Dar Les Cigognes Hotel

My partner and I go on quite a few trips all over the place, sometimes self-catering, sometimes a hotel.. From the 3-10th September we spent a week in Oualidia on the coast after 1 night in Casablanca and although the villa we hired in Oulidia was stunning, we weren't looking forward to spending any more time in Morocco.. and then we got to Marrakech. When the taxi driver dropped us off outside a front door in the middle of a wall with no windows, I was bracing myself for more disappointment and when we stepped through the door I wanted to cry with delight. We had the best welcome we have ever had into any hotel. Our bags were taken from us and we were allowed to sit and relax in one of the many alcoves with some mint tea and pastries. Then Olaf, the riad manager came and introduced himself and gave us some history about the riad, etc. He gave us a tour, then we headed to our rooms where our bags were waiting with a welcome tray of frui and bottled spring water. The riad is totally magical. Within the lunch, breakfast and dinner hours you can order your food to be eaten anywhere in the riad. The courtyard, the roof, your room, an alcove. There's a lovely little library and if you don't have sunburn you must try the riads hammam! They gave us a little booklet with maps of the area, a list of shops with descriptions of what they sell, restaurants and all of the tours available. After about 2 hours our only disappointment was that we didn't have longer there as we were only staying 2 nights. I would definitely recommend all of the tours, they sounded amazing. We hired a guide from the hotel for £15 for 5 hours and he took us around the Souks and into shops where we could buy rugs, etc and good prices. He was brilliant, gave us some very interesting information on the religion, Marrakech and Morocco. I'd like to go on but I could write and write about how wonderful it all was. All I can say is, if you don't go to this riad, you will be missing out on something truly wonderful. ALL of the staff were the kindest, most helpful and friendly that I've ever experienced. It really was magical.

My husband and I spent 4 nights at the end of August 2006 in this fabulous Riad. We booked directly with the hotel and they were very accommodating and helpful. On arrival we were greeted with tea and delicious pastries and members of the team came up and introduced themselves therefore making us feel very welcomed and special. We were then given the guided tour by Samir who showed us all the facilities of the Riad and gave us a helpful map of Marrakech and suggestions for walking tours, good shops, restaurants etc. Our room, the Silver Room, was everything we hoped for and more. Very spacious with real attention to detail. We dined on the roof terrace one evening and it was great; excellent food, loads of courses and very reasonable. I would really recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the Medina, it is a real tranquil escape from the hectic city and the Souks and it has the best staff that I have ever encountered in a hotel.

Stayed here for 2 nights last week. Location was great, about 10 mins walk from the main square and quite an interesting walk up one of the alleyways with all the stalls on so always something going on. The staff were all very friendly and helpful and they really did think of everything (especially the manager who was perfect for that job). You could have meals and drinks on the roof terrace, in your room, anywhere you wanted. They also recommended restaurants and organised taxis to get us there and back and recommended places to see etc. The rooms were lovely, we stayed in the Silver room with a four poster bed. We came back from dinner to find rose petals on the bed, very romantic! Wish there were places like this in every city I stay in!

This was our first visit to Marrakech and we struck gold with Dar Les Cigognes. Our room, Silver was one of the prettiest we have ever stayed in with mosaic ceiling, ornate furniture and a four poster bed. You do sacrifice on a pool staying here but the roof terrace, rooms and service more than make up for it. The concierge, Samir in particular was extremely helpful with reservations (visit La Foundouk!) and other arrangements for my girlfriend’s birthday. If you are looking for an upscale Moroccan experience this place hits the spot and I would have no hesitation recommending it to any of my friends as picky as they are.

Hello, I must say that we really enjoyed our stay in marrakesch because of the very relaxing and charming place; we found the adress in the french review "hotels de charme" book, and as usual in this guide, we were very pleased. Very professionnal, food excellent, rooms very comfortable, and above all very nice people!! They made us discover a fabulous swimming pool (the ranch), and location is very central: we arrived exhausted from work, but we left very relaxed and charmed! Many thanks to dar les cigogne!! jungho and lucas

The manager, Mr Olaf, is an example of how to be polite, caring, proffessional and not by any means overwhelming at the same time. He will take excellent care of you when you need it and give you space when you want to be alone. The hotel itself is very pretty, comfortable and well located. Rose petals on the bed sheets were an unexpected and lovely touch.The breakfast was delicious, especially the fresh Moroccan bread and good strong coffee. We only stayed one night but were treated like royalty. As an old weatherbeaten traveller ;) I´m very impressed and pleased to have stayed there, and I´m sure if I´m in Marrakesh again I will not look for another place.

Dar Les Cigognes was a fantastic place to stay in Marrakech. The welcome is terrific when you get there giving you some tea and cookies and and the manager sits down and gives you an overveiw of the Riad and its services. They can book a tour guide for you which we did for the first day to take us through the souks and museums. Good idea to use the guide for a few hours then the rest of time on your own. The staff was extremely helpful, as they helped us make reservations for dinner, and helped us contact other Riads in other cities to book or confirm reservations. The accomodations are beautiful! Stayed in 2 different rooms and even nicer than we expected. The roof terrace is serene and they will serve you drinks and meals there if you wish. We had a great experince with a hamam and massage on site. Also, ate dinner there one night which was very peaceful, charming and tasty. Service standards are as good as one can expect. It's about a 10 minute walk to the main square which was safe and easy in day and night. We actually preferred the distance, making the stay more peaceful on the terrace and inside. Highly recommend!

My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon, and couldn't be happier! They went out of their way to make our stay special in so many ways. Great food, beautiful rooms, and a great private hammam. We would definately stay there, again. Fair warning to anyone on a budget that there are definately nice, acceptable, less expensive riads throughout Marrkech. However, if you have the money, Dar Les Cigognes will not disappoint.

I took my wife to Dar Les Cigognes for a special (big!) birthday treat. I spent hours pondering the internet to find a place to stay in Marrakesh that would be memorable and very special, and was delighted with the results. It is a great little Riad, we had a superb room, and everything at this Riad is perfect. We were able to take breakfast on the roof terrace every morning - watching the storks flying to and from their nests on the adjacent walls to feed their young, and we could have spent all day there had there been nothing else to do in Marrakesh! All the staff were very friendly and most helpful, bringing the most delicious mint tea up to the terrace whenever we wanted. Organising trips for us was no problem, including a personal driver and car to take us into the Atlas mountains for a day trip - spectacular scenery and a great walk in the mountains with the local Berbers. Even bought a carpet in a little hut half way up the mountain! No hard sell up there and much cheaper than the carpet shops in town, and hand-made by the locals. Back to the Riad - and the Hamman and massages were very relaxing, and something to experience if you've never had a Hamman before. The staff gave my wife a real treat on her birthday - bringing a birthday cake for breakfast, setting up a private area for dinner, and decorating our room in the evening with rose petals. She loved it! It's certainly the best hotel we've stayed in.

My friends and I just returned from a marvelous 2 week trip to Marrakech. We stayed at Dar Les Cigognes for 6 of the days - and absolutely loved it. While I was a little nervous, considering some of the earlier reviews on Trip Advisor, I could not have been more pleased. The Riad itself, is absolutely stunning - with unbelievable attention to details and keeping the comfort of the traveler in mind. While the Safi room was the best of the 3 we had reserved - with a wonderfully romantic ambience, all the rooms were very comfortable with Down Duvets and Pillows, wonderful big towels, and beautiful bathrooms. The beauty of this lovely, charming hotel can only be surpassed by the warm, friendly, and extremely helpful staff. Olaf, the General Manager, was charming, and incredibly helpful, making sure that all our arrangements were taken care of. While there is no pool here, we enjoyed free access to Nikki Beach- which was a wonderful way to spend a hot afternoon. Additionally, I thought the massage and Hammam here, were the best we had in Marrakesh and the surrounding area. The experience is simply to die for! The hotel also set us up with a fantastic English speaking guide, which we ended up using for 3 days. I highly recommending using a guide, as the Medina can be quite overwhelming, and the true essence and beauty of this fascinating culture, can only be seen with the help of a true Marrakshi. I would absolutely recommend this hotel to anyone planning on visiting Marrakech. For the price - I thought it was fantastic value (the breakfasts are amazing). I can't wait to return!