Having never experienced anything similar to Marrakech before it is fair to say I was a little intimidated at first. But from the moment we were greeted by our luggage porter (the Riad is in the heart of the Medina so our transport was met at the nearest gate) I started to relax. His beaming smile and open gestures meant that despite only understanding some of his French we knew we were in good hands.

Weaving through the streets and alleyways we started to marvel and wonder at our surroundings. The dark wood door of the Riad opens into a light and airy courtyard and once inside the hustle and bustle of the Medina is replaced by tranquil trickle of the water feature. We were warmly welcomed (plenty of mint tea) and settled in and also provided with maps, directions, a few highlights and importantly, a couple of key identifiers to help us get back to the Riad.

Our room (the Red room) had a comfortable 'lounge' area downstairs along with a bathroom that housed the biggest bath I have ever used. A staircase led up to the mezzanine bedroom. Everything about the room was great - comfy bed, clean and tidy, good lighting; I could even get on to the wifi from the room (very useful for planning our day's activities). Back to the bath - honestly, it is huge, so much so that I thought there would never be enough hot water to fill it, so we put it to the test. Needless to say the tap never ran cold and a relaxing, bubble filled mega-bath proved the perfect unwind after a day in the souks.

We met Philippe the owner on our second day and he made a point of introducing himself and making sure we were settled in. He subsequently helped us with several touristy queries including researching and booking a hot air balloon flight, all without fuss. It is always nice to stay somewhere that the owner is involved, there is much more care and attention and Philippe was the epitome of that. We didn't dine in of an evening but we filled ourselves on the breakfast each morning.

Despite our initial reservations about Marrakech we left having loved our few days and are sure that a big part of that was our great experience at Riad Magellan.

This riad is beautifully restored with a nice courtyard and beautiful, comfortable rooms. It's a great choice and Phillipe, the owner and manager is very helpful. Unlike other riads, he seems to stay on for most of the year and is very accessible to travellers. The staff were friendly and helpful. We stayed in a few different riads in Marrakesh (because we extended our stay last minute and had to find other bookings) and this one came out on top at this price range.

We stayed at Riad Magellan on a first holiday to Marrakech.

Upon arrival we were greeted by friendly staff and offered mint tea and biscuits in the serene courtyard as we checked in!

The Owner Philippe then met us and have some fantastic tips on getting around the Medina as well as excellent dinner and Hammam recommendations!

The rooms was perfect and the breakfast sumptuous.

I would highly recommend this beautiful Riad to anyone staying in Morocco! Also make sure you have dinner at the Riad and order the chicken tagine!

We celebrated our wedding in Marrakech and Stéphanie and Philippe went far beyond just being helpful. Stéphanie has lots of experience with weddings in Marrakech, and made our preparation so much easier, introducing us to suppliers, venues and touring the medina with us, as well as giving us ideas and pointers along the way. Additionally Philippe not only took care of some of our guests who stayed in Magellan, but also took responsibility for putting the rest of our guests in various riads in the same area in the medina and was their point of contact. They also helped us with organizing transport for our guests between the various venues during our wedding celebration. In short, no request was too big!

Our guests had nothing but praise for the staff and Philippe, an excellent place to stay for anyone who wants to experience the medina according to their wishes! Philippe has a wonderful way of understanding what a guest is like, what kind of restaurant he/she would appreciate and what activities to partake in.

Aside from the excellent and friendly service, the rooms are beautiful as is the Riad itself and offers absolutely amazing value for money! We would recommend Magellan highly to anyone looking to have the "real" Marrakech experience!

Thanks again for all your help Stéphanie and Philippe!