Riad Oum Ellkhir

The area felt a little dull, and the riad took some effort to spot, although it’s close to the street and only a three-minute walk from Bab Yagot. I’ve attached some pictures to make finding it easier. It felt safe, but be careful about asking passersby for directions, as they may ask for money. That’s common in Morocco. The riad is run by women, who were all very nice. One spoke English very well and helped us a lot over WhatsApp; the others spoke French, and a translator worked fine for us. We had two bookings and stayed in two different rooms. Both were very clean, with daily cleaning and fresh towels. The courtyard is large and pretty, and breakfast is served there. It costs 4E per person, and the portions are generous and tasty. They serve the same dishes each day, but at that price I didn’t mind; it would be hard to find the same breakfast outside for that amount. The bathroom had a slight sewer smell. There’s a window and AC in each room, so it wasn’t a big problem. Sewage smells seem to be present throughout Marrakesh, even at the airport, so you have to accept that in this very, very old city.

The staff greeted me kindly when I arrived at midnight, and the place was quiet. I stayed one night, which was enough for me. The women there in the morning didn’t speak English or Spanish, but we found a way to communicate and they helped me get a taxi. I didn’t sleep well because I could feel the mattress springs in my back. There was no electricity or wifi in the morning.

Breakfast was superb and the staff were so kind. We had a spacious ground-floor room, with a huge comfy bed and a tidy bathroom. The riad is a clean, generous place, arranged around a central patio. It was quiet and the wifi worked fine. The shower drain had a small issue, but it didn’t affect us much.

They looked after us so well and did their best to accommodate our gluten-free needs. The people were extremely nice and helped us make the most of our stay. Finding the place was difficult, though. I’d recommend it.