This Riad might be for you if:

You find it an adventure to get a taxi to a street corner and then find kids with carts to show you through the maze to an unmarked door which is your Riad (don't pay them 70dhr, we gave them 30 and closed the door).

You can deal with hotel staff who speak only French.

You have a map, compass, gps, and can find your way in and out of a maze when exploring this exotic city.

You don't need a door on your very elegant bathroom.

You find an oasis in the midst of chaos to be the perfect vacation.

Great find if it fits your bill.

Ta'achchaqa was the last of the 8 ryads we did on our Morocco-trip. And apparently we saved the best for last - what a wonderful experience ! We totally don't understand some of the negative remarks made in other reviews...

Location : very good, in the center of the old medina of Marrakech, near/in the souks. It's a nice walk of about 10 minutes through the shops to the famous Jemaa El Fna Square. You have to go through some small alleys to get to the ryad, but this is not really an issue. The alleys are fairly well-lit and there is even a private guard at the beginning of the alleys (although we don't really see why as we never felt threatened in Morocco).

Ryad itself : wonderfully decorated, more luxurious and with more eye for detail than the other 7 ryads we did. A fairytale from 1001 nights !

Rooms : very spacious and luxurious; no door between bathroom and bedroom but toilet and shower are separated from the rest of the room behind a wall.

Service : excellent ! Nourredine was the perfect host ! Candles were always lit, we were served as kings, he showed us around to a nice little restaurant and to the square, ...

Cats : the ryad has one or two house cats, very sweet and clean. We are cat-people so we liked this a lot, but for people who don't like cats : the cats are not very pushy... We were surprised to read in some reviews that people asked the owners to remove the cats. Besides that : if you don't like cats, you're better of not going to Marrakech at all as there cats everywhere !

Dinner : we never had dinner here, but 20 eur per person is a lot of money for food in Morocco. There are plenty of small restaurants in the medina where you enjoy a 3 course menu for around 10 euro per person (or even less).

Summarized : a perfect place for a citytrip to Marrakech !!!

My stay at this hotel had some very good points and some not so good points. I'll summarize here:
Good points:
1. The owners are very friendly and helpful, especially Anwar who actually became our guide and took us to Jamma Al Fna on the first night and showed us around. He even haggled for us when we brought some items.
2. The hotel arranged a taxi to pick us up from the airport which was also incredibly helpful. We could never had gotten to the riad if it wasn't for this
3. The room had air conditioning.
Bad points:
1. The location is poor. It is too far from Jamma El fna square which is where all the action occurs.
2. The alley way which leads to the Riad is too dark, smells of sewers and is intimidating. There occasionally are a few local men who hang around this area and once asked me for money, when I said no, this caused an argument.
3. Beware: the bathroom/toilet and the main bedroom are all in one! i.e there is no door on the toilet. I am newly married so can you imagine how embarrasing that can be? Apparently all the rooms have this which is shocking for a 5 star place.
4. Do not get the meal on the first night. It is 40 euros which is far too much! You can easily go to a nice restaurant near Jamma El Fna for 120 dirhams(about £12).
5. I hate cats and the Riad is full of them. Even when I told them that they bother me, nothing was done.
This is not a five star hotel, more like 3 stars.
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We stayed here a few months ago when researching Marrakech for a student visit, college paid airfares but accommodation was our responsibility. There are cheaper places but this looked the most interesting.

First thing to say, if this is your first time in Marrakech, you're in for a real treat, the city will assault all your senses. I have never been anywhere quite like this, but a part of the uniqueness is the cramped streets and please believe me you'll have very little chance of finding this Riad straight from the plane and an ordinary cab. DO (do) arrange your airport transfer with the Riad, they will ensure your cabbie gets as close to the Riad as can be driven and then will walk you directly to the Riad from there. The walk will immediately immerse you into Marrakech life. Once you arrive you'll think you're hopelessly lost and have no chance of navigating out again but the secret is to observe en route. As you walk with the cabbie you'll pass a barber and opposite that will be a lampost, you'll turn next to the lampost and the secret is to remember the route to that lampost, so out of the Riad you turn left, walk to the end and then left again, walk to the end and left again, you'll emerge opposite the barber and next to the lamp. A right from the lamp and a few yards later you're at a junction,a left will lead you to a great restaurant with a wonderful rooftop terrace and reasonable food, straight on will lead you down Moussasine and down there on your left is one of the very few licensed premises in the Medina (expensive for both food and beer). Follow the Moussasine down and via a dogleg right at bottom and first left followed by another souk walk and you'll end up at Jemma El Feena with its wonderful night-time food stalls.

This is a city to explore and you'll mainly explore it on foot. Fredric will provide you with a detailed map which will assist your exploration. The sights and smells will astound and delight you, the locals all have stories to tell and the streets meander like their stories. Take your time to get lost in the Souks, haggle hard with the vendors and you'll love Marrakech.

Turning to the Riad, well its small, only 5 rooms but ours was very big and very cool. The riad is immaculate throughout although be aware the massive black onyx baths take about an hour to fill, and even then the water is only lukewarm. The staff are charming and very helpful, bed supremely comfortable and breakfast on the rooftop terrace is a lovely start to the day. This is a superb Riad representing great value for money in a fascinating city. Get out there and enjoy...