Riad Sidi Mimoun

“ Riad is very close to popular square. On first arrival it may be hard to find but having read previous reviews, the helpful hint 'near Palais Royal' worked and the taxi had no difficulty finding the riad. You do have to negotiate your way through some alleyways, bike riders and kids to get there but you get used to it very quickly. It all feels pretty safe though.
The riad reception is light and airy however there were no windows in the rooms. The room which we had was very poorly lit which made it difficult to enjoy a book or play games and considering there is no tv in the room, we could not even use our laptop as the wifi only works downstairs. This restricted our privacy as we always had to go downstairs in full view of other guests and staff to make use of wifi. When all lights are off, the room becomes pitch black. As if to make the point, the Riad suffered a couple of power cuts during our stay although this was quickly restored.
The mattresses are quite hard and uncomfortable.
The rooms are tidied every day and the beds immaculately made up.
Breakfast is adequate and predictable, could do with more variety.
The free hamman offered for stays of 7 days or more had to be requested and is a diy job.
Staff are okay and the managers have a good grasp of English. We were thankful to be allowed to store our luggage at the Riad on check out while we did last minute shopping in the square.
Loved Marrakech and its people. Enjoyed the Square, sightseeing, the caleche and camel ride and a trip to the Atlas mountains visiting the Berber people.

“ Top Tip: Always shop around, never accept the first quote for anything even though it seems reasonable. There is always a cheaper alternative.

Similarly the one way airport transfer offered on the website is apparently down to the travel agent not the riad so it was not received.

“ We had a great time, lovely staff, gorgeous riad and plenty to see in Marrakech itself. It is rather difficult to have a drink with your meal (unless you pay a fortune), so if you like wine with your meal, the best thing to do is bring some with you or get a cab to one of the supermarkets and ask the staff to put a bottle in the fridge for later! Oh, and eat in the Riad - it's by far the best food, we, or any of the other guests had in Marrakech, and much more reasonable than the nicer restaurants. The cafes around the square (Chez Chegrouni is the best) and in the kasbah area (Nid Cignone) are cheap and great for lunch, drinks and people watching. The night market was also great for food, most stalls sell more or less the same, but if you want a starter, main and dessert, order them separately or they will all arrive at once and you feel rather rushed. We had a lovely time and were made very welcome by the helpful staff, they can all speak at least a little English, so you can make yourself understood, and the manager speaks a lot, for more difficult questions!!

“ Top Tip: Cheap and decent cafes are Chez Chegrouni (Jemaa El Fna) and Nid Cignone (complete with nesting storks) overlooking the Saadien Tombs entrance in the Kasbah area, both within 10 minutes walk of the Riad.
Kosy Bar in the Place des Fermantiers is gorgeous and serves alcohol, but you do pay for it!! Lovely view over the tinworkers square and close to the Palais Bahia.
Palais Bahia and Tombeaux Saadiens worth a visit, about 80p entrance fee, very beautiful, but don't expect to spend too long in either, particularly the tombs!
The Centre Artisanal in the kasbah is a fixed price shop, so go here to check what you should be paying before braving the souks.
Grand Hotel Tazi is the nearest place that sells anything like cheap drinks although it is the same price as the Riad and a little seedy, but it does let you take out!
There are some lovely modern shops and restored art deco hotels/bars/cafes on the Avenue Mohammed VI where the roads are much wider and newer, again a lot more expensive than the Kasbah or Djaema el Fnaa square.
Taxis are cheap, max 30Drh within the town, and 80Drh to the airport, even without bartering, but agree the price before you get in.
Good idea to remind yourself of a little French before you go!

“ Excellent excellent excellent - beautiful place, pleasant, helpful and friendly staff. Our room was nice and clean and beatifully decorated. Stopping in such a lovely Riad made our stay in Marakresh so stressfree.

“ Top Tip: Learn to say 'No' and walk away without giving eye contact.

“ Great Riad, down impossibly windy lanes but providing a really authentic taste of Marrakech. The staff were very pleasant and helpful, mainly speaking French but the manager spoke good English and the rest of the staff couldn't do enough to help us even with my broken school girl French! Breakfast was included and consisted of fresh orange juice, yoghurt, a selection of breads and pancakes and either Morrocan or English tea - I would suggest trying the Morrocan tea which is lovely either hot or cold.
The bedrooms are small and clean and air conditioned (very hard matress on the bed)and the rest of the Riad is decorated in typical Morrocan style with a lovely open air roof terrace. the swimming pool is more a plunge pool and I would highly recommend the Hamman, gommage and massage treatment at the hotel - 2 hours of absolute bliss!
The location was fabulous, just a 10 or 15 minute walk to the main square, souks tombs and palaces and once we found our bearings seemed that we were central to most of the old town.
I would certainly visit this Riad again - one of the best city breaks I've had.

“ Top Tip: On our first day we spotted a 'hop on hop off' tour bus which cost about £11 each for 24 hours. This really made our trip as we quickly found out which areas were of interest and were able to plan the rest of our few days perfectly with the help of the map and the English commentary.
Very few of the cafes and restaurants serve alcohol so if you fancy a wine or 2 with your meal you need to ask a local - I have to admit we were a little wary following the 'guide' through some of the very dark alleys but we were lucky and for a few dirhams as a tip we were walked to fantastic restaurants on 2 nights.