During our week-long holiday in Marrakech, we stayed at Dar Selwan - and what a fantastic choice it was for our accommodation! As soon as we arrived on the first night, we were met by the lovely Maria with cold drinks and cool towels to refresh us after our journey. Upon entering Dar Selwan, one is instantly blown away by how beautiful it is: both the common areas of the hotel and the rooms are light, spacious and opulently furnished in the style of a traditional Moroccan riad. We stayed in the 'Morjana' suite, which made the perfect base for our stay - it opens onto a terrace which has views of the garden and Palmeraie, it was extremely comfortable and cleaned and tidied daily. After an exhilarating day in the city, it was always nice to come back to Dar Selwan and find our beds made (sprinkled with fresh rose petals) and our towels designed in wonderful shapes - my personal favourite being the swans! Our bathroom was also lovely, with a bath and shower, and complimentary shampoo and shower gels which were both 100% natural.
The riad also has a garden and pool area, which we made full use of almost every day - an invigorating swim in the impeccably-kept pool was usually much needed, as during our trip it was sunny and 30C (at least) every day. After a swim, or perhaps simply on a lazy afternoon, residents can relax either on the sun loungers beside the pool, where towels and a sun hat are provided, or in one of the two charming garden tents - all the while surrounded by vibrantly coloured flowers, palm trees and enjoying the peace and tranquility which is broken only by sweet birdsong.
A review of Dar Selwan would not be complete without mentioning the food - which we received plenty of when staying here! To start the day off, we would order breakfast which we usually ate in the garden tent at the far end of the pool - however, this was not just any old breakfast. Each day we were presented with a huge silver platter which contained a variety of Continental and Moroccan breakfast items; on any given day, we could consume croissants, toasted crusty bread, traditional Moroccan pancakes served with sugar and a honey & butter mix, fried eggs, fruit salad, mint tea and delicious freshly squeezed orange juice. Throughout the day we were offered a range of refreshments which included mint tea, water or fresh fruit juice, and if we were at the hotel during the day, we could easily order toasted sandwiches which were served with French fries or crisps, salad and a selection of dips.
Dar Selwan also offers the chance to try some specialities which would be found in a Moroccan dinner. One night, we decided to have a meal which was served in the luxurious, candlelit surroundings of the 'Lalla Zakia' living room with its beautiful coloured-glass windows (although the hotel also has a restaurant where meals can be eaten). For the starter, we had three well-presented salads - two were savoury (aubergine with sweet pepper & lemon, and a tomato mix in lettuce) and one was sweet (pumpkin with orange) - which were enjoyed by all. Next, the main course: our party of three (mother and two children) had decided to order three dishes which would be shared to get the full range of flavours, so we found ourselves trying a lamb, pea & artichoke tagine, couscous and chicken and then barbecued chicken skewers - all were truly delicious. After testing some Moroccan pastry sweets, the two children finished with warm chocolate brownies and ice-cream, which, needless to say, went down a treat! The food at Dar Selwan is, in our opinion, second to none.
Finally, we all agreed that possibly the best aspect of our stay at Dar Selwan was the incredible level of service we received. From the moment we arrived to the reluctant farewells a week later, the time we spent at the riad would not have been the same without the exceptionally friendly staff: everyone here goes out of their way to help you, and nothing is too much for them. Whether it's the poolside service, the lifts that Maria provides when she can, the helpful information/recommendations or simply the friendly chats, the staff at Dar Selwan go above and beyond their roles to make your stay the best it can be. We were treated like royalty, but as well as being extremely professional, Maria and her brilliant team became good friends to us - they always had time to speak to us either about Marrakech or on a more personal level, and were all beyond kind.

So, after the essay (!), we would just like to thank everyone at Dar Selwan for making our stay out-of-this-world, and to say that it will not be long before we are back! We would recommend Dar Selwan to anyone looking for a fabulous hotel with the world's most welcoming staff!

The Hotel was everything it promised to be! service was excellent , special thanks to the suitable manager maria and all the housekeeping staff were exceptional , nothing was too much trouble and any request dealt with the utmost efficiency. The house is beautiful, the rooms extremely comfortable, and the food.good. absolutely luxury, gardens truly beautiful, hammam/massage addictive..., Would highly recommend and will return upon re visit to Morocco, thank you for making me happy during this week.

I don't really know where to start... This hotel is the best I've ever stayed at. The staff is unbelievably friendly, service minded and helpful. Dina and the other guy, whose name I've forgotten, would constantly go out of their way to serve us. They remembered our names, what we liked to drink and Dina had the most amazing ability to show up at the pool with a tray with fresh orange juice, water, and snacks just a few seconds before I realized I needed something to drink or eat. And of course she remembered that I wanted cold drinks, while my friend wanted coffee and water. She's such an angel! All the drinks and snacks we had at the pool were complimentary. We didn't realize that before we got the bill at the end of our stay.

The rooms are spacious, beautifully decorated and very clean. Fresh roses in our room every day! The food is delicious! You can eat anytime and any place you like. We had breakfast at the pool or at one of the roof-top terraces, dinner in the restaurant or in the garden. You just tell them where you'd like to eat and when you'd like your meal to be ready. There's no "breakfast is served between....". It felt so much like it was our own (luxury) home with our private staff.

This riad is situated in an up-scale residential area, and it was very, very quiet. I loved it. No noise or smell from traffic, no noise from anything, all you could hear were the birds in the trees. I was traveling with my best friend from high school, and being away from my husband and our three kids, it was such a wonderful experience to be pampered and be allowed to follow your own schedule, whether that be sleep in or eat at the strangest hours.

The distance to the center of Marrakech was not a problem for us. We usually got a ride with Mohamad, he has a really nice car. It took about 10 min and cost us 150 dirham in the evening and 100 dirham daytime. (I don't think Maria gives free rides anymore). One night we took a local cab home. Kinda scary as he drove very fast, my door couldn't close properly and the safety belts didn't seem to work. He had big problems finding the place, it's still so new that many people don't know it exists. He had to stop several times to ask others for directions, he even went in different directions, so it took forever to get home. He had no mobile phone, so he had to borrow ours so he could call Dar Selwan to get directions. He was thrilled to get 100 dirham even thogh it was quite late at night (and he had driven around for about an hour). So I guess Mohamad charges more as he has a nice car and he knows the way.

I would definitely consider staying at Dar Selwan again and I would absolutely recommend it!

This is probably the loveliest and friendliest hotel I have ever stayed in. The location is perfect being just a 20 minute journey from the airport and shorter into central Marrakech. The house itself looks like a private house and is decorated beautifully with wonderful paintings and intricately carved woodwork. It is light and airy with plenty of rooms to relax in and the pool area is a peaceful haven (somewhat disturbed by my children)! The breakfasts here were very delicious and hearty enough to negate the need for lunch. There were eggs, french bread, pancakes, croissant, fruit, coffee, juices and cereal if required too. The hotel also offer complimentary tea coffee and water throughout the day with little dishes of a morrocan spiced granola type snack. I ate in the hotel twice and both meals were plentiful and incredibly delicious. I thought the food was a bit pricy before trying it but actually provided good value for the quality as the portions were so large that we only needed to order three meals between five people. I cannot say enough about the excellent service provided by the hotel staff. Dina was a delight from the moment we arrived and nothing seemed too much trouble for her. She was a ray of sunshine and such a lovely person. Maria was also very friendly along with the excellent manager and young man who's name I have unfortunately forgotten. The rooms were beautiful, I stayed in two different rooms during my stay and they were both equally lovely. The photos on the website genuinely do not do justice to the place. Every small detail is thought of at Dar Selwan right down to the complimentary sun hats on the beds in the morning. Out of 6 hotel stays during my trip to Morrocco, the Dar Selwan was my favourite by far and provided excellent value for money.