Riad in Morocco: what is it and why choosing to stay in one

Travelling to exotic locations, in my opinion, is all about discovering the traditional culture. And nothing can get you in the local mood like staying in a typical accomodation! A riad, or riyad, is something you can’t miss when visiting Morocco!

What is a Moroccan riad?

Riad is the traditional Moroccan house, designed with an inner courtyard and galleries on all four sides. It belonged to high society families and wealthy citizens that could afford the costs of building and maintaining such opulent mansions. The rooms open to the patio and they can be reached from the galleries. The latter usually include wide sitting areas with carpets and covered by wooden arches. There’s often a central fountain in the garden and recurrent patterns designed by colourful tiles on both walls and ground. The decorations are as rich on the ground floor as on the higher columns and galleries. Riads are rarely more than two or three floors high, and in most cases they have a terrace on the last floor.

Some riads are quite old and have been restored to fit the modern idea of hotels and guest-houses. Others, too damaged to attempt a restoration, had been demolished and rebuilt brand new, still following the look of the traditional Moroccan domestic architecture.

Riad vs hotel in Morocco

The main reason to stay in a riad is to enjoy the exotic and rich local housing in Morocco. A riad can be considered a boutique hotel with usually not more than a dozen rooms. If you like small environments, cosy design and exotic details, you should really consider to book your accomodation in a riad. The unicity of the architecture alone, in my opinion, is a valid reason to choose a riad over a hotel in Morocco.

Keep in mind, though, that modern and international hotels will probably beat a riad in terms of luxury, services and variety of food.

Luxury level of a Moroccan riad

It’s simple: don’t expect western concept of luxury. Even when a riad has 4 or 5 starts, it usually doesn’t look like a hotel with such a high level of sumptuousness. For instance, riads might be in a dodgy-looking narrow road, have some slightly ruined furniture in a corner or staff that doesn’t speak any foreign language. Since I don’t care about luxury, I think that the exotic look of the interiors makes up for most of the flows a riad might have when compared to a western hotel. Which brings me to the next topic.

The beauty of an average riad in Morocco

I find riads absolutely stunning. Probably not all of them are as beautiful as the ones I’ve seen, but that’s the reason why some are cheaper than others. The inner patio makes me feel like I’m in a fairy tale, with its beautiful tiles, carved wood and fountains. The galleries, where all the rooms open to, host some cute common areas. Here you can sit and read, play chess, drink tea or just relax. The interior of the rooms follow the typical Moroccan style, with arches, colourful glass windows, dark wood furniture and doors. Most Riads have a common terrace on the rooftop. Here you can have breakfast, drink a typical mint tea or just spend a quiet moment during the busy tourist day. The view from the terrace is often on other riads’ terraces, so not necessary very interesting. But the Atlas Mountain are usually visible in the far distance.

Fancy extras: pool and spa

The most expensive riads have some pleasant extras, such as a swimming pool or a small spa. The temperatures are usually quite high during summer, so a private pool can be very a welcomed extra. Spas are quite unique for a riad. Most spas in Morocco are actually hammams, which is a kind of steam bath that includes some scrub and deep cleansing treatments and /or massage. Having an hammam in the riad is not common and definitely a very special treat! But even if your riad doesn’t have one, you can easily find hammams in every single town in Morocco.

Moroccan riads’ services

The first thing I’d like to point out is that credit/debit cards are mostly not accepted. There’s always WiFi in the facility, so I don’t understand the reason behind the lack of card readers. Nevertheless, riads often accept a variety of currencies. So if you’ve not paid in advance, make sure you have enough cash to pay your stay, city taxes and any extras you ask for.

At the reception, the staff tends to speak multiple languages. And, like any other hotel, they can arrange for you all kinds of trips, bookings, transfers and activities. The rest of the workers, especialy the most “hidden” ones, don’t speak much else than their own language and prefer to interact with the guests as little as possible.

All riads have a kitchen. Breakfast is usually included in the price, and often served in the terrace. It can vary from place to place, but it includes Moroccan cuisine with a wink to the western taste. On request, some riads also provide traditional moroccan dinner. I haven’t tried myself, but I heard good things about these home-made meals.

Regarding security, I don’t think a riad is any less safe than an international hotel in Morocco, no matter how shady the location looks like. There’s often a guard at the door to avoid random people to enter without permission and cameras for surveillance. I also haven’t heard of any stolen items from riads’ staff. The reason might be because, unlike many other merchants in Morocco, it appear that riads really care for their reputation. But if you usually worry about your belongings, make sure you book a riad with safes in their rooms.

Have I convinced you yet? Many of the pictures in this post comes from Riad Marraplace in Marrakech. Book your riad in Morocco now!

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