Riad Karmela

Riad Karmela is owned by an extraordinarily helpful Frenchman, Joel, and ran by him and the highly efficient Bouchra. A sprawling house with two courtyards and a vast roof terrace, this is a comfortable rather than high end hotel that offers jolly and unpretentious service, a resident driver (a huge bonus in Marrakech) and helpful, multi-lingual (as opposed to obsequious) staff.

Joel is a mine of information about the city, whether you need to outsource something special, find the best herbal shop in the medina or simply have a short practical guide of dealing with vendors.

Bouchra is pragmatic, matter of fact and equally helpful.

Tea and coffee are served at any time and the internet is reliable, and we used Karmela as our headquarters of sorts for a few days because the staff made everything so easy for us.

Breakfast is buffet-style: Moroccan food, fresh orange juice on tap, delicious shakshuka (scrambled egg and tomato dish), fresh fruit and excellent coffee with a hint of cinnamon.

Joel is busy restoring a high end riad for visitors who expect more of a 5 star accommodation and working in tandem with a French-born/Marrakech-based designer Marie Lloret. His style of hospitality will doubtless make this one of the top destinations in the red city.