Riad Dar Kawa — Hotel in Marrakesh Prefecture

Mixed feelings about this riad really; having been to Marrakech and a different riad before I feel like having good judgement in terms of comparison. Because of my partner's birthday we wanted to treat ourselves and booked the most expensive suite. In a nutshell: while the riad is really OK and definitely keeps up with the rest of similar accomodation in the Medina of Marrakech I find it rather over-priced. Don't get me wrong, the basics were all there and fine; I just think that in the end it was extra money not well spent.||Positive points first: 1) the riads concierge was very helpful and service minded! He speaks french and english, is super attentive and always has a smile on his face. Many thank-yous to him for his great support! 2)The riad is in a quiet neighborhood of the medina and just a few steps away from the fruit & vegetable market. ||Negative points: 1) the suite we've booked I found not worth the money. The riad advertises heavily with nice images and design; however one shouldn't be fooled by glossy photos and marketing. There are plenty of cracks in the wall. Privacy or even intimacy is never given as you can hear a pin dropping on the floor all over the riad (not to mention any of the guests or the staff using the bathroom). Doors have heavy iron bar fixtures which are terribly noisy to open and close. If you want to be considerate regarding other guests you'd have to leave every door open. The bed in our suite made squeaking noises every time one of us turned around. The first of 3 nights I barely slept because the pillows and bedding -although looking nice at day- they were totally unconfortable at nights; they were so large, full and high - absolutely useless for sleeping. Finally we asked for diffrent pillows as both our necks hurt. The mattress is of poor quality; although quite hard (which I like) it fell down towards both ends, resulting that both persons had to sleep in the center. 2) in terms of breakfast the riads offer was rather inconsistent. You are served tee and coffee, orange juice, water, cereal with white yogurt (but no bowls to prepare both), small pancakes, toast with butter, marmelade and honey (scrambled eggs only after our first night). Grapes were offered at 2 of 3 |breakfasts. Given the approximity to the fruit market it would have been nice to have a variety of fruits. Scrambled eggs would have been nice the other days too. ||V. Barkowski, responsible for the Riads design, has a good eye for design and manages white, grey and black hues. But in terms of practicality and usability I wonder if she ever spent one night at...

I stayed in Dar Kawa in January when night are cold and when it is easy to enjoy Marrakech during daytime but even easier to hate it at night. I love that in Marrakech you never know what is waiting for you behind the pink walls and heavy doors - is it a palace, a garden, a very simple home. I expected to find a well designed and beautiful place but it was more than I could hope for. The design is great, I love the way contemporary art is used in Dar Kawa and also the feel that you are visiting a rich friend and not staying at a hotel.||||I loved the fact that there was a fireplace in my room, that really makes the winter nights cosy. And I also loved the selection of books. I stayed up late reading books in front of my fireplace - it's one of the places where time just stops.||||I can imagine that in spring the rooftop terrasse and small spa are perfect places to relax.||||Food was excellent. I also had dinner there. To be honest, the amount of sugar and bread you have to consume in Morocco can make you want to escape to western restaurants and not eat anything local at all. Both dinner and breakfast were perfect. I just said I wanted fish for dinner and the result was a lovely four course meal: soup, a lot of different salads, fish and some little sweets.||||It was very tempting to stay at Dar Kawa the whole day and not go out at all. I actually do recommend to book one extra night so you could afford not going out. ||||I did not have a chance to meet Valerie but she had put together reccomendations for guests (what to see, where to shop) and I discovered wonderfult places thanks to it.||||If this is your first time in Marrakech, you really want someone to meet you at the airport/train station and take you there. It is a challange to find the right door on your own. The entrance really looks like just another door in the end of a...

the best of the best..

short: if you want to experience marrocain lifestyle on the highest level with the loveliest staff at the most beautiful and peacful place this is the place to go.

long: where should i start..

at the begining already a few weeks before checking in i knew the experience at Dar Kawa was going to be unique. Celine helped me out from the beginning with any kind of questions and also suggested and helped me out with other locations (for example desert trip). She suggested the best restaurants and also organized a dinner for two for my boyfriends birthday at Dar Kawa with the most delicious couscous and presented him a delicious birthday cake (big thanks to the beautiful women who prepared and cooked everything.. it was made with so much love). The staff was amazing and so very friendly. Jusuf was also a great host and was here for all our wishes. He even lighted one night the cheminee for us.. we got a service on the highest level.

There is only one „bad“ thing about our trip.. after experiencing Dar Kawa all the other hotels and riads dont feel home and not even close this good as Dar Kawa. This means for us.. if we come to back to Marrakech only...