We returned safely from Marrakech, having much enjoyed our break. The service, food, hospitality and ambience at The Riad l'orangeraie were all excellent, The bathroom was lovely with a great shower! We had a 4 course dinner, soooo much food, it was delicious! The staff at the Riad are remarkably friendly and helpful and are always smiling. The decor/interior design is beautiful, quite minimalist but very tasteful and it works well - and provides welcome relief from the intricate and detailes tiles and stucco you see elsewhere in Morocco). With just a few rooms it does feel more like a house than a hotel. The Riad is very tranquil and peaceful and the lounge area or the roof terrace are brilliant to relax in after shopping in the souks. It is also spotlessly clean. We had dinner in the lounge and it was fantastic - delicious food, beautifully designed room, roaring open fire - and the rose petals scattered on the table were a lovely touch. The pool was not heated though - it was freezing! There is also a small hammam but we didn't use it. I'd definitely recommend it and would stay there again.

For my relaxing break, I booked a 3 day trip to the desert through whitecamel! google it! Omar was helpful, the tour was really, really great. The organization was perfect, and we are very impressed with the manner in which they set everything up. We felt very well "taken care of" and really appreciated everything - we are very happy that we chose whitecamel for our tour, as it took all the hassle out of travelling and enable us to fully concentrate on discovering a new country and culture and having fun!

If you have never seen the Sahara it is totally awe-inspiring. The color and enormity are unlike anything we could have imagined. The dunes were like butterscotch waves, a dream world of pudding at a picnic and we were tiny ants clamoring out of breath to climb up to watch the sunset.

My advice to those of you planning on traveling to Morocco: dont' get frustrated by the chaos, you'll get used to it. Wear modest clothing in respect of the culture, especially women, you'll get less hassle if you keep your arms and legs covered. Know the conversion of the money before you go, I met one guy who payed $600 US for a taxi ride because he didn't understand the conversion. And also that way you can have an idea of what price to expect to pay when you're done haggling. You will have to haggle to get fair prices for everything from hotel rooms to cigarettes, especially as a westerner. Don't be afraid to go into the small villages, that's where you'll get to be surrounded by the culture and you'll get a feeling for what life is really like in Morocco. Never turn down an offer of tea or dinner in a locals home, unless you think it's a scam to sell a carpet, but it will be well worth it and you will get to know how things are in Moroccan families. Be prepared to have a shouting match with someone somewhere along the way, it's just how they are, you'll get used to that, too. Most of all be prepared to have an experience you'll never forget.

An excellent riad with great rooms, a superb view, a fantastic position in the medina, and wonderful staff. We only booked two weeks before leaving the uk, but they were incredibly helpful and arranged accomadation at the Madada Mogodor in Esssaouira (also superb) arranged travel, and generally performed way beyond the call of duty.

I have just returned from a 5 day stay in Marrakech and loved it. The riad itself is tucked away and as with all amazing interirors is nothing to look at from the outside. You definitely need a taxi arranged to copllect you from the airport to then take you to the door or you will be wandering around for ages!

A little like a tardis, riads always astound as you enter and this one does not disappoint. It has kept many traditional features but is also quite funky and contemporary in its design. You walk into a central courtyard with 2 bedrooms coming off it (ours was one) and it connects to another courtyard with a small pool in which is ideal for midday cooling off.

It stretches over another floor and I think in total actually only has 7 rooms so there is a very intimate feel about the whole place.

Upstairs there is a lounge/dining area - great for those of us who might want to hire out the whole riad (which you can do) for family events or even if you are there and the weather is disappointing. It feels like a real home.

On the roof there is a stunning terrace, ideal for breakfast, sunbathing or late nightcaps.

The riad itself is in the Mouassaine district which is very peaceful and actually very close to one of the entrance gates to the Medina. It is just a 5 min walk to the souks and maybe 8mins walk to the main square.

The staff are great and very friendly. The guy who runs/lives on site is called Cyril and is very accommodating. He helped with everything from day trips to restaurant recommendations and bookings.

We did two trips both of which I would recommend. Marrakech is a culture shock and stuning but I was definitely comfortable with 3 days of wandering around. 5 would be too much and in fact 2 would be fine. Unless you are on the hunt for a perfect lantern or rug, its very samey after 24hrs. SO the daytrips are well recommended. One was to the Atlas mountains which soaked up Berber villages and stops along the way. A 2 hr hike to the (almost) top and lunch at the Kasbah on the way down was a breathtaking (literally) way to spend a day, with camel rides on the way if you like. It cost about £50 which in truth was the cost of the taxi driver that took you there and back.

The second trip was to Essaouira which we almost couldnt be bothered with because its a good 2.5hr drive each way but I am really REALLY pleased we did. Its all the best bits of Marrakech but with wider streets, less intrusive selling, beautiful white washed buildings with blue painted woodwork (very similar to Mykonos) and of course...the coast. STUNNING but a very slow long boring journey back. Try to stay on until the sunset which is a lovely thing to do whilst sat on the ramparts. The taxi was about £95.

The hotel recommended two restaurants: Foundouk which is VERY hip and stunning but in a bit of a rough area so you are advised to get a taxi. A guy is on hand to meet you as far as the taxi can go to then escort you to the restaurant. The second was Le Comptoir which is walkable from the riad (15mins) and has an amazing bar and restaurant with belly dancers at 11.15pm!

A superb place - the only downfall was you can't pay by credit card so have to prepare yourself for a 'fun' hour trying to withdraw enough cash from ATM's. The food on the first evening we arrived was superb but I would not recommend staying every night - there's a whole world out there and the riad does not have much atmosphere due to only 7 rooms being there! Breakfast on the terrace is always lovely and the staff are never too annoyed at climbing the stairs!

The rooms are not huge but perfectly formed and beautifully decorated. Sunbathing on the terrace is lovely - just a shame the pool is downstairs! But hey - these are small small things and I was surprised I even found time to sunbathe!

Watch out for the snake charmers and monkey keeprs in the main square. Before you know it they are charging you ridiculous amounts of money for 5 seconds of a monkey or snake being photographed or sat on you eventhough you said no! The ladies also enforce henna on you which is rather annoying and it had to be washed off really quickly!!!

And don't have any drink with ice in it! Jelly belly for 4 days ensued. (and despite what people say - alcohol is available in all restaurants and most bars)