For years now I’ve wanted to visit Marrakech; to wander the souks (markets), spend the night in a traditional riad hotel and taste Moroccan tagine. But I have never got around to going. So this year I decided I would book a trip and finally explore the city. I knew I wanted to stay in a riad in the Medina – the old walled town, and discovered Riad Kheirredine on TripAdvisor (in the number 1 spot no less), so I decided this would be the perfect place to stay.
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Riad Kheirredine offer an airport transfer, which we decided to take for a relaxed start to the trip. We were met outside the airport by our driver and taken in an air-conditioned van to the Medina. Because of the narrow streets around the riad, cars can’t make it all the way to the door of Riad Kheirredine, so we were met by Karim, who helped take our luggage to the hotel.
We received a warm welcome from the hotel manager and were offered mint tea and dates in the main courtyard, while she gave us an introduction to the riad. There are two lovely courtyards in Riad Kheirredine, one with a pool and one with beautiful plants and a water feature at the centre. Both are incredibly peaceful and calming.
Service at Riad Kheirredine
I was really impressed by the level of service at the hotel. They give guests a Moroccan mobile phone, with preset numbers for the riad and for the hotel manager. At any time of day, you can call and someone will be available to direct you if you’re lost, or come and meet you to walk you home. In all the hotels I’ve stayed at, I’ve never been offered this service before.
We had a tour of the property, including the amazing roof terrace. This has great views of the rooftops of the Medina and comfy beds for relaxing, as well as another pool and sun loungers.
The Rooms
Riad Kheirredine has 11 rooms; four Deluxe Rooms, two Junior Suites and five Suites. We spent 3 nights at the riad (there is a 3-night minimum stay). The first 2 nights we had a suite – ‘Verveine’ and the final night we stayed in a junior suite – ‘Gingembre’.
Verveine is situated off the roof terrace, with views of both pools. It’s a huge suite, with an entrance room, bathroom, bedroom and a dressing room! There is a fantastic roll top bath, his and hers sinks, and an enormous bed. All are decorated with beautiful handcrafted furniture, Berber fabrics and Kashmir blankets.
Gingembre is equally as lovely. Overlooking the main courtyard and again beautifully decorated. As you would expect, the junior suite is smaller than the suite but is still a great size and I actually preferred the bath, which is huge!
The rooms are cleaned twice a day and are supplied with bottled water, fruit and Moroccan pastries, which are frequently replenished. As well as this, at any time of day you can call the reception and request tea, coffee and juices for no extra charge. (There are also phones on the terraces, which can be used for the same thing).
Location
Riad Kheirredine is in the north of the Medina and from here it’s around a 15-minute walk to the souks and the main square, Jemaa el Fnaa. It was nice being located outside of the souks as it was much calmer, and I enjoyed the walk through the more local streets to get to the centre of the Medina. It’s also easy to reach the new town from Riad Kheirredine and takes around a 25 minute walk.
Food
One of the best things about Riad Kheirredine, in my opinion, is the breakfasts. When you’re ready to eat, you call and let reception know what you would like, and where you would like to eat it, and ten minutes later your breakfast is served. We ate on the upstairs terrace on two of the mornings and the final morning in the courtyard by the pool. The food is amazing, with lots of options and is beautifully presented. We were given so much food for breakfast we often weren’t ready for lunch until late afternoon!
Riad Khierredine also offers meals in the evening to hotel residents. Run by Italian owners, there is both an Italian and Moroccan menu depending on what you fancy. There is also a fusion-style restaurant. If you’re keen to try out the local restaurants, the staff offer suggestions on where to go and will make reservations for you, as well as walking you to the restaurants in the evening if you wish. They also offer a booking service for tours.
Facilities
As well as the two pools, Riad Kheirredine has a spa, where you can experience a traditional hammam or a body scrub as well as body masks and massage. There are plenty of sun loungers and sofas to relax on around the hotel, and the pools were the perfect way to refresh after a hot day walking the souks.
Unsurprisingly, the Riad has become very popular, and so they are going to be extending it to include extra rooms and a larger spa. So I look forward to returning when the work is complete to see the new additions.
I was really impressed with my stay at Riad Kheirredine, not only were the facilities amazing, but the staff couldn’t do enough for us and it all felt incredibly genuine. They really wanted us to have a great time in Marrakech, and we really did!
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Travelling to Marrakech? Check out our guide to the city.
