flavour to them, with names like ’Boulangerie’ or ’Patisserie’. They are many places to sample Morrocan dishes one of my favourites were the fantastic tajines, whish are a stew that can contain anything from lamb to fruit. HOTEL