Riad Monceau (Le) — Hotel in Marrakesh Prefecture

The Riad Monceau is a tribute to the creative and entrepreneurial work of its owner. A Riad is a traditional Moroccan home that has a central garden with in it. In the busy and narrow streets of Marrakech is this 10-room boutique hotel which is located steps from the central Jemma el-Finna Square. Its location is deal for most of the must-see sights around the city. The hotel is very tastefully decorated and attention to detail everywhere. As you enter the unassuming entrance and walk into the property you are surprised at the size of the property with every turn. When you come upon the central garden are with its small pool and look up into the clear blue Moroccan sky you are in awe. Our room, The Calif was on the second floor. It was large, air-conditioned, well-appointed with a superbly comfortable king bed. The bathroom continues with beautiful design and décor and never lacks hot water. Two rooms at the Riad include private Jacuzzi’s. Our room did not. However, situated at the roof level is a tranquil Jacuzzi and large lounging beds surrounded by tropical flora. We spent the last day lounging here and being waited on with drinks and a great lunch. The hotel has two restaurants, the Le Bistro Arabe which is a fine dining experience that we could not get enough of. We sat around the pool at a table bathed in the lights that transformed the Riad into a warm and cozy environment. There are also dining tables inside the tastefully decorated restaurant which look out to the central garden/pool. This space is very comfortable, cozy yet spacious. The other restaurant is the Le Pergula which is a rooftop lounge/bar. It is spacious and has a private VIP area situated slightly higher up from the main area. The Le Pegula draws many non-guests to the hotel. Given that it’s a 10-room hotel and feels very private, I did not find the non-guests who came at night to enjoy the offerings of Le Pergula in any way an encroachment on our space. The food at both restaurants is deserving of their own separate reviews which I will post shortly. Be sure to check them out along with the photos. The hotel also has a spa which was the best experience we ever had at any spa. The “Queen” treatment was second to none and a must-try. The hotel also has some common area sitting and relaxing balconies which we used regularly between excursions out of the hotel. Perfect spots to cool off and enjoy a glass of Champagne. A unique feature of the hotel is the cooking classes which take place in a large room with a central workspace/dining table opposite the cooking range area. If you want to learn some authentic Moroccan cuisine cooking techniques this is a must-try experience as well. Breakfast is something you will never forget. It was the largest and best breakfast that is included in your room rate that I have ever had. The variety of items laid out is only topped by the ability to add something else that you may want. The cooks will prepare it for you if they can. You will certainly not get up from your breakfast wanting more. In fact, we rarely ate lunch while out and about and could not wait to get back for dinner at Le Bistro Arabe. But the true stand out for us were the front desk duo of Hanan and Hosni. They really went above and beyond at all times. From the moment we checked it till we checked out all they did was ensure that we were happy. They took interest in our excursion wants and did all they could to book the best experiences we could have outside the hotel around Marrakech and to locals beyond the city. I have never encountered any hotel staff that went as far and cared as much for our enjoyment and comfort as did Hanan and Hosni. They were the cherry on the cake of this whole experience and I can’t imagine how it would have been without them. In short, the Riad Monceau is an oasis ideally hidden in the centre of the old part of Marrakech and I can say it has become our new ‘home’ in Marrakech when we return, as we...

Arrived 21.15 after booking, Waited for over an hour to put our food and drink order in after being ignored, 1 drink finally came, 1 didnt materialise. The wine we wanted was not available, The vegetarian food my wife wanted was not available, service then became non existent after we mentioned it and attitude of the waitress was disgusting from then on, just ignoring us . Sorry but im not paying this kind of money for this! We Finally got a beer and wife a glass of wine but so late in the evening (22.15 now, kitchen closes at 23:00) we decided to just cancel our food order because it had taken so long and now too late to eat. From then on totally ignored! Very poor dining experience, So we just left as it was so poor. She (waitress) sent security after us like a couple of shoplifters!! I have never been so insulted! The manager came after i remonstrated that we hadnt had any food , or in fact any form of service whatsoever, except a drink each that took over an hour to materialise, after discussion he wiped our bill (1 beer, 1 glass of wine and no food whatsoever!!) This was meant to be my wife's birthday meal incidentally!! We fell for it because of the live Jazz music, which was nice.I cant comment on food, we didnt actually get any, service was appalling, live jazz was great, manager was nice. I cant recommend and i would NEVER return. I have never been so insulted. I dont know what happened but tonight this place failed miserably. Go elsewhere ! Incidentally there's a guy barbequeing sweet corn 50 yards up the road, my wife had one of those for 10 dirhams instead, very good! I cant believe an establishment like this did this over 2 drinks (glass of wine & a beer) after such a poor failure on their part, its a huge 'NO' from me.So, So disappointed with this place, wanted it to be so good but it really wasnt!

Ok, following your reply, which is an out and out lie, we did not order any glass of wine, we ordered 2 bottles which you didnt have, so we had no option but to order a glass of wine and a beer, as we'd had no food , your waitress never returned and i never danced with your 'beautiful' singer, i was there with my 'beautiful' wife instead. Dont deflect your shortcomings by these falsehoods. You failed badly that night , period. Lets...

We booked 4 nights in the honeymoon suite at Riad Monceau but left after the first night due to serious health and safety issues.||The suite consists of a bedroom and an adjoining bathroom with a hot tub, but there is virtually no ventilation — just a small, ineffective extractor fan in the bathroom and a large open hole inside a wardrobe connecting the two rooms. The bathroom walls and ceiling were extensively covered in black mould. The entire suite felt and smelt extremely damp + foetid, including the bedding, curtains, and rug. Overnight, my partner spent much of the night coughing due to the air quality, and by morning we were both feeling groggy and chesty from the damp. ||The hot tub had no accessible controls and appeared to run continuously throughout the day. When we returned to the room after being out and attempted to use it, my partner suffered minor burns to her legs after just a few seconds in the water. Staff later shut the system off via a hidden circuit breaker. We appreciated that, after contacting the front-of-house manager (who had kindly given us her number earlier during a room service issue), she immediately sent someone to buy burn cream once we shared photos. ||After that first night, we made the decision to move to another hotel for our safety and comfort. Although staff were polite and apologetic in person, our follow-up complaint in writing made it clear that a refund for the remaining nights was not an option, which was disappointing given the severity of the situation. At the time, the manager did offer us a different room, but considering the condition of what is meant to be their flagship 'honeymoon suite', we didn’t feel comfortable — it left us with little confidence in the condition of the other rooms.||The riad itself has charm — the bar and restaurant are stylish, and the atmosphere in the evenings is lively — but as a hotel, I would strongly suggest giving it a miss.||One final note: the honeymoon suite is located directly beneath the rooftop bar. While the bar closes around 11:30 p.m., there was a lot of noise from staff packing down until around 1:00 a.m. — something to be aware of if you're hoping for a restful night or have...