From a luxurious, fantasy-like take on the medina, to cool designs hideaways by chic expats
Isabella Craddock
It always starts the same way: the chaos of the medina, the motorbikes, the energy, the call to prayer. Then, a wooden door you nearly walk past — unassuming, a little weathered — swings open, and suddenly you’re somewhere else. Cooler. Quieter. Perfumed with orange blossom and mint tea…
Yves Saint Laurent once said, ‘The city taught me colour. Before Marrakech, everything was black,’ and this charming quote stretches from the energy of the city to these layered spaces behind heavy wooden doors, known as riads.
Marrakech’s riads — traditional Moroccan homes built around a central courtyard — are an essential part of its architectural and cultural identity. From the outside: nothing. Inside: everything. Many of these inward-facing houses have been restored and reimagined as guest houses, offering travellers a peaceful contrast to the pace of the city outside. The format is largely the same: private rooms, quiet shared spaces, lush gardens, and often a courtyard pool or rooftop terrace with views across the medina. Their growing popularity hasn’t gone unnoticed. Riad stays are now in such high demand that Airbnb has added them as a dedicated search category. From a resort comprising exclusively of luxurious private riads built by the King, to chic hideaways brought to life by expats, here are the prettiest riads in Marrakech.
(Featured image: The Mellah Marrakech, @themellah_marrakech)
The prettiest riads In Marrakech
The Mellah
Best for: Mid-century-meets-Moroccan maximalism and the chicest rooftop
‘Everything started in the Mellah District,’ reads the slightly cryptic, very intriguing, first post on The Mellah Hotel’s Instagram. Two years on, perhaps the prettiest new riad in Marrakech has opened its rose-tinted doors, offering a maximalist dreamscape in the heart of the Red City.
Rooted in the historic Mellah District – Marrakech’s Jewish Quarter, once known as Hay Essalam – the hotel is a quietly glamorous escape. Behind its unassuming façade lies a world of dusty pink walls, terracotta tiles, red-striped parasols, bold local art and the kind of interiors that make you want to redecorate your life. There’s a touch of mid-century modern here too – think Mad Men in Marrakech – with just ten bedrooms in hues of ochre, mustard and jade green. But it’s the rooftop that steals the show: an oxblood- and pastel-tiled plunge pool, lush potted greenery and panoramic views across the city’s terracotta rooftops. The Mellah Hotel is a dreamy new addition to the Marrakech riad scene.
@themellah_marrakech
Royal Mansour Marrakech
Best for: Royal splendour, Moroccan craftsmanship, impeccable hospitality, lush grounds
Royal Mansour Marrakech is unlike any other riad in the city. For starters, it’s a collection – 53 individual riads dotted across acres of lush botanic gardens, with the only soundtrack being birdsong, fountains and the gentle clink of poolside glasses. It’s hard to believe that the hotel sits right in the heart of the medina in the shadows of the Koutoubia Mosque. But when you’re owner and vision by the King of Morocco himself, nothing but the best will do.
Over 1,200 artisans were commissioned to bring it to life, showcasing Morocco’s finest craftsmanship, from intricate tilework to hand-carved plaster and painted wood ceilings. Each riad is its own mini-palace, set over multiple floors with private rooftops, pools and majlis. The largest has four bedrooms and a private garden with its own pool. The property forms its own quiet medina of dusty-pink alleyways, interspersed with towering palms, elegant cabanas and world-class restaurants, think La Grande Brasserie by Hélène Darroze, and Italian spot Sesamo by Massimiliano Alajmo. Royal Mansour isn’t just a stay, it’s the fantasy version of Marrakech you didn’t know you needed. You may never want to leave.
@royalmansourmarrakech
Riad Sadaka
For: Poolside calm and a private hammam under the stars
There’s something unreasonably satisfying about slipping into a turquoise-tiled pool while birds chatter in the trees overhead — especially when the water’s warm enough to make you forget the season. Riad Sadaka is quietly joyful like that. Renovated top to bottom in 2021, it’s all bright courtyards and whitewashed calm, with five simple, pretty rooms that are yours to take over if you’re travelling with friends or just prefer the fantasy of a private palace. The rooftop — with its striped lounges, outdoor shower, and cozy hammam — feels made for lazy mornings. Nadia, the riad’s wonderful keeper, will cook up fluffy Moroccan pancakes and jam as you watch the city warm to life in the famous Marrakech sunshine.
@riadsadakamarrakech
Riad Goloboy
Best for: Colour lovers, aesthetes, and those who think subtlety is overrated
Riad Goloboy feels like entering a world where someone’s dialled up the saturation dial. The building is wrapped in Majorelle blue, from head to toe, while its eight bedrooms are a heady kalesdescope of smokly purples, greens and slate greys. Riad Goloboy is what happens when a Parisian art collector sets up shop in Marrakech and goes all in. There’s creamy carved plaster, pastel armchairs, gold velvet banquettes, and a little bar in charcoal tadelakt that somehow feels both glamorous and unbothered. It’s never too much, though. The whole place hums softly behind a heavy door in Sidi Mimoun, a few winding alleys from La Mamounia — which is perfect to pop in for a chic afternoon drink.
@riadgoloboy
El Fenn
Best for: Living the maximalist dream with a negroni in hand
Some places have a quiet kind of beauty. El Fenn is not that place — and thank goodness. Stepping into this 13,000-square-foot design fantasia feels like falling headfirst into a particularly stylish dream. Think jewel-toned walls, velvet sofas, enormous artworks, and the kind of bathrooms that make you consider retiling your entire life. This has long been one of the most famous and prettiest riads in Marrakech.
Co-owned by Vanessa Branson (daughter of Richard), El Fenn has grown from a modest guesthouse to a full-on creative compound — now with over 40 rooms and suites, a boutique, three courtyards, a buzzy rooftop bar, a restaurant, and a resident tortoise. You can spend the day lounging by one of several pools or wandering barefoot across pink-tiled hallways in search of the next unexpected delight (a hidden library, perhaps, or a mint tea trolley that appears like magic). Yes, it’s a scene, and the rooftop often has queues out of the door — but a delicious, well-dressed, deeply charming one. Somehow, amid the glamour and bold color and cocktails at sunset, it still manages to feel like home. A very, very fabulous home.
@elfennmarrakech
Riad Secret Jardin
Best for: Bohemian souls and creative hearts
At Riad Secret Jardin, the courtyard is less a space and more a mood — alive with banana trees, chirping birds, and a cat who seems to run the show. This riad is part guesthouse, part artist residency, with interiors curated from local souks and dried florals available to purchase when you leave. A gathering place for creatives, it’s where painters and writers retreat for months at a time to work in quiet communion with the city’s pulse. On the pink-toned rooftop, breakfast is served beside panoramic views — and a dog that looks uncannily like Toto napping nearby.
@riadjardinsecret
Riad Elisa
Best for: Spa days, steam rooms, and staying just steps from the souks
If your version of paradise includes a subterranean hammam, essential oils and someone bringing you mint tea on a tray — Riad Elisa will be your kind of happy place. Hidden behind a carved wooden door just off one of the medina’s main arteries, this place is a study in sleek serenity. The look is more polished than patchwork: creamy plaster, clean lines, a restrained palette that lets the spa take centre stage. And it’s the spa that both internal and external guests flock to.
Its wellness offering is no afterthought. The full-service hammam is a cocoon of marble and steam, and the treatments — facials, scrubs, massages — are as good as any five-star spa. Upstairs, rooms are modern-Moroccan with nods to tradition but nothing too fussy. And when you’re ready to return to the hubbub of the medina, it’s right outside your door.
@riad_elisa_spa
Riad Emberiza Sahari
Best for: Elegant seclusion and boutique service just outside the medina’s buzz
Tucked into a quiet residential neighbourhood near Bab El Doukkala, Riad Emberiza Sahari is a thoughtfully restored seven-bedroom riad with a strong sense of place — and space. Owned by a former British diplomat, it’s as polished as you’d expect, with interiors that mix classic Moroccan design (tadelakt walls, zellige tiles, antique woodwork) with vintage European furnishings and a curated art collection.
Each suite is individually decorated, with generous proportions and proper wardrobes, and some offer fireplaces or freestanding tubs. The leafy courtyard, shaded by banana palms and bougainvillea, centres around a lemon tree and small pool — more for dipping than swimming, but perfect on hot afternoons. Breakfast is included and can be served on the roof terrace, where city views stretch towards the Atlas Mountains on clear mornings. Despite its quiet setting, this riad, one of the prettiest riads in Marrakech, is just a 10-minute walk to the medina and about 15 minutes from the Jardin Majorelle. There’s also a small hammam on site, plus home-style Moroccan meals available with advance notice — order the lemon chicken tagine.
@riademberizasahari
Riad Melhoun
For: All-out luxury just moments from the Bahia Palace
Riad Melhoun could pass for a boutique hotel, but still holds the intimacy of a private home. Two pools — one tucked into a cactus-filled rooftop, the other inspired by the historic Ben Youssef Madrasa — offer cool respite after a day in the souks. The spa and hammam invite longer rituals, while leafy alcoves provide shaded corners for mint tea and people-watching. The eight rooms are plush and diverse, some featuring four-poster beds and intricately carved woodwork that speak to the craftsmanship of the city.
@riadmelhoun
Riad Dar el Souk
For: Traditional charm and candlelit rooftop dinners
Riad Dar el Souk celebrates the classics: zellige-tiled walls, inner courtyards, and rooftop terraces blooming with citrus trees. The eight rooms channel Moroccan tradition with quiet reverence — think raised sleeping areas, carved headboards, and four-poster beds. But what sets it apart is the spirit of home it exudes. You can dine wherever you please — by the salon fireplace, beneath the caïdal tent on the rooftop, or under a canopy of stars in the courtyard. Either way, the pace is yours to set.
darelsouk.com
Riad Tahyra
For: Moorish romance minutes from the Medina’s chaos
A five-minute walk from the whirlwind of Jemaa el-Fnaa leads you to the hush of Riad Tahyra, one of the most peaceful riads in Marrakech. Once the residence of a carpet merchant, this seven-room haven is a love letter to Moorish design — mosaic tiles underfoot, archways casting elegant shadows, and a central courtyard built around the gurgle of a tiled fountain. Despite its location, it feels miles away from the bustle. It’s a reminder that Marrakech’s magic often lies in contrast — in serenity found just steps from the storm.
@riadtahyra
