Riad Merzouga

The Riad Merzouga is a classic Moroccan riad as the Kasbah has plenty, and it plays it without hang-ups. Seven rooms in frank colours, blue and ochre, red and saffron, vaulted niches, sequined handiras, tea trays set on embroidered tables, all run by a present family. Nothing conceptual here, but a warm and well-kept house, whose welcome is what guests praise the most, on a meaningful review count. The patio holds a small basin to cool off, the rooftop terrace serves the meals and the tea, and the breakfast, generous and changing, comes back often in the comments.

The name is not decorative. Merzouga is the great dunes of the erg Chebbi, at the other end of the country, and the house arranges the tours to the desert. For anyone wanting to couple the medina and the great south, that is a real convenience: you prepare the excursion with people who know it, without going through an anonymous agency. The decoration, itself, stays that of a classic Moroccan riad, with no plated desert theme.

The location is an asset: two hundred and fifty metres from the Saadian Tombs, the Ferblantiers square and the El Badi palace within walking distance, in the south medina. But it comes with a flip several travellers flag: the house is hard to find the first time, in a narrow derb where GPS gets lost and where taxis often drop off at the wrong spot. Better ask ahead for the exact meeting point and get assistance for the bags.

You also have to know what is missing. The patio basin is not heated, there is no spa or hammam, and a few travellers report noisy nights, between plumbing, doors and house comings-and-goings, the price of a real living riad turned to its court. For two travellers, or a family, looking for a warm Moroccan house at the foot of the Saadian Tombs, with the desert excursion already sorted, the Riad Merzouga is a good pick at a contained price. For anyone wanting absolute calm, a spa or a sharp-decor address, you have to look elsewhere.