Riad Viva

Central for most of Marrakesh city everything is walkable. Hotel was clean and quite considering how load the city can be. Very helpful staff

This is classic Morocco. You walk down alleys in the Medina to a traditional door with a small sign. Once you step inside, you are in a traditional home, complete with tiled central courtyard open to the skies (they have a roof that closes over) and a central fountain. My room was off the courtyard with a wooden grill over the window and shutters on the inside for privacy. It was a very quiet place, clean and comfortable. I had a glass of wine by the fountain and had a traditional dinner of Moroccan salads and lemon chicken tagine for dinner. (Breakfast was a banana because I don't eat wheat.) They arranged for a taxi to the airport. The driver arrived on time and walked me back out of the alleys. The airport is about 15 minutes away. The taxi, dinner and drinks must be paid for in cash. They accepted dollars, euros and dirhams. When it came time to run the credit card for the room, the machine wasn’t working. I was prepared to pay cash, but the attendant wildly miscalculated the exchange rate (over $20) and would not acknowledge his error. Finally, we were saved when the machine started working.

Like most Riads in the Medina, you walk through narrow, dirty streets and then enter a doorway into a beautiful, charming oasis. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Breakfast is typical for the area- very good, but too much food. We had ours on the lovely roof top overlooking the most expensive hotel and garden in Marrakech. Though a few steps away from the main square of the Medina, it was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of being in the very center at the end of the day. The first night in Morocco, we decided to eat at the Riad instead of dealing with finding a suitable restaurant and it was definitely worth it. We are vegetarians and the food was marvelous!

I stayed in Marrakech for 9 days and at three Riads. This was the most disappointing stay. The staff met us for our airport transfer and just said, “follow me” no hello, no checking to see who we were. Just took off at an abrupt pace with no offer to help with our bags. We travelled light (just backpacks and one carry on suitcase) but still struggled to keep up in the heat with our bags following the staff through the twisting alleyways. We were asked to pay as soon as we arrived, they told us the card reader was only for larger payments (our total was over 100 euros) and we needed to pay in cash immediately. We didn’t have enough so out we went to get more from the atm. When we returned, they had no change and asked us to go out and get more to pay the next day. Our room was fine, if a bit lacking. Two towels for showering but no hand towels or wash clothes. The whole area is under construction and everything was dusty. The staff showing us the room turned on the light for us, it flickered and kept going out so she just turned it off and then left. The rooftop was a nice place to relax and the morning we left another staff offered us a light breakfast before we had to depart which was a nice touch. Overall, I wouldn’t stay here again. It felt dated, impersonal, and like we were an inconvenience for being there. If you’re on a budget and just need a place to sleep this will suffice. If you’re looking for an enjoyable stay, consider other Riads.