AGADIR

You have to take a taxi or a bus to get to the medina, but the accommodation here is more airy and you feel less confined.

There are almost no cheap or medium-priced addresses in “modern Marrakech”; better to look for the Jemaa-el-Fna square, where these categories are well represented .

Strolling through the narrow streets of the medina, you will inevitably come across these riads, without imagining from the outside that behind high, ordinary walls, at the bottom of some narrow passage, are hidden little wonders.

Many of these establishments belong to French and other expatriates. Living in the medina does not seem very rewarding for Moroccans of a certain social level. Insalubrity, dilapidated houses, inaccessibility, lack of space, cohabitation of several branches of the family under the same roof… They favour new districts: modern and airy streets, impression of standing…

The medina was rediscovered in the 1990s by Europeans who sensed the real estate and tourist potential hidden there. It is also partly thanks to them that almost forgotten techniques, such as tadelakt (a lime-based mortar used as a coating for walls, washbasins and baths), regained their vigour and that the art of zelliges (glazed clay tile mosaics) has blossomed again. Result: beautiful articles in the deco and celebrity press, and the fashion was on!

Dozens of new addresses are born every year, not counting those that change owners. So many new favourites to be tirelessly discovered.

Don’t imagine going door-to-door on the spot to find a riad at your convenience. First of all, finding an address is a tedious task.

Then, remember that a written record of the reservation always protects you in case of dispute.

riads allow a different choice. you can check out the riad websites posted on the web, but beware of ratings and recommendations, most use sponsored reviews.

Please note that prices are sometimes displayed in euros. For families, some riads offer “suites” for 4 (2 adults and 2 children) at special prices. On this subject, some addresses tend to call “suite” which is actually just a slightly larger room …

Rates can vary greatly depending on the period: high season (Christmas and Easter holidays), mid season (roughly from March to May and from September to All Saints’ Day), low season (the rest of the year, including July-August), which does not preclude, in off-peak periods, very substantial discounts. Breakfast is, in principle, always included.

A “guesthouse” is inhabited by its owner, for most of the year at least; but increasingly, the owners do not live on site and ensure a presence every morning to meet their guests. The business is also often left to be “managed” by more or less well-trained local staff.
Overt or covert?

Some riads are not declared, and therefore most often uninsured, and in any case not subject to controls on building standards, hygiene and respect for staff. This means that in these places, you will have no recourse in case of accident or dispute. All patented establishments post a document at the reception desk mentioning “classification decision”.

There are 1,300 official guesthouses in Marrakech and the surrounding area, including more than 260 grouped within the Association of Guest Houses in Marrakech and the South (AMHMS), which has set up a quality charter. This does not mean that non-members are illegal or do not meet all the quality criteria.