I have recently returned from a trip to Marrakech and have had an absolutely great time - the city is amazing. However, I would just like to make other travellers aware of the riad experience. This is promoted heavily by many people (Moroccan staff, guides, etc). For a fixed price (VERY expensive approx $70 pp) you get an amazing meal in the beautiful surroundings of the riad courtyard with 6 courses of traditional Moroccan food accompanied by music and dancing. Sounds great. We booked in at Dar Fez, one of the riads in the heart of the medina where it was said that booking was essential. We arrived to find that we were the only table eating that night. As a result the tagines were not cooked in the traditional way where the meat is juicy and tender with delicious rich sauce, but seemed to have been grilled quickly resulting in dry, chewy meat and a horrible oily sauce. The wine was a poor quality and the waiter seemed disinterested. As a result we felt uncomfortable and embarrassed by the situation and couldn't wait to get out. The music was OK but we saw no sign of any dancing. Overall, a truly disappointing experience that cost us a lot of money. This could have been due to visiting Morocco just at the end of the summer but it would have been nice to know this before we went for the meal.

For anyone wanting a truly great Moroccan experience I would recommend The Marrachki restaurant on Jemma el Fna (near Cafe France) where the food was excellent, prices reasonable and with the amazing view of the activity on the main square.