Riad Azzar

Style

Out of Africa

Setting

Souk-side cul de sac

Behind a virtually unmarked wooden door in a winding medina sidestreet lies Riad Azzar, a traditional Marrakchi courtyard home, where simple interiors are adorned with African antiquities. Here the welcome is warmer than the roaring fire in the lounge and the service as immaculate as the bright white rooms.

Facilities

Rooms

Six, including one twin room and three suites.

Checkout

11am, but this may be flexible depending on subsequent arrivals. Check-in: 1pm.

More Details

Rates include Moroccan breakfast. You can rent the whole riad for €950–€1,150 a night (four-night minimum).

Also

The riad is closely involved with an educational initiative to provide secondary schooling for rural Moroccan girls, so make sure you’ve a few coins spare to help them with their cause. There’s a selection of in-room treatments available, including manicures pedicures, facials, waxing and massage.

Free Internet Access

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

In room beauty and massage treatments, library, CD selection. In rooms: free bottled water, Les Sens de Marrakech toiletries.

Our Favourite Rooms

Suite Zemmour is the riad’s most romantic, with deep purple soft furnishings and a traditional, alcove-set Morrocan bed. On the first floor, Suite Taznarth has an hand-carved cedar balcony fitted with a violet banquette, as well as a fireplace and a pristine tadelakt bathroom. Suite Zayan also has a functioning fireplace, together with ornate wood-pannelled walls and a wispily draped four-poster. The rooms on the ground floor, although without air-con, are still pleasantly cool.

Poolside

Azzar’s palm-planted courtyard has a small jade pool at its centre; ideal for cooling off in the sunshine or taking mint tea in the lantern-lit evening. If you’re more interested in warming up, there are loungers on the terrace to soak up the sun.

Packing Tips

Riad Azzar is a (blessedly) TV-free zone, but if you do require cinematic sustenance, a portable DVD player will help. Otherwise, all you need is suitable shoes for strolling the souks. The terrace loungers come complete with sun hats.

Children

Cots are free for babies, and there are extra beds available (€35 for under 12s; otherwise, €50). Babysitting is €5 an hour, with two days’ notice.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Take breakfast on the roof terrace and enjoying watching the medina morning.

Dress Code

Cool and casual linens and sandals.

Hotel Restaurant

Fatima, the riad’s gifted cook, can produce excellent Moroccan dishes at all hours of the day. There’s a small area with cushioned banquettes off the courtyard that serves as a restaurant – but you can dine wherever you like.

Hotel Bar

There’s no defined bar area; you can sip, sup and savour wherever you wish.

Last Orders

There are no set-in-stone opening times – you can get whatever you want, whenever you want it.

Room Service

Drinks and snacks are available 24 hours a day.

Planes

Marrakech Menara is a 20-minute drive away, with direct flights to London, Paris and and other major European cities. It's best to organise transfers with the hotel directly, as taxis often drop off in the main square, which is a 15-minute walk away. One-way transfers are €25 for up to four passengers and €45 for up to six (including porter services, which will be added to the final bill).

Trains

The Moroccan state railway, ONCF, runs inexpensive (but limited) services to Marrakech from Casablanca, Fez and Tangier. Look for TCR (Train Climatisé Rapide) trains to guarantee an air-conditioned journey in summer.

Automobiles

Driving in Marrakech can be horn-filled and hectic, but if you insist, hire a car from the airport. To reach the hotel, follow Avenue de la Menara to the city centre.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Riad Azzar is in the medina, so you're only a few steps away from the temptations of the souk – haggling can be quite an addictive pastime. The staff at the hotel will also be happy to help you arrange diversions further afield, including hot-air balloon, cycling or quad-biking expeditions and Atlas Mountains trips. There's a golf course less than five kilometres away (ask staff for details), and the riad's chef, Fatima, is happy to atrrange cooking classes. Get a glimpse of the glamorous life designer Yves Saint Laurent kept here by touring his former home in Jardin Majorelle and its glorious grounds; there's also a museum dedicated to his life and work. And scope out Morocco's contemporary art scene at MACAAL (Musée d'Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden).

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .