We ultimately had a lovely stay in the Riad Darna, language difficulty aside (one staff member did not speak any English and kept attempting to communicate with us in French, although we do not speak any French), but we had booked into the Terrace Room for our stay which looks lovely on the website, but is not as it appears. It is indeed very nicely painted inside, but is a small, windowless, hot, stuffy room on the roof of the Riad - with unattached toilet in another room on the other side of the Terrace. It was pretty frustrating to spend about $60 to end up in exactly the uncomfortable yet cheap hostel situation I'd worked so hard to avoid through my research! Luckily, many guests departed the next day and so we were moved to a much better room and the staff graciously offered us that night at the same rate as the Terrace.

Again, the Riad is lovely and the staff is lovely, but it is definitely "off-off" the main square Djemma al-Fna or "La Place" as everyone calls it. It was pretty unnerving to arrive the back way at night and twist through the alleys, and to be honest, did not get much more comfortable when we navigated our way back after dark. There is no signage of the Riad on the road it is off of, so it's very easy to miss. You absolutely need to have them meet you somewhere and take you there the first time. I would not necessarily recommend this to women travelers due to the location, but for those who are more confident (or speak French), perhaps not such an issue. Because of the location, I could not truly recommend a friend stay somewhere I felt uncomfortable every time I returned, but the Riad is lovely and I'm sure plenty of others will disagree with me!

We were looking for a very authentic-style riad and Riad Darna did not disappoint !
Choosing accommodation is not easy in Marrakech, with the overwhelming options available in the Medina, but we found it here at the Riad Darna !

Though the riad was sometimes challenging to find, as almost anything in the Medina, we became accustomed to finding our way around. The staff were so incredibly warm and friendly during our entire stay of 6 nights. They catered to us with the service you'd find in a 5-star hotel- exceptional ! The rooms all had a different feel with each having a different motive. Loved the breakfast on the cute rooftop terrace with FRESH orange juice !
It's a quiet, cozy, relaxing riad to call home after each day.

* (Especially liked the option of the 'free' airport transfer that Riad Darna provided. But the porter that carried our 2 small hand bags to the actual door asked for money both times, once asking for more of a tip. A thank you would have been nice to hear. But in Marrakech, this action is seeming to be the norm as more and more tourists visit.)

Thanks to all the staff at the riad for the wonderful experience!
Darrell
FYI to all....gay-friendly !!

After reading many reviews on Tripadvisor, I went with the well priced and located Riad Darna and opted for the "Green Room". I arranged a transfer from the airport (highly recommended - the fee was added to final bill) and as our flight was in the evening, it was a little daunting arriving in darkness with streets full of pedestrians, mopeds and cars wrestling for space! The taxi stopped 5 minutes walk away from the Riad, as it was unable to get down the narrow passageways, but a boy was waiting to carry our bags and walk us to the Riad.
On arrival, we were really impressed with the decor of the Riad - a courtyard with rooms around it. What was most impressive was the roof terrace which is where breakfast was served each morning and dinner (on request) in the evening. The roof terrace had great views around where the different Mosque towers could be seen.
Our room had a sofa, double wardrobe, drawers, raised double bed and a bathroom - decorated beautifully. As a traditional Riad, some may be concerned with privacy - this was not an issue to us, but ease of hearing others (not seeing!) could be off putting to some people, though as I say, I imagine that this is typical of a Riad. Further to this, no door to separate the bathroom and bedroom (in our room a curtain) may be an issue to some, but certainly was not to us.
Food and drink was excellent throughout our stay - alcohol was obviously hard to find out and about, so wine on the roof terrace was well enjoyed at night!
The service and friendliness of the staff was superb. Yosef only spoke French and Spanish, but was very patient with us and we got by. Layla spoke some English and recommended restaurants as well as booking us on a trip which included walking up the Atlas Mountains.
As mentioned on other reviews, there are a maze of alleyways and no signs to help you out, but once we worked our route to the main square (Djemaa el-Fna) 5 minutes walk, we were fine. On the one occasion where we were unsure, one of the many offers to help by pedestrians (for a tip!!) were over-keen to help!
We would happily have stayed longer here and my wife would have happily have filled another suitcase with purchases from the many market stalls through every passageway we walked!

This lovely little riad in the center of the old town (Medina) is a really good stay in Marrakesh. The staff is super friendly and will help you with anything from booking a hammam, making you dinner to offer you mint tea.
The riad is located only 5-10min from the Djemaa el-Fna plaza and the staff will provide you with a map and/or show you the way the first time.

I really recomend to take the transfer-service from the airport, because there are no signs to the riad and you can't find it without knowing where it is. Off course the transfer is more expencive than a taxi.

Some comments have been about the staff only speaking arabian or french. That's not really the case; one of the sisters that work at the riad also speaks english and the other one spanish.

The only thing I can complain about is that I thought that the bed was a bit hard (we stayed in the red room).
I must also say, that the room is really really quiet during night and it is a perfect spot to relax.