An oasis of calm in the midst of the chaos in Marrakech (Hotel Riad Omar (Marrakesh, Morocco))

Member Name: michellexv

Product:	Hotel Riad Omar (Marrakesh, Morocco)
Date:	10/07/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean, spacious rooms, friendly service, negotiable room prices

Disadvantages: The terrace restaurant is a bit pricey

I recently travelled to Morocco with my mum and whilst we had accomodation booked for the first 2 nights in Marrakesh, we left our plans 'open' for the remaining 3 nights of our stay there. (Don't ask me why! Very stressful experience and would not recommend doing this.) Having spent the first 2 nights in a 4 star hotel at the outskirts of the medina (or 'Old City'), we decided that it would suit us best if we stayed in a hotel near the Djemaa el Fna (or main City square) where all the action is day and night. (Think market by day; total mayhem at night with over 100 food stalls vying for your custom, animated story tellers, henna tattoo artists, fortune tellers, tribal drummers, the list goes on...

As we were wondering around, looking for a suitable hotel, we were approached by an old, squint-eyed man claiming he knew a 'bery gooood, cheap, bery clean riad'. I was suspicious of his intentions. Nothing in Morocco is in reality cheap unless you're a seasoned haggler, and services rendered are never free. Nevertheless my mom believed we should at least follow the man so that we didn't look so completely lost and vulnerable and we could in any case refuse the guide payment if the hotel was not up to the promised standard. (Hint: always look like you know where you're going if you wish to avoid unwanted attention here) The man led us to what would become our sanctuary in the midst of the chaos that is Marrakesh. On arrival we were quoted 700 dirhams (around £50) a night for the largest room they had. At this point we were running out of money fast and even though I'm not usually very good at haggling, I kept a straight face, said that's more money than we can afford but we would be looking to stay at least 3 nights, and the next thing we knew, we were staying in a luxury room for 500 dirhams a night. I didn't think accommodation prices were really negotiable in Morocco but clearly our experience shows that it may be worthwhile asking. You've got nothing to lose by doing so. The price also included the government tax charged on each room (about 5 euros per night) which is not usually quoted in room prices but nevertheless charged to your bill at the end of your stay.

We stayed in a suite on the ground floor which had a double plus single bed, living room area with fireplace, bathroom, air conditioning and a fresh bowl of fruit every day.

We were allowed to view a sample of rooms before deciding whether we wanted to stay there so be sure to ask if you can take a peek. It definitely helped to reassure us that we would be having a comfortable stay.

The cleaning service is highly rated in my opinion- it seemed the cleaners never stopped scrubbing away in one part of the building or the other throughout the day. The rest of the staff were uniformed, polite and very helpful.

The rooms are decorated to a high standard with traditional Moroccan furniture and intricate border carvings in the cement walls and elaborate decorations. We went away inspired to jazz up our interior designs back at home!

The central courtyard is calm, beautiful and cool. There is plenty of seating and it is possible to have your breakfast here in the mornings. There is also a fountain although this was not working at the time of our visit. Large, ornate wooden doors frame the entrances to the rooms which all look onto the courtyard. It's a lovely setting and a great place to come back to after a hectic day getting lost in the markets and narrow alleyways of the city.

The terrace restaurant came highly recommended by the guide that led us to the Riad. It oozes Moroccan luxury and it was a treat to sink back into the rich, velvet scatter cushions that make for seating here amongst palms and tables fully of happy diners.
It is pricey compared to other eateries in the main square and a tagine will set you back at around 90 - 100 dirhams (elsewhere you'd expect to pay approximately 65 dirhams). However, the coffees are cheap by comparison at 10 dirhams each. Breakfast was served from 7am until 9:30am and was by far the largest spread we had been offered in any of our other hotel stays in Morocco- albeit some strange combinations- think bowls full of boiled or fried eggs, olives, syrupy figs, fresh fruit, pancakes (Moroccan style- like a flattened croissant which tastes somewhat less appealing and chews like a piece of oil-soaked cardboard! Not that that I'd know what the latter would taste like, but if I did, I'm sure Moroccan pancakes would fit the bill), bread and coffee or tea.

For those who like to be pampered on holiday, there is a Hammam (or spa) on site which offers a range of treatments at relatively low prices. (I didn't use this service and didn't note the exact prices although noted that they were a fraction of the price of beauty treatments offered in the UK)

The place is relatively easy to find. When at the Djemaa el Fna square, head for the street called Rue Moulay Ismail to the left of the park (with your back to square) where the horses are lined up. Walk down the street and take the first left and then second right onto Rue Bab Agnaou. The riad is located at #22, although the entrance is somewhat obscure. Look out for the large handbag shop blasting heavy bass music out the front- the Riad is opposite. (Although don't worry, it's surprisingly quiet and peaceful once inside the Riad.)

The riad does have it's own website with limited information on it: www.riadomar.com. Reservations can be made by calling 00212 524 44 56 60 although there are loads of rooms and availability may only be a problem in the high season. (We went in May'09)

Oh, and as for the guide? He didn't ask us for a cent and disappeared before we had time to even express our thanks for his help. Some things are free in Marrakesh after all- God bless his soul! :)

Summary: A pleasant stay- highly recommended!