فندق رياض بالاسيو دي لاس إسپيثياس — Hotel in Marrakesh Prefecture

I stayed three nights in Bab El-Khemish room on my third trip to Marrakech, and fell instantly in love with this riad. It is wonderfully placed a 2 minute walk away from Riad Laarousse and College Mohamed V, a well known pick up/drop off point for cabs and tour buses. The riad is close to the northern souks, and only a short walk to Le Jardin, Terrasse Des Epices and many other restaurants, as well as the most magical garden in Marrakech, Le Jardin Secret. A few more minutes to reach Jemaa El-Fnaa. Extremely easy to get by with a few glimpses at Google maps without being led astray by the locals, just walk with a purpose and say politely no to the offers.||||The riad itself is absolutely beautiful, full of character and tastefully furnished with antique furniture and gorgeous rugs. Important to add that it is also feels very homely and comfortable thanks to the great ambience and extremely friendly, accommodating staff (lovely teas served upon request at truly all times of day and night). I spent my evenings between lounging on cushions in the latticed balcony of the room, overlooking the patio, or in a comfy armchair by the pool. Old jazz standards and film soundtracks, the chirping of the little birds and the sounds of the water create a really relaxed ambience. The terrace is wonderful, and catching some sun while little tortoises forage under your lounger was a great way to wind down after shopping in the souks.||||I preordered a dinner knowing I will have little energy left after a trip to the coast and the veggie tagine was just fabulous, by far the best I have ever had in Morocco.||||The only criticism would be that despite my emailing the riad prior to the arrival, there was no awareness of my request for vegan breakfasts when I got there, and the otherwise wonderful staff had little understanding of what that really meant. I needed to make some concessions to make do with what was available. Also the hard mattress would benefit from some padded cover.||||Despite that the overall stay was truly spectacular and I cannot wait to be back in Marrakech and staying in Palacio de las Especias once more. I am planning the next...

We stayed for a week at 'Riad Palacio de las Especias', and we couldn't be happier! This lovely place is a hidden gem in Marrakesh. I first heard of it on Spanish TV, which gave me lots of confidence in booking it. The staff was extremely friendly and are fully commanded in both, English and Spanish. Since my cousin doesn't speak any foreign language she was delighted to find someone who could help her on her native Spanish right in Morocco. They serve fresh breakfast and I must say it's fabulously fresh. Being a mexican guy I am deeply used to eat fresh fruit, vegetable and such. The lady in the kitchen is native moroccan which turns out to be greatly convenient offering an authentic tasty moroccan experience ranging from dishes traditionally from the desert to mediterranian flavours successfully mixed. ( see pictures below from one of our breakfast experience)

We were welcomed with a traditional cold mint tea along with some pistachio candies, just flawless ! During our stay we required simple things and we were gives a hand by the staff with a wide smile upon their faces. For instance, my cousin needed to sew a blouse; the lady from the kitchen had it sown perfectly well , close to haute couture style!

Arabian coffee is served along with moroccan candies on Sundays, wow we loved both, the coffee and the date-palms candies, yummy !

We were picked up at the airport and the driver was amazing as he welcomed us kindly and helped us going our way feeling safe.

I would definitely come back to this place as I apprepreciate the comfort as well as the kindness...

Do not waste your energy, nor your money on this place; there are many other options at better prices both within and outside the Medina. The only thing valuable about it is the courtyard, and I assume the rooftop though it was raining, the rest is sadly unkept and under-maintained for the beauty it could be, or once was. Lights don’t work, shower hook broken, exit door handle broken, bedroom door, although beautiful, doesn’t stop the loud noises throughout the night (I.e. doorbell, phone ringing and other guests eating breakfast just in front of it), and overall the room was dirty like it hasn’t been deep cleaned in years; noting that attached videos are in full daylight hours with windows open on the ground floor. The breakfast service is incredibly slow as they only had one server so it wasn’t his fault, and the bed is crickety with every move… The real kicker for us was they you’re not given a key to enter the main door; you are told there’s someone 24 hours a day - yet when we arrived after dinner, around 10pm, in the pouring rain, we knocked, called, and buzzed, for 15 minutes without someone answering the door for us. That is just not what...