What Is a Riad? My Honest Review of the 2 Marrakech Riads I Booked
I will be honest with you, before this trip I could not have told you what a riad actually was. I had seen the photos on Pinterest like everyone else, all courtyards and tiles and little plunge pools, and I had absolutely no idea whether that was a hotel, a guesthouse, or something you had to know someone to get into.
So we booked two of them, at two very different price points, and stayed in both. And I can tell you now that riads are my new favourite kind of place to stay anywhere in the world!
What Is a Riad? My Quick Answer
A riad is a traditional Moroccan house built inward around a central courtyard, usually with a fountain or a small pool in the middle, rooms opening onto the courtyard on two or three levels, and a roof terrace on top. Most of the ones you can book in Marrakech are old family homes that have been restored and turned into small hotels, and they sit inside the medina, which is the walled old city.
The thing that makes them feel completely different to a hotel is that they face inward. From the street you see a plain wall and a door. There are no windows onto the outside, no view, nothing to suggest what is behind it. Then the door opens and there is a courtyard with orange trees and a fountain and total silence, about ninety seconds walk from one of the busiest markets on earth!
Here is my quick answer, before the detail:
Both prices are for the room, so halve them if there are two of you. That works out at A$92 and A$45.50 each, which for what you get is genuinely silly!
The 2 Riads I Booked in Marrakech
We deliberately picked one splurge and one affordable one so we could compare. Here they are side by side, then I will go through each properly.
Palais Andara Riad & Spa
A$184 a night with breakfast, and about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the main souk. It had only opened a month before we arrived and we were the first Australians to stay, which they were very sweet about. Big courtyard with a pool, a roof terrace, and a hammam spa we ran out of time to use. The food here was the best we ate in Morocco.
Riad Zehra
A$91 a night with breakfast, in a quiet local area about 30 minutes walk from the centre. Smaller, no spa, and they upgraded us to a suite on arrival without being asked. Black and white tiled courtyard, a little pool, a roof terrace, and food just as good as the expensive one. This is the one to book if the budget is the deciding factor.
Riad 1: Palais Andara Riad & Spa
We stayed here for one night, on 15 November, and I have thought about it a lot since.
Getting there was a mission and I want to be upfront about that, because it is part of staying in the medina. It was about a 20 minute walk through the souks, on cobbled streets, dragging a suitcase with a broken wheel. By the time we arrived I was hot and unimpressed with myself. Then the door opened and honestly, I forgave the whole thing immediately!
The riad had been open one month. The staff were so warm about us being their first Australian guests, and the whole place felt looked after in a way that bigger hotels never quite manage.
The food is the thing I will not stop talking about. The chef came out and hand delivered every single plate, to every table, at lunch, at dinner and at breakfast. He introduced himself each time and explained what he had made. At the end of dinner he brought us out a free dessert just because he wanted us to try another Moroccan dish, and we went up to the kitchen afterwards to shake his hand.
The dish I still dream about is the lentil and tomato soup served with chebakia, a sweet sesame and honey pastry that you eat with it. Sweet and savoury together and it should not work at all. It was one of the nicest things I have ever eaten!
Two honest notes. The pool was freezing, and I have since learned that very few riads in Marrakech have heated pools, so factor that in if you are going outside summer. And there is a hammam spa on site that we did not use, because we only had one night and ran out of time, so I cannot review it.
We paid A$184 for the night including breakfast. When I checked recently it had crept up to around A$200, which I think tells you how quickly word got round.
Riad 2: Riad Zehra
We came back to Marrakech after two and a half weeks on the coast and stayed here for one night on 3 December, right before our desert tour.
We found this one very last minute and I had lowered my expectations accordingly. Then they upgraded us from a standard double to a suite on the ground floor, looking straight out at the pool, and I had to recalibrate again!
It is smaller than Palais Andara and there is no spa, and it sits about a 30 minute walk out of the centre in a quiet residential area, which we genuinely liked. The walk to it at night goes down a very narrow local lane that looks like a film set, and our bed was one of the comfiest of the whole trip!
The food again was phenomenal. I got a chicken couscous and Dan had a beef tagine, and I did not film a single second of it because I forgot, which tells you how much I was enjoying it.
Top tip that I wish we had used. They offer a packed takeaway breakfast if you have an early start. We were being picked up at 7am for the Sahara, woke up late, and ended up bolting our breakfast in about four minutes. Ask for the takeaway version the night before.
What I Loved About Staying in a Riad
- The mint tea on arrival. Every single riad did it, within minutes, with a plate of Moroccan biscuits. It is such a lovely way to land somewhere!
- The quiet. You are inside the medina, so you are ninety seconds from the noise, and you cannot hear any of it.
- The food. Both riads served better Moroccan food than any restaurant we tried in the city, and the two dinners we had in them are the two best meals we had in Morocco.
- The roof terraces. Breakfast up there with the call to prayer going is honestly one of my favourite travel memories full stop!
- The service. Not slick hotel service. Actual warmth, from people who own the place or have worked there for years.
- The price. Under A$200 a night for the fancy one. I genuinely do not know where else in the world you get this!
What I Didn't Love About Staying in a Riad
I want to be fair, because there are real trade-offs and nobody mentions them.
- Getting to them with luggage is genuinely hard. Cars cannot reach most riad doors. That means a walk through the souks on cobbles, and if your suitcase is fragile it will not enjoy it. Ours did not.
- The pools are cold. Lovely to look at, briefly bracing to use, at least in November and December.
- They are hard to find. Maps will send a taxi down a pedestrian lane and then give up. Both times we ended up walking the last stretch.
- You are not getting a hotel gym or a lift. These are old houses, so it is stairs, and often narrow ones.
None of that would stop me booking one again. But if you are travelling with a lot of luggage, arriving very late, or have mobility considerations, a riad closer to a medina gate is worth paying attention to.
How Much Does a Riad in Marrakech Cost?
Here is exactly what we paid, and what else we looked at.
Scroll to see the full table →
| Where | Nights | Per night | Per person | Breakfast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palais Andara Riad & Spa | 1 | A$184 | A$92 | Included |
| Riad Zehra | 1 | A$91 | A$45.50 | Included |
| Airbnb in the medina | 2 | A$94 | A$47 | No |
The Airbnb is in there for comparison, because we also spent our first two nights in a tiny quirky place right beside the big square. It was great, and we were its very first guests, and the staircase up to it was the narrowest I have ever carried a bag up. But it did not give us anything like the riad experience.
So the honest range is about A$90 to A$200 a night for a very good riad, and the cheaper end of that is not a compromise. For where accommodation sits against everything else, I broke the whole trip down in what 24 days in Morocco actually cost us. If we went back tomorrow, I would book Riad Zehra again without blinking!
Riad or Hotel in Marrakech, and Where to Stay
If you are only in Marrakech for a couple of nights, stay in a riad in the medina. That is the whole experience and the reason to come.
Closer to the souks or further out? We did both, and it comes down to what you want your evenings to look like. Palais Andara at 10 to 15 minutes from a main souk meant we could wander out, get lost, and be back in ten minutes when we had had enough. Riad Zehra at 30 minutes out meant a proper walk each way, but it was calmer and cheaper and we saw a much more local part of the city.
Just keep in mind that walking distances in the medina are not what the map says. The lanes twist, they are busy, and you will get turned around. Add a good 50% to whatever the app tells you.
Watch My Marrakech Riad Tour
I filmed both riads properly, so if you want to see the rooms, the courtyards, the roof terraces and the food before you commit to either, the full comparison is here. It is much easier to judge these places on video than on a booking site gallery.
Watch the full riad comparison on YouTube and subscribe to Ell's Passport for the rest of Morocco, including the Sahara and the surf coast at Taghazout.
If you like a desert, here is our honest review of Marrakech and how many days to give the city.
FAQs About Riads in Marrakech
What is a riad in Morocco?
A traditional Moroccan house built around a central courtyard, usually with a fountain or small pool, rooms opening onto the courtyard, and a roof terrace. Most riads you can book in Marrakech are restored family homes inside the medina, run as small hotels with somewhere between five and fifteen rooms.
Is it worth staying in a riad in Marrakech?
Yes, and I would not stay anywhere else. Both of ours came in under A$200 a night including breakfast, the food beat every restaurant we tried in the city, and the courtyards are genuinely silent despite being minutes from the souks. Riads are my favourite kind of accommodation anywhere now.
How much does a riad cost in Marrakech?
We paid A$184 a night at Palais Andara Riad and Spa and A$91 a night at Riad Zehra, both including breakfast, in November and December 2025. That is A$92 and A$45.50 each for two people. Expect roughly A$90 to A$200 a night for a very good one.
Are riads better than hotels in Marrakech?
For a short stay in the medina, yes. You get more character, better food and far more personal service. A hotel wins if you need a lift, a gym, easy car access to the door, or you are arriving very late with a lot of luggage.
Do riads in Marrakech have pools?
Many do, including both of ours, but they are plunge pools in the courtyard rather than swimming pools, and they are usually unheated. Very few riads in Marrakech have heated pools, so in November through to about March expect the water to be very cold.
Where is the best area to stay in Marrakech?
Inside the medina, and then it is a question of how close to the souks you want to be. We stayed both 10 to 15 minutes from a main souk and 30 minutes out in a quiet local area, and both worked. Closer is easier for wandering out in the evening, further out is cheaper and calmer.
How do you get to a riad with luggage?
You usually walk the last stretch, because cars cannot reach most riad doors inside the medina. Ours were a 20 minute walk in from where the taxi stopped. Message the riad before you arrive, because many will send someone to meet you at the nearest gate, which we did not know to ask for.
Is breakfast included at riads in Marrakech?
At both of ours it was, and it was excellent, served on the roof terrace. If you have an early start, ask the night before whether they can pack it to take away. Riad Zehra offered this and I wish we had said yes.
Final Thoughts: Should You Stay in a Riad in Marrakech?
Yes! Do not overthink this one.
I came into Morocco not really knowing what a riad was, and I left thinking they are the single best value accommodation I have come across anywhere in the world. Under A$200 a night for a restored courtyard house with a plunge pool, a roof terrace, a chef who hand delivers your dinner and staff who are genuinely pleased you came. It is not a close call!
If you want the full experience and the better location, book Palais Andara Riad & Spa. If you would rather put the difference towards the Sahara, book Riad Zehra and spend the saving on two nights in the desert at Merzouga. Honestly, you will be happy either way.
Just book one with a courtyard, and ask them to meet you at the gate!
Book them here: Palais Andara Riad & Spa for the splurge, or Riad Zehra for the value pick.
