Marrakech Riads Angsana (коллекция Heritage)

These, once upon a time, homes/Riads, (six in total,) to the wealthy, many wived Moroccan men are a step back in time and, from every perspective, a continuously mesmerising, beautifully maintained and restored feast for the eyes. Brilliantly, now used as hotels. The internal wood carved balconies and tiled pools and walkways are stunning. I was not a fan of the local spices on my hotel food, but their Tagines and bread rolls never let me down and were absolutely delicious! (When ordering a meal here, be sure to, where possible, ask that spices are not added or dusted onto your food and drinks as they are very acquired taste. Chef will absolutely add them to everything including drinks and pudding if you don’t.) Make sure your Riad has an open air swimming pool in it without a public street trek to another location… you’ll need it! The rooms are air conditioned and cleaned regularly to a good standard. Don’t leave money out as the cleaners will assume it is a tip and take it. Before booking here, check there isn’t an additional daily room tax to be added at the end of your stay, (We had to pay it, but argued for the amount to be considerably lowered first as it was sprung on us!) The rooms, in spite of their good size can be a bit gloomy and claustrophobic as there is a lack of external light. We were given a free smart phone by the hotel for the total duration of our stay… very useful for navigating etc!. (If you lose it you have to pay for it!) Sadly, the wealth of the Riads belay the poverty, declining industry and the very dangerous roads/alleyways outside. Having left the safety of your beautiful Riad, Immediately, Marrakesh’s many fast moving mopeds become a threat to life and limb as the very narrow and alleyways have no pavements and are its roads you have to walk to get anywhere…nowhere outside is safe from them. As you approach the open market squares in addition to the mopeds, you then have to content with many cars and to the untrained tourist, it is very stressful trying to cross roads, even identifying where to walk/what is road and what isn’t becomes terrifying. Extreme caution and alertness required at all times. (This is no place for children.) Animal welfare is not good… many horses (hitched to tourist carriages,) left standing in 40+ temps with no observable free access to water or shade for hours on end. There were many litters of kittens wandering around, some, clearly close to death. There were quite a few very elderly female beggars. The smell of the open street drains, whilst intermittent, was vile. Night seems to be the time when young local families come out to chill sitting around the market squares… one very worrying incident I observed was group of under tens running around with burning boxes. They did this for a good hour in very windy conditions. There seemed to be no parents nearby and unrelated passing local adults did not intervene. A difficult experience for me to witness as I was three flights of stairs up at dinner. However, I felt, and was, ready to run to assist should any of them caught fire… one little girl in particular worried me as she had a long flounced dress on. Also, still the incessant mopeds quickly crisscrossing where the kids played with fire. Of the many, many, many street shops, only a handful had good quality suitcase sized items to sell for the tourists. During the five days we were in Marrakesh, apart from the poorly treated snakes of the charmers, (we observed them being kicked around in their baskets,) the open market squares had few stalls. The gardens and palaces and water park were lovely to visit but not cheap to enter. It is a place to visit as a day trip only, actually, sadly, not even that. Outside the hotel, if you want alcohol make sure your choice of restaurant serves it, as, some don’t. In the 5 days we were there none of our party got upset tummies. Walking around, the heat, smell and poverty was extreme and uncomfortable. There are no supermarkets/food/convenience shops anywhere, apart from the tiny doorway shops where soft drinks, bread rolls, crisps and biscuits type things were sold. I used/loaded a global payment card, but wished I hadn’t, as I couldn’t ever get a balance reading from the local ATM’s.

A big birthday treat for my wife who had always desired to stay in a Riad in Marrakesh. I selected to stay at the Riad Bab Firdous from the Angsana Riads collection. The check in and meals are at Riad Sisaid where the staff are the most friendly, polite, professional and welcoming. Mohammad at reception looked after all our needs and nothing was too much bother and gave us valuable advice throughout. On arrival Souki provided a selection of local pastries and mint tea to welcome us. This was very touching bd appreciated. Souki also greeted us at every breakfast with an array of local freshly prepared food and its origins & provenance. The restaurant in Riad Sisaid is in a traditional historic setting with lots of features and you also get treated to birdsong. Dining was very pleasurable and hosted by Said. Said explained in detail the Moroccan food menu and wine list. The food was superb beyond expectations. Said made us feel truly at home and his manner made us feel so special. And by the way the restaurant is the list of the Best 100 Restaurants in Morocco. Their hospitality extended to a surprise birthday cake for my wife on the first night. The Riad Bab Firdous we stayed in was comfortable, clean and decked out in a very traditional style which is very relaxing. The rooms also had unique features. Having access to a free supply of chilled filtered water was much appreciated given the heat. The Riads also arranged for us to be collected from the airport and then from the taxi drop off point guided us thru the narrow side streets to the Riads as this is known to be very stressful and difficult if done on your own. The Riads are located in a quiet area close to the central square Jemaa el fnaa (10 minutes away and an absolute must daytime and at night). So all in all what a fabulous stay and facilities at the above two mentioned Riad Bab Firdous and Riad Sisaid which had the most wonderful staff whose main concern was taking the best care of us. Thank you so very much for a memorable experience in Marrakesh.

What a fantastic stay! Our very first time in a Riad and it’s fair to say that the team at Riad Si Said have set the bar very high. From the moment we stepped through the main door, there was a sense of tranquillity and hospitality. Mohammed greeted us as if meeting old friends and ushered us to a small seating area where we met with Souki who provided mint tea and a mixed array of pastries. A pleasant surprise was the provision of a local smartphone with contacts preloaded if we were to get lost or need assistance. Personal touches don’t get better than that. Our rooms were fabulous and pillows were freshly scented each day! Souki hosted breakfast and explained the origins and benefits of the vitamin soups every morning and what seasonal ingredients were being paired with the different daily pancakes and crepes. Souki was so attentive and remembered what drinks we preferred and he made up a herbal drink to relieve a lost voice ! That is something you only get at home surely, but I guess the Riad is a home from home. Souki, you have provided a “Slay” (kids take credit for this) service and your 18 years of experience are clearly on show! Staff accompanied us from car park to the Riad on a last night return. All in all a fantastic stay at Riad Si Said which made our first stay in Marrakesh a memorable one! Thanks Colin & Family

As the name says, it is a collection of the Riads (6?), which of three is confortable just a round the corner (close and around Riad Si Said) and one is more far a way. We had luck and were in one of those 3. The three are located extremly confortable in the Medina. We thought that the location is excellent. They gave us a smart phone after we checked-in to use to navigate around the city, and to make local calls if need be!! That was a very good idea. We never got lost. We spent in Riads 5 nights. Our room was confortable. The wlan worked well. Please note however - if it is important for you - there was no TV in the room (and we had not the cheapest one). The room cleaning was perfect. There was also Safe in the room. Also the bathroom supplimentarys were great. I tried the body loation and it was Ok quality. The Riads are in the middle of the medina and they are old buildings, so yes,you might here the snoring of the neighbour. :-) . However I slept very well and I have got sometimes problems of sleep at home. Breakfast is an marrocan breakfast, which is served to the table. We found it taesty and were completly happy with it. We also ate few times in the Riads. They have got an marrocan menu as well as wines. All teasty. But as allways the best is the team. Thank you for it to Fatima and her team!. Theirrecomendation were great. And now to the main point. All of the staff was allways friendly, polite and professional. We thouhg really long time, if we should give 4 or 5 points. Because of the staff and their flexibility, professionality, friendliness, we decided to give the 5 points (So management: Don't let them go away :-)) . Thus, we would deffenetly come back, if and when next time in Marrakekesh. It is a recomendation.

First of all, thanks to all the staff that went the extra mile, even room keeping. On our arrival, we were welcomed with mint tea and some snacks, and I don’t even drink tea, but when I tasted that mint tea, the rest was history. They gave us a smart phone after we checked-in to use to navigate around the city, and to make local calls if need be!! That was a very good idea, we never got lost. The hotel was amazing and we loved the styling, and there was a place to lounge on the top of the hotel, with sun beds and a massive sofa with shade. One evening, we chilled up there with music and drinks, and watched the sun set. There is a niche perfume shop 200 metres from the hotel called Fragrance - Marrakesh Perfume shop, and we bought some custom perfumes there. The hotel is well located and easy to get around. We will definitely return. There’s a lot more I’d not write, but a big thanks to the staff once again.