Riyad Edward

Stayed at riyad Edward for a few days. It is a very old building of character hidden down a little alleyway in the northern outskirts of the medina. It takes 20 - 25 minutes to walk through the souk to the grande place (centre). Very close to a mosque so take earplugs unless you want to be woken up at dawn by the call to prayer on loudspeakers. Suitable for adventurous travellers who want an authentic experience of life in the old city of Marrakech. Friendly staff and good morrocan food. Plumbing problems so avoid the damp master bedroom suite on the ground floor next to the swimming pool, as water (and sewage smells) seep up through the drain into the bathroom when the bath or basin is emptied. We moved to another room after a couple of nights. Other rooms on upper floors are fine. Not all rooms can be locked.

I stayed here for a surprise 40th birthday 'treat'.We had come back having fallen in love with Marrakech a few years back.Last time we stayed in the splendour of La Sultana.This time we were sadly disappointed by Riad Edward.

The room was small and cold and not very luxurious.The shower was either dangerously hot or freezing.We asked to be moved to another room which ended up being big,cold and not very luxurious either,with a similar shower .What should have been a romatic weekend ended up with us beeing so cold we slept fully clothed in jumpers etc

The whole place was shabby looked unsafe in places and smelled of cats markings!!!

It was not very well located down another smelly lane with rubbish and more cats outside.

breakfast was fairly grim but not as bad as the one evening meal we endured in the freezing ,dark dining room.

The staff were not over friendly it all seemed a bit of an effort.

with all the frenetic mayhem of Marrakesh,when you close the hotel door ,you want to feel happyand relax and in some opulence.This failed !!! Not a cheap option either,definately be more selective and find another.Sorry but we would not recommend this to anyone.The only saving grace were the nice fellow guests we me....... thank goodness for them.

Great Riyad, good location (walking distance to Majarelle Gardens and main Square and very thoughtful staff.

The Riyad is a lovely place and exactly what we had booked and all the staff were really helpful and pleasant. However our stay was only shortlived as the owner of the hotel decided to get drunk and became abusive and violent and paranoid. Because we felt unsafe we were moved to another Riyad but had to endure a sleepless night before moving to somewhere we had not booked. So basically if you stay there just be careful who you are drinking with.

Absolutely gorgeous. Very very pretty. Lovely staff, really nice atmosphere,.

Bit of a trek from the place but effortless to get to La Place by cab(ensure you insist the driver does 'metre' and not fixed price).

Wouldn't recommend for anyone who has problem walking (we had a 3 yr old and had to carry her up and down the steps) - think that goes for all Riads to be honest.

They did recommend a car firm that supplied a clapped out car which we complained about and returned, but when I told them they were hands-on to sort the problem out (even though we were no longer staying there) and promised to not use them again.

Another thing- to anyone staying in the city bring earplugs as were were awoken by loud trumpets at 2am followed by calls to prayer etc at 5am.....this is part of the atmosphere but hard to appreciate at that time of day!

Excellent Riad. Good standard accommodation and excellent service. Very helpful staff. Its a short taxi ride away from La Place but easy enough to get to and from. A bit hard to find way back at first but it became easier each time. We found Marrakech a bit full on after spending time by the Atlantic and in the mountains, so it was great to have this hotel to go to for refuge. Thoroughly recommend the hotel and the experience of staying here.

Located some way away from the centre of the medina, Riyad Edward doesn't make up for the inconvenience of the long walks and tax rides to and from the centre with any sense of luxury or comfort. Yes, the Riyad is 'bohemian' and though the important stuff--sheets, towels, bathroom--are clean, the rooms are too shabby for the price (we paid 120 pounds per night for a 'suite' which was really just a big bedroom) and the 'management' runs the place like a youth hostel,

again not exactly what you'd want when paying that much and staying that far from the action. some examples: there was no lock on our door, so our room and its contents were open to the outside. when we requested a lock we were greeted with wry smiles and no lock ever appeared. We had to remind the manager that we needed to settle our bill early and needed a car to the airport several times before he took action. worse of all we returned after an evening out to find our bedroom filled with a strange smell that seemed to be gas leaking from a very dodgy old gas heater that the management had lit in our room (to be fair, they were trying to keep the place warm in some unseasonably cold weather, but I'd prefer to be a little cool than worrying about carbon monoxide poisoning). breakfast is very ordinary, and served pretty gracelessly. On the plus side, the riyad is fairly quiet and rooms feel private, and the front quad with its pool and greenery is picturesque, but the whole place feels shabby and sometimes downright unsafe.we could have paid less to stay somewhere clean, central and safe and I would advise others not to make the same mistake we did in staying here.

Riyad Edward is a lovely hotel - intimate with differently styled bedrooms. Its definitely ideal for those who hate bland hotels and seek a romantic weekend break. We stayed over new year's eve. The hotel offers absolutely lovely breakfasts and although the dining room is dark & narrow you can request to eat by the pool or on the roof terrace with no fuss at all. The evening meals were also excellent value for money. We stayed in the Dillon suite and we felt that we had own little apartment away from the rest of the hotel and had so much privacy . They made the fire in our room for us every evening which was great as its a bit chilly at night in December. The hotel will arrange drinks or a bottle of wine at a much better price that local restuarants and we celebrated new year on the roof with a glass watching a distant firework display .

Although the hotel can arrange a pre paid taxi to the hotel make sure you have plenty of change in euros as the taxi driver got a local man to carry our bags and it was very embrassing when we found we had no small change ready to pay him.

The only down side to this hotel and I assume its very common in the Medina are the stray cats, although very cute and friendly, they have a tendency to spray everywhere and try to steal food off your plate! Riads in Marrakech are generally not good places to stay if you have a cat allergy!