Two Great Riads in Marrakech
- Lucy and the lens
- Sep 11, 2018
- 3 min read
In February Patrick and I spent just 4 nights in Marrakech, but we managed to cram a lot in - from local food tours to Moroccan banquets and rooftop restaurants, from palaces to markets, we loved everything about Marrakech.
Two of my favourite things, though, are combined in this post: the Moroccan architecture and the food. We experienced two very different riads during the trip, and here I want to rave about both of them!
1. Riad Bleu du Sud
This is where we stayed, mainly because I was drawn to its bright colours. I believe it's impossible to be unhappy surrounded by this much colour.
This riad is located right in the medina, just a minute away from the souks, yet it's down a narrow. winding street that protects it from literally all of the noise of the main street. It really is a quiet oasis.
After the architecture, the best thing about Riad Bleu du Sud is the food. It doesn't serve lunch or dinner, but breakfast is included, and if you eat everything you're given, you won't have to eat again until dinner time anyway! All kinds of Moroccan pastries and dips were served on ceramics that match the tablecloth (each table is a different colour, and each day we got a different one - a nice touch!), and the mint tea was wonderful.
After the first morning, we asked our host if he could give us slightly less food tomorrow to avoid us wasting anything, and he just smiled and said he couldn't do that as etiquette states that you should always offer more than your guests need! As such, there's no expectation to finish everything on your plate, and anything that does get leftover doesn't go to waste anyway. It's something we also learned on our Marrakech Food Tour - nothing in the city goes to waste - even trash has a purpose, being burned to heat the hammams.
The one thing I didn't like about Riad Bleu du Sud was the bed - when I read reviews that complained about the bed being hard, I thought they were exaggerating, but no - it's hard. I had to pad it out with blankets from the cupboard to avoid hip bruises! Here's hoping they get some mattress toppers in the future!
2. Riad Kniza
This one was out of our price-range for a stay, but we did enjoy a lovely Valentine's meal here, and got to explore the riad beforehand. We began up on their roof-top terrace as the sun set, enjoying mint tea and Moroccan pastries.
Then, it was time for a feast! It was advertised as a 'tasting menu' of traditional Moroccan food, But instead of the small tasting plates we were expecting, we got a six-course meal.
After a soup course we got Moroccan salad - and if you've never been to Morocco, let me tell you that 'salad' is a misleading word. Below is our salad. We were full after it. It was only the starter.
We then had a chicken pastilla, which is a spice and chicken-stuffed puff pastry with icing sugar and cinnamon dusted on top - an interesting mix of savoury and sweet! We then tried a very aromatic chicken and a lamb tagine, followed by another pastilla, this time sweet, and more mint tea. In a similar situation to Riad Bleu du Sud, we asked if we could just share one dessert, but of course we were smilingly told "no" and given two anyway!
If possible, linger in the lobby courtyard - although not as bright and colourful as Riad Bleu du Sud, it is intricately carved and absolutely beautiful.
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