This is the type of place that gives Riads and Morocco a bad name. While the physical building is lovely on the surface, any sense of relaxation goes out the window with the jackhammers next door, the inability to communicate with the staff (and I am fluent in French) and the absentee owner. Our bathroom sink leaked water all over the floor - it took over 45 minutes to get an inch of water in the tub of our junior suite (there was no shower) and none of the lights in the bathroom worked. The bed was rock hard and the rooms were loud - we were frequently awoken by the staff yelling at one another or rap music from the Riad's stereo. You will not be given a key to the door -yours or the Riad's- and woe be you if the staff have left to pick something up or can not hear you knock - you will be standing in an alley for quite some time. I had such high hopes for this Riad and was sorely disappointed. Luckily we left and found another that was half the price and so much better - which we found by going on trip advisor which we should have done in the first place.

Tucked away within a myriad of narrow alleyways, the Dar al Sultan is a joyful surprise. This is a clean, simple yet stylish riad. Neutrally decorated in whites, silvers, and bleached wood work, the atmosphere is calm and tranquil. The staff are delightful and very helpful although with little if any English. The best meal of our entire stay was at the Dar al Sultan on our first night. Do make sure you eat there during your stay. We would ceraianly recommend the Dar al Sultan, but you will need a good sense of direction and a slight taste of adventure to find the place. We were met from the airport by a taxi that Dar al Sultan arranged and were greeted and taken from the taxt to the riad. We did meet a couple there who had spent two hours trying to find the place on their own! Once found, the riad is very well located. A fasinating 10 min walk to the Jemma al Fna and a couple of minutes from the Bahia Place. As for Marrakech itself, well I couldn't think of a more exciting, cultrually rewarding place to visit for a short break. From extreme poverty to extreme sophistication this place has it all and punches your every sense.

Saw this Riad listed as a hidden gem in my travel guide. I did NOT check it in trip advisor or I would have stayed away...never again. First the positives: - tastefully decorated - Jamilla is very sweet and she is a great cook. Her eggplant is superb. - The place is impeccably clean, and the location isn't bad at all. Now the negatives: - There is no ONSITE manager. Giuseppe lives and works in Italy and he runs the place in his spare time. He has a couple of staff that work for him in Morocco but he does not empower them to solve issues. - Jamilla is 8 months pregnant and probably wont be there when you get there. - Jamilla does not reside at the riad, but is there from 10am-6pm or so. Jamilla is not allowed to problem solve esp around the rooms, rate, or your booking. So you will no doubt spend (as we did) much time waiting for Giuseppe to answer his Italian phone so that he can tell Jamilla what to do. - Jamilla is a gem but (understandably) only speaks a bit of english, but great french and arabic - No one else on the staff speaks anything other than Arabic. - Hammering that was described in someone elses January review is still going on in mid-March. It went until at least 4am. But with no- one on site past 6pm except for a tiny wisp of a girl that acts as cleaner and waiter - there was no one available that could solve the problem...oh and she only speaks arabic - which is fine as long as you do too. - No light bulbs in the bathroom for our 3 day stay. - No water for much of the time either. - The bed in the Chambre Superior could not have been more hard if it was poured from concrete. - We too had an issue with having to dispute the room charges. Finally we left - a day early. And of course, this led to a disagreement: - Giuseppe will insist on talking to Jamilla for 20 minutes. WHen she cant convey what is needed, he'll offer to talk to you in his perfect english. When you don't give up and insist on asserting your frustration, he'll decide that he can't speak english anymore. Then he'll want to speak in French. When (after another 20 minutes) he realises that he isn't wearing you down, he will insist that he can't speak french to you any more but he needs to talk to Jamilla again. After another 20 minutes, they'll compromise with the suggestion of two bills. One that you can agree on, and an additional one that he won't put through (and you wont sign) until you resolve your disagreement. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS. Both transactions ar eimmediately put through and you cannot dispute them with VISA. Trust me. DO NOT SIGN THE VISA SLIP UNLESS YOU WANT TO PAY HIM. Personally, I feel ripped off, and I would NEVER recommend this riad to anyone I liked. Instead, click on TripAdvisors popularity index and stay away from this place. There was no welcome to speak of, no explanation for where we were in the Medina, no sense of looking out for your guests or trying to make their experience in your city pleasant.

Eight of us recently spent four nights for my 40th birthday at the Riad. I read all the reviews here, both good and bad, before deciding to go ahead and book. It turned out to be a great choice. My wife won't do anywhere remotely dirty so believe me when I say the riad is stylish, ideally-located, spacious, very clean and well run by Jamilla and the gang. I believe the negative reviews seem to stem from the time before Pepe owned the place as there were no real hassles at all - although we were renting every room, so if you were sharing the riad with strangers then perhaps your mileage may vary. The airport transfer was there on time (look for the riad name rather than your surname) and once we had grown accustomed to the frankly insane driving (thankfully at low speeds due to traffic) it became apparent that the taxi staff, local shops and the riad all have a good working relationship. Although Jamilla and the staff speak a little English, French is better so dust off your schoolbook. My French must sound like pidgin 'Allo 'Allo but I was able to make myself understood better in this tongue. Obviously Arabic is widely spoken but was not an "O" level option for me in 1983, at least not in Widnes. The riad seem to use the same taxi guys all the time, which is good as you would need someone with local knowledge or a pigeon-like sense of direction to guide you down the 2-3 minute maze-like walk from the taxi to the front door for the first time. The tall medina streets are too narrow for cars so bicycles and mopeds are very popular - watch out. The surrounding cat-filled streets are dark and narrow but not intimidating (I live in Nottingham!) and the local kids are friendly enough to banter with. The nondescript door opens and you are treated to the splendid interior views which the website shows. The riad is very photogenic and there are plenty of things to photograph. Once unpacked, we spent the trip just chilling out at the riad in the morning, strolling the markets for lunch, then either eating at the riad or taking a trip out to a restaurant in the evening. Crystal @ Pacha was nice (Jamilla booked this same day at our request), but don't book before 8:30 and try and sit away from the central fire - it's hot and smoky at the nearest tables. The club itself was closed that night, despite it saying "Open daily" on the website. You may wish to confirm. We stayed in the Douiria suite. The bed was very comfortable and there is plenty of storage. The bathroom in this suite is dark marble and plaster, and there is not a lot of light, so you may want to move a lamp into there. One of the rustic sinks has a patched hole in it that sometimes leaked a little - but only a few thimbles-full or so. There was always hot water available. The specks of powder here and there are probably caused by woodworm in the wooden ceilings - par for the course in this type of building. The mosque does a call to prayer around 4AM. I only heard it the first time, as I am a sound sleeper, but you may want to bring ear-plugs as the prayer MC also seems to be accompanied simultaneously by a revving scooter engine and a braying camel. Breakfast seems to be available at any time in the morning. Staff are there from around 7AM but I don't recall us being up for anything before 10. Breakfast is continental - coffee, crepes (freshly made in the kitchen), bread, english tea, jam, cake and juice. Bring your sweet tooth to Morocco. We then went upstairs to the terrace where you can bask in the African sunshine - not incandescent at this time of year but still very warming. The terrace is well appointed with day beds and tables and the staff are happy to fetch you snacks (olives and nuts), wine, beer or water - not free of course; the Rose was 14 euros and beers 3 euros - which is quite a markup. Better to buy it locally if you find it (we didn't actively seek it). Jamilla and the gang do great meals in the evening, Moroccan style. Very tasty but perhaps a little pricey considering drink is not included. We eat there twice. The dining room also has an ipod dock which came in handy. The other lounge has a large flat screen tv with satellite box. We didn't watch much tv to be honest. The riad also has wireless internet and you can settle by credit card there. The local markets are 2 mins away back towards the taxis, and the main square is -15 mins beyond these, depending on how fast you want to walk. I didn't find the stallholders overly aggressive. We weren't there to buy things, so it was easy for us to walk away. Jamilla also organised an impromptu trip to the mountains for a couple of our guests with their own driver for the day. She is very good at organising and can get you most things should you require. Jamilla clocks off after dinner is served, and then Hisham, the riad's handyman, is also on hand until you go to bed to help you with anything. Again, French was the most effective route. If I had one criticism, I would like the riad to show you a price list for the wine, beer and snacks before you tuck in as the prices came as a surprise to some. Also make sure that the room tax (8 EUR per room per night) has been included if you didn't book direct with the riad - it was a little difficult ironing out all these points in French when Jamilla wanted to go home and we all wanted to eat. The airport taxis were bang on time for our early start home (they haven't managed this trick in the UK) and a good time was had by all.

First time in Marrakech, my girlfriend found this wonderful contemporary Riad online from their own website. If you wind down through the Eastern part of the medina you'll find this Riad in a quiet cul de sac. Lovely staff including the owner Giuseppe who provided friendly service and a nice continental breakfast too. We stayed in "Le Chambre Chocolat" which was perfect and reasonably priced at 150 Euros per night. Cant recommend this Riad highly enough. Malcolm & Anita.