Top 10: best riad hotels in Marrakech
An insider's guide to the best riad hotels in Marrakech for couples, families, singles and romantic city breaks.
La Sultana Marrakech
Marrakech, Morocco
9Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £314per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Modelled on the Bahia Palace, La Sultana channels a Moroccan maximalist style. The painted, gilded, carved, tiled and polished finishes create an opulent and exotic atmosphere, which is only enhanced by the embarrassment of facilities, including a misted solarium, a delicate latticework garden gazebo, a heated pool and a pink-hued spa with bathing pools set amid a colonnaded hammam which conjures visions of Cleopatra at bath time.
Riad Mena & Beyond
Marrakech, Morocco
9Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £163per night
This elegant riad, with its harmonious proportions, tiered terraces, eight-metre pool and six vast suites set around a mature garden of palm, citrus and banana trees, redefines luxury in the medina. In places it channels a Miami-in-Marrakech vibe. Situated on the eastern edge of the medina, it’s an easy 10-minute walk to the Djemaa el-Fna, the Bahia and Badi palaces, and the Mellah’s spice souqs.
Villa des Orangers
Marrakech, Morocco
9Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £354per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Push through the carved wooden door into the citrus-scented garden and you could be forgiven for thinking you had chanced upon a secret royal palace. Water gurgles soothingly off a fountain, and olives and palms frame intricately carved plaster archways, which shade inviting porticos. In the centre, reflecting the sky, is a mirror-like pool lined by immaculate white-cushioned loungers.
L'Hôtel Marrakech
Marrakech, Morocco
9Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £261per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Jasper Conran’s 19th-century riad is a haven of effortless good taste. Its extravagant green garden and art-filled suites channel the same soignée glamour as the 1942 film, Casablanca. Walk-on roles are played by a cosmopolitan guest list, who look every inch the part lounging fireside in the luxe salons. The garden is possibly the finest feature of the house. From the dining salon it looks like a luxuriant Zuber wall print through the floor-to-ceiling French windows, and it also provides a natural screen for the 10-metre-long, heated saltwater pool.
Riad Joya
Marrakech, Morocco
9Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £197per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Riad Joya’s grand architecture impresses against a desert palette of sand, taupe and beige. The effect is a cocoon of subtle style where luxury whispers at you from every detail of the bespoke furnishings which are fashioned in cedar, bronze, linen, silk and velvet. A traditional hammam glows in the soft light of fretwork lanterns, while the rooftop bar staff provide aperitifs to guests reclining around two dainty plunge pools.
Dar Al Assad
Marrakech, Morocco
8Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £112per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Step through the hotel's brass-studded door and you arrive in a courtyard lined with Moorish arches and cosy bhous (seating nooks). Metre-thick walls block out street noise and couples talk in secret alcoves crowded with busts, books and objets d’art. The look is French Orientalist with acres of luxe fabric creating a soft, sequestered atmosphere. The riad is five minutes' walk from the Djemaa el-Fna and within easy reach of the Medina’s souks and palace museums.
Riad de Tarabel
Marrakech, Morocco
8Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £184per night Check availability Rates provided by Mr & Mrs Smith
The riad revolves around a large central courtyard with six orange trees standing like sentries on a manicured green lawn that looks all the more vibrant for the charcoal grey walkway that surrounds it. Like a Delacroix painting there’s a dramatic use of lighting, colour and romance in the décor which combines colonial and Second Empire furnishings to opulent effect. The secondary pool patio is dotted with commodious wicker loungers and features a charming orangery-cum-bar lined with a fabulous Zuber hand-printed mural.
Riad Adore
Marrakech, Morocco
9Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £112per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Riad Adore's original courtyard columns and arches remain, but the house was finished with pale sand coloured tadelakt, creamy plaster and oyster grey paintwork on the moshrabia (hand turned wooden screens) giving it a serene, almost beachy feel. It’s enhanced by added extras like a fantastically cool aquamarine, courtyard plunge pool, a pint-sized hammam where you can drift off to a dreamy ‘gommage’ (scrub down with olive oil soap infused with rose water) or chill in a library well-stocked with books, lifestyle mags and films.
Palais Lamrani
Marrakech, Morocco
8Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £130per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Built in the early 20th century by merchants from Fez, the palace still reflects the wealth and upward mobility of the Lamrani family. The huge garden, which is a delightful surprise after the narrow entrance, is thickly planted with bitter oranges, bananas, grapefruit and palms. Through here you’ll find a second courtyard with a pool where the family once kept their carriages. Inside, the rich decorative detailing continues in multiple lounges trimmed with stuccowork, filled to bursting with a fascinating collection of Moroccan and European antiques and artworks.
Riad Kniza
Marrakech, Morocco
9Telegraph expert rating
Read expert review From £157per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Riad Kniza is a fabulous and utterly authentic riad home and guesthouse. Restored by teams of Morocco’s most highly skilled craftsmen, the soaring salons, spacious rooms and tranquil patios make no apology for their decorative excess. On top of this artful canvas, Haj Bouskri’s beautiful antiques, Berber rugs, silk sofas and embroidered curtains add depth and personality, creating the feel of a luxurious Marrakshi home. The riad lies inside Bab Doukkala, one of the nine main gates of the medina.
