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Our featured riad of the week, Dar Rocmarra in Marrakech

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:12:06 +0000

Dar Rocmarra is located close to all the major sites and close to all the traditional shopping spots (Souks) in the Marrakech Medina. We are featuring it because of its location, decor, and because the English speaking staff offer great service. Typical to most riads, you get 5 star service for a 3 star price. And most riads have different categories of rooms. You can’t go wrong with Dar Rocmarra. Use our site to GO DIRECT and contact the riad directly at no cost to you or them, or allow us to arrange your whole stay in Morocco with the LET US HELP option, which is also free. Check out Dar Rocmarra here: http://www.riadreviews.com/cities/Boutique_Hotels_the_Riads_of_Marrakesh/dar-rocmarra.html

Good News – Tourists Still Coming

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 07:14:43 +0000

A recent article about showing good news for Marrakech. Along with the King of Morocco, the U.S. Ambassador has traveled to Marrakech and stayed there after the bombing to show their support Tourists are not hindered from coming by the recent bomb explosion. http://arabnews.com/economy/article385739.ece

Marrakech Explosion – One Perspective (Again)

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:38:34 +0000

My family and I have eaten at the Argana Cafe a few time and my travels have allowed me to stop and eat there another half a dozen as well. Our hearts break for and we send our condolences out to the families of the loved ones lost in this horrific act against humanity last Thursday, April 28, 2011. It appears that the assailant chose this target to make a huge statement and to bring fear into those future travelers coming to Marrakech. While this raises our vigilance, we will still travel to Marrakech as there are so many other places to enjoy other than the Djemma El Fna Square. In fact, we are taking our whole family (3 kids under 4) to Marrakech this coming week. To see a list of other activities to do in Marrakech other than the Djemma El Fna, click Things to do in Marrakech

It appears to me that if more attacks persist, then it will show the strength of the ones who perpetrate such crimes. However, if we see a long cessation then one possible conclusion is that this could be the climax and farthest extension of their reach. Since the last major terrorist event in May of 2003 in Casablanca (killing 35 people as I recall), the local authorities have seemed to put their best resources forward to crack down and prevent these types of actions. Let’s hope for the second. – Mark lives with his family in Morocco. He loves the beauty that Morocco holds and is one of the managing partners for the site, www.riadreviews.com.

Amazing Outdoor Center 45 Min. from Marrakech – Zip Lines & Great Kids Stuff!

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:34:52 +0000

NEW: A new Accro-park (outdoor center) just 45 minutes outside of Marrakech with various accomodations, zip lines, high/medium/low ropes courses, hiking, bike rentals, pool and an amazing kids play area. We toured this facility and did the zip lines and have been very impressed at the professional quality of this facility: www.terresdamanar.com

Cabo Negro City Guide- Soon to Launch

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:47:49 +0000

Riad Reviews is excited to announce the coming launch of a city guide for Cabo Negro. We are looking for other good city guides from around Morocco. If you know of any, or run one yourself, please drop us a line to be included in our upcoming list of Moroccan city guides.

In the Cabo Negro City guide, we are going to feature pics, info on things to do, rentals and property purchases for the city, and anything else that might be interesting to tourists.

We visited Cabo Negro a couple of times this summer and fell in love with the city. Definately high on our list for a beach retreat during the summer.

Best Morocco Videos

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:44:25 +0000

Want to whet your appetite for your holiday with some video footage? Here are the best videos on Morocco:

If you don’t watch any of the others make sure you check this series out by the Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern called Bizarre Foods Morocco Edition. It will either make you excited for an adventure, or amazed at the different foods he eats. The first one is linked above. Enjoy. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7.

Other good Morocco videos with overviews of cities are:

1. A Basic Overview of Morocco on watchmojo.com.

2. Chefchaouen: This is a slideshow set to music, but it gives a great feel of Chefchaouen.

3. Dakhla: Here is a great series on Dakhla that shows the various surfing activities, a music festival, and gives an overall feel of the city. It is two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

4. Marrakesh: This is a video by the Travel Channel that gives a good overview of the city although, we beg to differ on a few of the view points expressed. The main one being, that the riads hold to a form of living that Moroccan themselves have forgotten, is a pretty narrowminded, judgmental statement. Overall the video content is pretty good though.

5. Fez: This is a professionally done video from Five Travel about Fez.

6. Rabat: A slideshow set to music, this video is a bit long, but it is a great introduction to Rabat.

7. Essaouira: We can’t vouch for the guys English, but this slideshow video is very in depth and hits on the city’s history and culture.

8. Meknes: This video documentary gives you a great feel of everyday life in Meknes. It is not so much geared for the tourist as the person who just wants to see what life is like in Meknes. Not sure about the Star Warsesque intro though .

9. Tangier: slideshow video with lively music to get you in the mood for Tangier.

Best Morocco Websites

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:24:15 +0000

Without further ado, here is our list of the best Morocco websites. Sites are listed for visual appeal and/or quality of information. In our opinion, some of the best sources for gathering information both with pictures and words are blogs. So there is a healthy dose of them in the list.

Overall Information on Morocco:

Visit Morocco: This is the national tourism office website. Talk about eye candy for Morocco. I love the banner images they use. The information on the site, is a bit surface level, but the pictures really draw you in. Their accomodation/travel agent finder isn’t super accurate either.
Morocco by Thomas Christofoletti: It is only about 10 photographs, but they will make you drool.
Friends of Morocco: Although not definitely not as pretty as Visit Morocco, the information on here is super in depth about all sorts of aspects of life related to Morocco.
A Lovely World: This website has some great pics of Marrakech, Ouarzazate, and the region.
The View From Fez: Great info on Fez and all things Moroccan.
My Marrakech: Another ultra local blog, this time from Marrakesh. The commentary deals with things in Marrakesh, life in Morocco and a variety of subjects. The photography on this blog keeps you coming back for more.
Fes Hotels: A disclaimer, we own this site as well, but if you are looking for a basic overview of Fes, and writeups on the various hotels, this site is a good bet.
The Good Life in Marrakech: This is the blog of Riad Zamzam, so it is self promotional, but it has great photographs and information about Morocco and things to do. Worth the read.
The Tangier Telegram: The author is not actively posting anymore, but this blog has great pics and information on Tangier.
Morocco Meanderings: Blog on Various destinations in Morocco.
Moroccan Design: A blog on, you guessed it, Moroccan Design and various destinations in Morocco

For more info, the following forums are a good bet:

Trip Advisor Morocco Forum: I personally don’t like the Trip Advisor site because of the difficulty to navigate, and with Morocco they have listings for hotels and riads running side by side, so it is hard to figure out what is what, but the forum has a wealth of previously asked questions and advice given.
Lonely Planet Morocco Forum: Our only beef with Lonely Planet, is that the info in the guide books can be out of date as far as contact information and who is still in business and whatnot. Their forums are a great source for info though as they are really up to the minute.
Guide Routard Forum (french)- If you are a French speaker, this is a great place to gather information as well and to ask questions.

The following books have information to read on Google Books:

Lonely Planet Morocco (2007): Some out of date information but overall quality is good.
Frommer’s Morocco (2008): Another high quality guide.

For more photo inspiration, Flikr has some great slideshows:

Hopefully Riad Reviews will be on your list of best Morocco sites !

Did we miss anything?