Marrakech (Part 3): Riad Zara... A Review

***As posted at tripadvisor.com, Jan 2, 2008***

“Riad Zara: Feels Like Home!”

'Excellent' may be an overrate. But 'home' is perhaps the proper word to describe Riad Zara. The moment we stepped into this maison d'hotes (guest house), we quickly felt like home with a very warm and sincere welcome extended by Monique, the owner. If anyone is looking for a customer service 'guru' in the hotelier industry, she should be the one to turn to. We have stayed in many different hotels, B&B or guest houses before. Never had we received such a homey service like that from Monique and her little team.

My wife was ill on the first two days in Marrakech. If it was not for Monique, we could not have imagined what would happen. She was willingly called a doctor and drove us to a hospital with her own car. She even stayed with us and explained to the doctor, until we were clear to go. She asked her son, Corentin (who was also very nice), to go to the pharmacy for us. She took care of my wife with a special soup and tea. She enjoyed playing and singing with my 2.5-yo daughter too.

On the Christmas eve, we sat for a Christmas dinner together with Monique’s family (her children paid her a visit from France) and otherguests. They even prepared some gifts for us! When you are away from home for Christmas, this is the least you could expect. But Monique made us feel like home.

Monique patiently explained to us the Medina map (whose maze-like alleys are quite confusing for the first timers), places to visit and some tips & tricks to bargain at the souks. Her details would complement the information you may get from a travel book or internet. She would also take her time to help other guests arrange a day trip out of town or even arrange a massage service at the riad itself.

They served nice local bread at breakfast with a variety of jams. If you decide to have lunch and dinner in there, they are quite flexible too. Their couscous and tagine are very competitive compared to the restaurants around Jemaa-el-Fna Square.

Obviously, there are many riads all over Medina you can opt for. But if you are looking for a cosy one, 15-minute walk from the Square and a lot of personal touch, I strongly recommend Riad Zara. However, there is one thing your should be aware of. Upon arrival at the airport, a lady was holding a Riad Zara board (exactly the same name!) which we immediately thought it was ‘our’ Riad Zara (FYI, Monique’s Riad Zara always clearly writes the guest names on the board for the airport pickup). After exchanging names etc, they took us to ‘their’ Riad Zara (inside the Medina too). They did not have any sign whatsoever outside the house. But then we realized it was a different one! We immediately walked to Monique’s Riad Zara. Although it was nobody’s fault, you should be aware of this! You should look for this one.

Marakech is not an "easy-to-access" city. Not like Paris, London or Barcelona, where you might find it easy to find anything you need on your own. As a tourist, you definitely need a local experience for a little guide, which you may get from the owner of the riad. However, when selecting a riad, beware that there are some riads in the Medina that are only managed by local staffs, i.e. the owner does not live there, hence you only deal with the staffs on day-to-day needs (you can consider yourself lucky if they speak a little bit of English or French... and for sure they speak Arabic).
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This TripAdvisor Member:
Liked — Superb customer service attitude and homey
Disliked — N/A
Date of Stay: December 22-26, 2007
Traveled with: Family with young children
Visit was for: Quality time with family
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend? Absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for: Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for: Great pool scene, Pet owners
I selected this hotel as a top choice for: Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Other.