This elegant 19th-century townhouse was formerly the city digs of the Pasha of Tetouan. It is now Blanco Riad, the city’s first and only proper design hotel.
Less than a minutes walk down a pretty, white-washed lane from the Palais Royal – an indicator of the sort of neighbourhood this once was — El Blanco is a sophisticated nook from which to ramble the old city, explore local restaurants and soak up the city’s most important sights.
While many of its original features have been lovingly preserved — intricate hand-cut floor tiles (zellige) worn smooth with age, precisely chiselled plaster arches, a tinkling fountain — Spanish owner Maribel Jiménez has sympathetically updated the look with contemporary fixtures and a pared-back aesthetic. Spanish guitar music filters unobtrusively through a peaceful courtyard, and subtle streams through open windows, a rarity in most Moroccan old city houses.
This place is run with exacting attention to detail by manager Asma El Asri and is a great base for culture lovers, as she’s a mine of information about the city’s history and sights, including some little-known gems like the location of a still-standing 12th-century house in the heart of the old city. For guests who just want to chill, a spacious ground-floor terrace filled with flowering creepers and shady daybeds makes for pleasing retreat with a book, and a menu of in-room beauty treatments like massage and pedicures, at very reasonable prices, add a splash of pampering.
Unusually, this is one hotel that has given some thought to the lone traveller, offering a couple of the smaller, but no less delightful rooms, for a generous price. With eight rooms in total, each done out in a different style, we loved the Meriem room with its two agate sinks and muted mosaic tiled floors, and Aicha, the master suite with frilled arches framing the bed and velvet sofas in jewel-like shades of turquoise, gold and oyster pink.
When Jiménez conducted the renovation of the property she wanted food to reflect her more contemporary style so set about creating a contemporary Moroccan dining experience with the help of acclaimed chef and cookbook writer Hassan M’Souli who once stayed here. The menu features dishes like orange, carrot and saffron salad, slow-roast goat kid with garlic and figs, and aubergine cannelloni with seafood and honey. It’s reasonably priced to boot, but for Western travellers you can’t help but miss the alcohol license. Food of this standing calls for a glass of wine or two.
There are no ground-floor rooms, which makes getting to bed tricky if stairs are a problem. The restaurant and the terrace are both easily accessed from the street.
Not so much. Serene and quiet is the vibe here and you can’t help but think a couple of boisterous children would upset the applecart somewhat.
Trusted Tourism Brand
Leave a review