RIAD BAB MARRAKECH

RIAD BAB MARRAKECH, a photo by Coolest Riads Marrakech on Flickr.

The city of Marrakech is a bit overwhelming to first time visitors like we were. It can be very difficult to know whos advice to trust and who is just trying to extract a dirham or 5 from another gullible tourist. Praise be for the staff at the Riad Dar Najat who made us feel that we had a family to come home to at the end of each day. They all have a fantastic sense of humour and were always on hand to answer questions, they were even patient enough to try to teach us a bit of Arabic. Within an hour of arriving at the airport we had been picked up by, delivered to the riad, poured a beer, introduced to everyone and given a phone to use with all the staff numbers pre-programmed in in case we got lost. The phone came in very handy as the network reception for our O2 and Orange phones was extremely unreliable.

Our room (the superior twin Wallida) was a good, basic room with African art on the walls and rugs on the floor. It was a bit dark as the windows have coloured glass and face into the shady courtyard but in summer this would probably keep the room very cool. There is air conditioning as well and a docking station for your ipod. The shower had good pressure, the water was always hot and everything was clean. Our beds were firm and comfy and there were extra blankets for the chilly spring nights. That's all you really need for a sightseeing base, the majority of the time we were socialising on the roof terrace, reading our guide books on the landing with a g+t or out braving the mayhem in the city streets and souks.

Whether you should book the Riad depends on your reason for travel. For romantic, rose petalled luxury with a posh restaurant and spa, go to The Maison Arabe. It's beautiful, expensive, elegant and knows it. If you prefer an unpretentious holiday companion with bags of personality then The Riad Dar Najat is for you. It's close to many of the sights, particularly Jeema al fna square. The walk from the Riad to the square or the Riad to Kosybar (one of the only places you can sit outside with a bottle of wine) is realtively straightforward and my sister and I never felt threatened, even at 5am.

The incredible warmth and humour of the staff and the informal, funky African vibe puts everyone at ease so all the guests mingle happily over breakfast or sundowners and chatting to the other guests is definitely the best way to find out about the highs and lows of a visit to this amazing destination. I am going to visit Marrakech again with my daughters and will not even bother looking at any other places to stay, I already found the perfect place for us.