"A warm welcome" Top 5 Page for this destination Riad Les Lauriers Blancs Tip by toonsarah

We booked a week at this lovely riad through Expedia though you can also book directly on their website – see below.

The French owners Katy and Pierre-Jean made us very welcome from the moment we arrived. We were shown to our room, the Turquoise Room, which is the largest and is in a tent on the roof – much more luxurious than it sounds. I wasn’t sure about sleeping there and did find it noisy as I had feared (take your ear-plugs!) but it was light and spacious, although the bathroom is rather compact. It opens directly on to a small roof terrace with sun loungers and a view over the ramparts towards modern Marrakesh. After two days we moved to the Pearl Room on the first floor, which had just been vacated, as that meant only one flight of stairs for me and my poor foot! Both rooms are equally beautiful, and while the Pearl is smaller, its bathroom is bigger. Its windows overlook the central courtyard rather than the outside world, as is typical of these traditional buildings, and it was much quieter at night.

The courtyard is the heart of the riad. There is a pretty pool used as a plunge pool (towels and robes are provided in your room), and here tables are set out for the generous breakfasts of freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee (or tea), baguettes, Moroccan pancakes, yoghurt and various spreads. You can also have a lunch here, drinks at any time of day and, if pre-booked at breakfast time, a set three course dinner. We had several of these – see my restaurant tip for details.

Katy was a fount of information, helping us plan some excursions and advising on prices for taxis etc. However we did find her a little over-cautious – she warned us strongly against eating in the night market but we chose to ignore that piece of advice and survived unscathed. I would also question whether she might have warned us quite how expensive the meals at the Palais Soleiman were (see my Tourist Trap tip), although in fairness we should perhaps have asked. But she really came up trumps when I broke my foot, calling a doctor who specialised in treating foreign visitors, arranging our change of room and being generally solicitous for my health and our overall holiday experience.

The staff were attentive too, and special mention must go to Dingo, the cute little Scottie dog, who kept us amused with his antics (see photo 5)

Address: 156 derb Sidi Messaoud – Bab Doukala, 40 000 Merrakesh
Comparison: about average
Directions: Enter Medina through Bab Doukala, walk straight ahead on El Ghaza street, take first left then fourth left – riad is hidden away at the end of this dead end lane (map on website)
othercontact: nouvil@menara.ma
Phone: %s3 %cb +212 (0)5 24 37 51 73
Price: US$40-80
Theme: Hotel
Website: http://www.riadlauriersblancsmarrakech.com/