Riad Awa

We had a really nice stay at Riad Awa last week. The staff was very friendly and the hotel is nice. Breakfast was also good. Everything is in close walking distance, so you don't have to take a taxi very often (expect at night we prefered a taxi). I would come back to Riad Awa!

A beautiful stylish Riad blending old with new, perfectly situated at the edge of the medina, next to the Kings Palace and Saadian Tombs. The staff are warm and lovely: Bouchra and Mohommad will help you organise or find anything you need. We have the Riad mainly to ourselves and were able to relax on the rooftop terrace and swim in the small pool. They also have a taxi driver, who again is lovely, and can take you out to the Atlas Mountains, to find a camel or a carpet. We had the Grand Suite and it was perfect. The kids loved it. A brill place to stay.

This is a peaceful and beautiful Riad made special by the people who own and care for those who stay. Big rooms, rooftop views, on the edge of the Kasbah. Meals cooked in house or many options including Cafe Kasbah just around the corner and the Clock 5 minutes walk into the Kasbah.

Our experience at Riad Awa was mixed, but generally good overall. First, the good! We were picked up and dropped off from the airport which is invaluable if you are not familiar with Marrakech - this really made the whole experience less stressful. We were greeted by one of the two (we think) hostesses and offered mint tea (fair warning - this stuff is incredibly sweet but apparently, it is rude to refuse) while we filled out the city paperwork. The Riad is a cool and very quiet after the noise of the street, and our room was located on the ground floor. Other than another couple who left on our first day, we were the only people staying in the Riad. Breakfast was provided promptly at 9 each morning, unless we were not ready. The staff did not all speak English but some did and they were all friendly. There is a nice rooftop terrace, although it was partly closed up for winter when we were there – no rooftop dining. The pool is nice, but be aware it is not heated! There is a great view of the nearby mosque minaret and you can watch the stalks nesting and hear the calls to prayer. Lovely place to sit with a drink after a day out. We did not eat dinner at the Riad but they do have a menu if you don't feel like going back out again (no alcohol though, obviously, but you can bring your own wine back from the supermarket with you if you want). We did, however, arrange a day trip to the Atlas Mountains through the Riad. We were collected at 10am and returned at around 4pm – it was just the two of us rather than a big group. It was extremely interesting, and the walk to the waterfalls is good fun, though fairly short – less than an hour. The driver may offer to hire a guide for you (one of the local people) but you don’t need this, and they will want paying the equivalent of up to £20. There will be plenty of people walking up and the locals will point you in the right direction if you need it. It is steep and scrambly so don’t go if you aren’t steady on your feet! Now the less good: The riad, although beautiful, does feel slightly run down. It rained on the first night and the rain drips through the skylight in the main area and pools on the floor so they have to pull all the rugs back. I got very wet socks attempting to go to breakfast! Our room (the Leon Bedroom) had a shower / wet room corner but this leaked so we had to lay towels down to not get wet feet in the room. Also the door to the toilet did not shut – it did not even come close to shutting! Luckily I was there with my partner and not a friend. We had some difficulty with our breakfast requirements. They would lay out white bread, pain au chocolate, sweet sugary pancakes, honey and jam, a very small pot of chopped fruit and a very small pot of natural (unsweetened) yoghurt. This would be fine but my partner is type 1 diabetic and so the only things he could eat was the fruit and yoghurt. We had explained this (or thought we did) and so we asked maybe for boiled eggs instead of all the sweet food. We got a boiled egg each on the first day, and they kindly located brown bread as their traditional white bread is very sweet (maybe made with honey?) but the next day it was back to the sugar covered pancakes etc. We’re not sure why we weren’t able to communicate diabetic requirements clearly but every day, the breakfast would be slightly different but unfailingly very sugary. They never seemed to notice that we always left almost all of it. Maybe they just didn’t understand us, or maybe they have a different breakfast cook each day and forgot to tell them all - who knows! I would return to the Riad Awa if I were to return to Marrakech, but only if I could again book it at a discounted rate.

We visited Riad Awa in October for 5 days and it was wonderful! We basically had the Riad to ourselves for the first few days of our holiday and it was so relaxing and quiet. The room was lovely and clean with fresh towels and gorgeous smelling toiletries available. On arrival we were given sweet mint tea which was so tasty! We were given a map and sat down to go through the city with the staff who were very informed of the local area and recommended local restaurants and places to visit. Whilst staff were around they were never in your space so you could approach them when needed and they always provided help when needed like when booking transport or needing refreshments. The Riad was very close to the Mosque and the call to prayer was amazing to hear whilst lounging in the pool. It was the perfect location for visiting the gardens and the Souks all within walking distance or a short taxi drive. They offered a lovely breakfast every morning on the roof terrace and also made us lunch on request that was divine! The Riad was clean and welcoming and felt like a paradise away from the bustle of outside and we would visit again and highly recommend it to others!

We had booked to stay at Riad Le Jardin D'abdou and arrived at about 7.30pm after a very stressful drive from the coast to be told the hotel was full and overbooked as you can imagine we were not best pleased, but the friendly staff rang round and found us space in Riad Awa which was everything we could have asked for. We were warmly greeted and shown round and even though it was 9pm by the time we got there they made us a great homemade Beef Tagine and were given a wonderful room. Breakfast was on the roof terrace which is an amazing tranquil deck with a quaint little pool so high about the hustle and bustle it was just perfect. I would very much recommend.

When I was planning a relaxing girl's long weekend in Marrakech a few months ago I was looking for the perfect riad to accommodate our needs. We needed a spa and a roof top pool. Riad Awa had all these and more : beautiful design (we are all architects), cleanliness, great location and a very attentive staff. Bouchra organised a pick up for the airport for us, greeted us with mint tea and useful information about our stay in Marrakech. She also organised for us to have a hammam followed by a really good massage. Everything was perfect. A big thank you to Bouchra, Mohammed and Amira for making our stay memorable. When I am back in Marrakech I am definitely staying at Riad Awa.

We stayed in the Jalil room for 4 nights in mid October. It was located on the ground floor and opened out on to a glassed-in atrium. The riad was quiet when we stayed there which added to it's sense of intimacy. A lovely continental breakfast was served on the rooftop and servings were generous. The staff were very helpful and were happy to offer recommendations for places to eat. We had a tasty evening meal at the riad which was served on the roof terrace under a full moon. There's easy access to everything the city has to offer and most of the must-see sites were within easy walking distance, a very convenient location! Would definitely recommend Riad Awa.

A great location within the city, 8 minutes walk to the main square and yet out of the bustle at night. The roof top for breakfast was amazing, and the little pool a delight to return to end of each day. Bouchra, Mohammad and the family made us feel super welcome, and we felt extremely relaxed though out our stay. Definitely will go back!