Absolutely AMAZING!

My wife and i stayed there a few weeks ago for 4 nights.

I had contacted Alain (owner) via email about 3 weeks prior to us going. He was in France, however he was VERY efficient in replying to my emails promptly.

Right next door to the RIAD DAR ILHAM, they have built another place called KASBAH DAR ILHAM.

Alain suggested that we stay in the Kasbah as this was totally brand new, and all the rooms were suites.

And so we did!.....out of this world! I have stayed at some of THE MOST expensive and luxurious places in the world (literally!) and i must say that this rates highly.

I arranged with Alain via email to be picked up from Menara airport, and he sent one of his wonderful drivers, Cheriff, whom picked us up in a classic Mercedes. He spoke a little english, but with my conversational french, we were able to communicate ok.

Once we got to the DAR ILHAM (about 20mins from the airport), we pulled up to this beautiful estate where we were met by MALIKA (manager/hostess). MALIKA was a wonderful host. She speaks english/french & arabic, and made us feel right at home. She truly is an AMAZING PERSON!

Once settled in to our Suite, MALIKA asked us if we would like to have Dinner at the riad...a traditional moroccan style dinner. So we did.

At 8pm, she took us over to this beautiful tent in the serene garden overlooking the gorgeous swimming pool where we were met with enchanting moroccan music, a nice bottle of wine and EXCELLENT food. Not bad for the price at all.

MALIKA will arrange taxis to and from Marrakech City (15 mins away). NOTE: prices are 250Dhms ROUNDTRIP before 10.30pm, or 300Dhms if you return after 1030pm.

One day, we just spent the whole say relaxing by the pool. It was totally worth it.

My wife also had a spa day there with a Hammam, Manicure & Pedicure...she totally loved it, and again, it was a VERY GOOD price.

ESME (Alain's wife) was a total sweetheart too. She would take us in to Marrakech City if she was going that way, and even though her english is not perfect, she does make an effort and speaks arabic/french. She too was a GREAT HOST.

Another GREAT feature about this place is that it is about 15mins outside of the city. I work in New York City, but live in Connecticut, because i enjoy getting away from the noise and pollution of it all.

This was the EXACT same thing. The city of Marrakech is wonderful and is great during the day and night. BUT i highly recommend you not staying there because you wont get 1 goodnights sleep.

Conclusion: TOTALLY AMAZING. Truth be known, i was going to stay at either the Le Meriden or Sofitel (i normally stay at these chains when i travel) BUT a good friend of mine told me you MUST stay in a RIAD.

THANK GOD i did!......DAR ILHAM was more luxurious, friendly and serene than any other hotel i could have stayed at.

TRULY WONDERFUL!...thank you to Alain, Esme & Malika!

We stayed at this Ryiad for 5 days. The Ryiad is very nice and personnel very friendly.The rooms were comfortable and nicely decorated.The fact that the ryiad is on a remote location keeps you out of all the noisy atmosphere of Marrakesh.Excellent experience .

My fiancee and I booked four nights in the Riad to enjoy a long weekend in the sun while the UK weather was grey and miserable. We were met at the airport by Alain and taken straight back to the Riad - no taxis, no hassle. Lunch was ready for us on arrival and was fantastic. The pastries in the room were also very nice.

Overall, it was like having a private little country retreat. The rooms are lovely, the location is quiet and the garden is a little gem. The food at the Riad is excellent and we ate there most days, the only 'criticism' would be that there is far too much food but you don't want to leave too much to avoid offending the absolutely lovely staff!

Getting into town was not a problem - Alain and his staff organised taxis to take us into the town itself and we were able to call the driver when we were ready to be picked up (mobile/cell coverage is very good). Alain also organised a trip to the Atlas mountains for us, which was very pleasant.

Overall, a great stay and I would not hesitate to recommend this Riad to anyone.

We booked into the Riad Dar Ihlam for a week. It was a fantastic and memorable stay. The weather for the beginning of March was lovely and not too hot. We were picked up at the airport by Alain who is so welcoming and friendly, quite a character.

On arrival we had a warm welcome, our cases were taken to our room, we had a tour of the Riad, and asked if we wanted dinner although it was late. What a great start to a great stay.

The Riad itself is beautiful with so much attention to detail. The rooms are luxuriously furnished with Moroccan furniture and are cleaned everyday. The staff are great and very friendly in particular Milika, she was lovely. I have travelled a lot and stayed in many places and the service and facilities at the Riad Dar Ihlam are there with the best.

The whole Riad has a very relaxing atmosphere about it and we felt so recharged after a week especially as I had treated myself to a massage which was great. The pool and surrounding gardens are peaceful and beautiful with lemon trees and roses.

Each morning, we had our breakfast next to the pool and dinner in the tent and everyday we were asked at what time we wished to have dinner. The food was superb and portions plentiful. The wine was also excellent.

We went into Marrakech on a number of occasions and had no problems organising transport. It was nice to come back to the quietness of the Riad from the hectic Medina . On one of the evenings we went to a restaurant Bo’ Zin recommended by Alain which was excellent.

This is indeed a magical place with very special people. I would definitely recommend this Riad to any travellers and also think it is a lovely place to have an intimate wedding.

If we ever go to Marrakech again we will be staying at Riad Dar Ilham and would love to stay in the new Kasbah as we saw the finishing touches been made and it looks amazing.

Thanks to Alain and all the other staff who made our stay so memorable.