Riad Sidi Ayoub

“ An excellent B&B. Most definitely not a 4 star hotel.

The people running it were very pleasant and helpful, but there is a bit of a language barrier as only the proprietor (Khalid) spoke any English at all.

Meals had to be booked in advance and there was no bar (not unusual for a Muslim country, but unheard of for a 4 star hotel).

In a residential area, with schools on each side it was noisy and the constantly barking dogs (outside of the hotel) made a good night's sleep very difficult.

“ The Riad is beautiful, very peaceful and lovely to come home to after a hot day exploring the sites. The rooms are all different, comfortable and traditionally Moroccan with their furnishings. Breakfast is basic but delicious and plenty is provided.

With a 15 minute walk to Jemaah El Fna, the Riad is tucked away down a side street so you really feel you're experiencing Marrakech as you should; at the heart of the medina.

Khalid is very kind and respectful of guests' quiet time. One of the highlights of our trip was having him take us out to a shisha bar and staying up chatting about our different cultures 'til 3am!

“ Top Tip: In Jemaa El Fna Cafe de France offered really slow service so we didn't make a repeat visit there.

For more expense the Marrakchi restaurant was fabulous - the best food of the holiday and belly dancers!

The excursions on offer at the Riad are worth doing if you're spending longer than 3 days in Marrakech. The drive to Essaouira is over 2 hours, but you really appreciate the scenery, and although there's not a huge amount to do in the town it's lovely to be by the sea eating fresh fish. Visit the quirky Damgaard art gallery.

The Atlas Mountains are inspirational too - note that your driver can only take you to a certain point before you have to get out and walk. You can either do this on your own and no doubt get lost, or they surprise you by telling you on the spot that you can pay 200 Dirham to walk up the mountains with a guide. It's worth doing though, so you learn about the village, the mountains and ensure you see the waterfalls.

“ This hotel is located in the worst area any tourist would want to go. there is no near restaraunts or any entertainment. it is an hour walk away from the city centre. no taxi could be ordered to our hotel because it is not possible for any vehicle to come outside the hotel. There is no entertainment in the room or hotel. There is also no room service. the only good thing about this hotel was the staff. the staff were very friendly. But there was no point of having good staff if the hotel was utterly dreadful. There was only one tv in the whole hotel.

“ Top Tip: I would not advise any tourist to go to this hotel.

“ our stay was excellent would tell anyone to go hear very freindly and helpfull staff