Riad Tarabel Marrakech

You can find many an airy riad concealed behind many an unassuming door in the maze of Marrakech’s medina. But no matter how many times you’ve stayed in one, it remains an enduringly pleasant surprise to leave behind the daily din of mopeds and merchants for a quiet central courtyard and a glass of hot mint tea; a uniquely Moroccan welcome that Riad Tarabel, a boutique, palatial riad at the medina’s chicer end, lays on with elegance and affability. 

This Michelin Key hotel, located down an alleyway almost directly opposite the Musée des Confluences, is deceivingly massive. The orange tree-lined courtyard in which you’ll sip your welcome tea is one of four interconnected courtyards – one with a dark marble pool – and throughout the property, there are alcoves, terraces and salons galore. You’ve got a summer room and a winter room with stunning hand-painted Zuber murals, an orangery-style space where dinner is served, a small shop, common areas furnished with bursts of fresh flowers, and, finally, a sprawling rooftop terrace for lazy sun-soaked breakfasts. 

What are the rooms like at Riad Tarabel Marrakech? 

There are only 10 rooms and suites here, divided between four quarters, each with courtyard-facing windows. In a sprawling riad like this one, this spaced-out set-up grants a welcome sense of privacy; our suite was the only one on its side of the building, with what felt like our own private stairway to the rooftop. It’s worth noting that rooms have interior bolts but no room key, the idea being that the place operates as a capacious and carefree private residence (there is a safe in the room for your valuables). 

Suites are massive, wrapping around two sides of the riad; we stayed in the main suite, a classic, slender bedroom and lounge area giving way to a wardrobe nook and a rather palatial bathroom, complete with two showers, two sinks, two sets of robes and slippers and a Victorian clawfoot tub. The attention to detail here is what takes Tarabel from good to great – heated tiles, plush green throws, large vases of fresh flowers, plenty of plants and stylish little prints and antique photographs. In our suite, the WiFi was so-so. I’m not going to preach at you to use it as a chance to unplug; do with that information what you wish. 

What is the food like at Riad Tarabel Marrakech?

Breakfast, served on the rooftop on hot days and in the salon in the winter, is a simple and perfect local spread: Moroccan flatbreads, cakes, fruit, fig marmalade, yoghurt and fresh honey. Eggs and omelettes can be whipped up on request – do ask for the traditional Moroccan omelette, a delicious, smoky, scrambled thing with harissa and onions. Dinner, which must be ordered with the staff by midday, is a gorgeous and intimate affair, with just a couple of tables next to a crackling wood fire in the poolside salon. The food is as good as it gets for traditional fare in the city: soup, dates and quail eggs to start, followed by chicken tangia with olives and preserved lemon (rich, tender, delightfully citrusy) and an oozing chocolate molten cake to finish.

What is the spa like at Riad Tarabel Marrakech? 

Hidden behind a floor-length mirror, Les Bains de Tarabel is a stunner of a spa. Your whimsical entry leads you into a light-filled courtyard perfumed by orange blossom and eucalyptus, where you’ll sip your post-hammam tea. The ancestral ritual, where you’re scrubbed, washed and oiled in a soothingly minimalist chamber with high vaulted ceilings and heated, monolithic stone surfaces, is the best hammam experience I’ve had in Marrakech. For further indulgence, there’s an extensive menu of massages, facials and beauty treatments.  

What’s the area like around Riad Tarabel Marrakech?

You’re an easy walk from the best that Marrakech has to offer here. Dar el Bacha – Musée des Confluences and its famous Bacha Coffee is directly opposite, while Jemaa el-Fnaa can be accessed via a wonderfully distracting walk through the souks or via the main arteries of Rue Dar el Glaoui and Rue Fatima Zahra (where I might recommend stopping for a cocktail at Kabana before you brace the busy square).

Anything else? 

The team keeping things running at Riad Tarabel are amiable and eager to help, responding promptly to our requests for coffee, mint tea and biscuits. However, they are at times noticeably absent; on a few occasions, we found it hard to track someone down when we had a question and weren’t informed about a change of breakfast location on one morning. As such, you do find yourself wandering around the place looking for help sometimes – but hey, it’s a pretty lovely place to get lost in.

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DETAILS

Address: Riad Tarabel, Dar El Bacha, 8 Derb Sraghna, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Price per night: Rooms from £200 per night

Closest transport: Marrakech Airport is 20 minutes away by car

Book now: On Tarabel Marrakech’s website