This was our first visit to Morocco and "WOW!!" what a Christmas break we had. On leaving a wet and cold England on the 22nd December we were a little apprehensive as we relied heavily on the reviews on Trip Advisor's website in making our decision to stay at Dar Anika. Not only did Dar Anika meet our expectations, they exceeded them!! Having organised our airport transfers with the most helpful and friendliest of drivers, we were subject to the most incredible welcome we have ever experienced! We were greeted in the traditional Moroccan way by the most wonderful staff who provided us with milk and dates followed by mint tea and pastries.
The riad is just wonderful; it's so quiet and peaceful inside even though it is well positioned close to the El Badi and Bahia Palaces and a short walk to the Jemaa-el-Fna Square. The decor is lovely, with plenty of comfortable seating areas inside and on the terrace. There is a pool and a hamman. Our rooms (1 double & 1 twin) were spotlessly clean and decorated with rose petals. Bottled mineral water, pastries, fruit, bathrobes and toiletries were provided. We have travelled extensively in Europe and we have never experienced such hospitality in our lives before. We were made to feel extremely welcome and special; in fact, truly spoilt! The hospitality was what you would expect of a 5* hotel, but without the high price tag.
All the staff at the Riad are helpful, kind, polite and friendly. The food is exceptional and plenty of it too. Breakfasts were served on the terrace and consisted of fruit, yoghurt, fresh orange juice, warm bread rolls, pancakes, condiments, cake, a variety of egg dishes and good coffee, even English tea! The 3 course meals offered in the evenings were freshly prepared daily and of the highest quality. The wine which was recommended by the waiters was extremely good too. The waiters are well trained, knowledgeable and couldn't do enough for us.
Samir, manages this impeccable riad. He is very friendly, approachable and helpful. He makes time to hold a meeting with you at the beginning of your stay to give advice and make suggestions on where to go, what to see, where to eat, arrange excursions, inform you to how much to pay for taxis or horse and carriage rides etc., and provide you with a packed lunch on the day of your return. We were really impressed that he provided us with his mobile telephone number in case we felt that we needed help or got lost - this was very reassuring. He organised a wonderful Christmas gala meal on Christmas Eve which included aperitifs, wine, water, wonderful food and traditional Moroccan & Berber entertainment as well as an Xmas tree! We also discovered some wonderful roses in our rooms with a note from the staff of the riad wishing us 'a merry Christmas'. His attention to detail and thoughtfulness was again a lovely touch. Samir also arranged a day trip to the Ourika valley to visit 3 Berber villages for us with the driver who collected us from the airport. The driver deserves a mention too as he made this trip a 'must do'. We felt in safe hands throughout. As well as being a good driver with a large comfortable air-con car, he was friendly, helpful and provided us with much information on the area and the villagers. He even surprised our sons by giving them the opportunity to get dressed up and have a camel ride (they thought they were only stopping for a photo shoot!).
We also met Abdul, the owner of Dar Anika. A lovely man, who should be very proud of Samir and all the staff. He has created a place to stay within the Medina, which is truly magnificent.
This was our first visit to Marrakesh and it has been such a fantastic experience and one we will remember always. We would love to return sometime in the future and will recommend Dar Anika to anyone wanting to visit Marrakesh.

Travelling to Morocco for our honeymoon, naturally we were in high spirits and expecting a wonderful week together, but I must make it clear from the start of this review that Riad Dar Anika not only exceeded our expectations, but went out of their way at practically every opportunity to make us feel welcomed, special and appreciated. We both agreed that we will NEVER experience better hospitality again in our lives, especially at such a reasonable price.

The staff at the Riad are helpful, kind and friendly. Nothing is too much trouble and from the moment we arrived they were making helpful suggestions on where to go, what to see and what to eat and where to eat it. We asked for a week of genuine Moroccan experiences and every option was made available to us, and all taken care of so that we didn't have to worry about making excursion bookings, restaurant bookings or finding directions. Some excellent advice was to enjoy getting lost in the souks, how much we should be looking to pay for items (they drive a hard bargain in Marrakech!) and where and who we should avoid when out and about. We felt that the staff were approachable on any topic, whether it related to our stay in their accommodation, or just general advice on our plans for the day. They even prepared sandwiches for us to eat on the plane on the way home (much more tasty and cheaper than anything you can get on Easyjet! :) )

The staff are headed by the polite, hard working and friendly Samir. We loved meeting him and enjoyed sharing a joke with him when he had time to chat. He was there to serve us breakfast in the morning, and to serve us a drink late in the evening. A real gentleman and a very kind man, he really seemed to take pride in his work. The food served at the Riad is plentiful, clean and tasty. It was the best food we ate in the whole week, and we tried many of the recommended local restaurants by way of comparison. We were truly spoiled!

Many thanks to Riad Dar Anika - you have given us an experience we will remember for the rest of our lives.

We stayed for 4 days at Riad Dar Anika and had a wonderful time. We were welcomed with mint tea and moroccan cookies and our rooms were beautifully decorated with flower petals. It was very well located and easy access to the square, souks and the new medina. The breakfast at the rooftop was lovely and the kids loved the house tortoise and the pool. The fireplace was nice on cold winter nights. The staff were all very well trained and friendly and recommended us a good place to shop and eat. They also provided us with some packed sandwiches before we left for the airport, which was a nice touch. We would definitely come again.

I have travelled around the world and this is the only hotel I would actively go out of my way to return too. Facilities excellent, staff amazing and helpful. No pressurising, courteous and very friendly. Food brilliant, had the most tasty meal here on our final night, which I could only describe as a banquet!

Felt like home away from home.... beautiful, tranquil oasis perched on the edge of the medina! Lovely roof terrace, very romantic place