Riad Mena is an exemplar riad, with a traditional garden full of orange trees and jasmine that feels like paradise itself in this desert city. It was once home to an aristocratic family and its classical proportions now offer eight handsome suites, an emerald green pool and a jigsaw of picturesque porticos and terraces.
Situated in what was once an aristocratic quarter on the eastern side of the Djemaa el-Fna, Riad Mena is close neighbours with the mini-palace of Dar Moulay Idriss and Dar Si Said. As a result, the architecture here is grander and the streets wider and easier to navigate than other parts of the medina. Taxis can drop you nearly at the door in Place Douar Graoua, while the Djemaa el-Fna, Bahia and Badii palaces are within a 10-minute walk.
Riad Mena was formerly one of Marrakech’s great private mansions, a classic, white-washed Arabo-Andalucian property, built in the early 19th-century for a family of courtiers. It retains its authentic chahar bagh design of four quadrants planted with aromatic herbs, orange trees and a variety of native palms whose leaves chafe in the breeze and sound like distant waves. At its edge is an exquisite painted bhou (seating alcove) and in the centre a classic sharîdj (shallow fountain) where swallows and honeyeaters come to drink.
Despite this history, Mena has gentle modern vibe evoked through a clever combination of modernist furnishings and art, with some fine antiques and crafts. The result feels effortless and truly welcoming, a testament to owner Schurer Merckoll’s impeccable taste but fun-loving outlook. The pool is thoughtfully set in a second courtyard providing privacy, while other rooms reveal a family-style dining room with a black Saarinen table and chairs and the most magnificent Damascene cupboard, and an elegant living room bookended with a fireplace and a Hicham Gardaf photograph.
Clever architectural features make the house feel luxuriously expansive so guests are never on top of one another. You can hear the conversational murmur of fellow travellers, but usually have the pool to yourself, or can catnap in peace on the first floor loggia. Likewise, multiple staircases zigzag up to the roof terraces where there are more sofabeds set under jaunty yellow umbrellas; you can find a private sun-worshipping nook here or join new friends for sunset aperitifs.
Service focuses on life’s real luxuries: a warm welcome, knowledgeable advice, an excellent selection of books, privacy when you want it and conversation when you’re feeling convivial. Guests are treated like grown-ups with an honesty system for snacks and free non-alcoholic drinks, and a lovely marble-lined hammam is at your disposal free of charge. The staff, too, are smart and relaxed, interacting easily with guests, which generates the feeling that the house is still occupied by a large extended family.
For the mindful traveller there’s also yoga, massages, Tai Chi, Japanese callisthenics, a detox menu and contemporary art tours. And, if you fancy a day out in the countryside, book a car to the village of Oumnass where you can spend the day beside the pool in the olive grove of Berber Lodge, Riad Mena’s partner property. Finally, if you happen to be in town during the 1-54 Art Fair, you may also find yourself amid an art or design gathering which Schurer Merckoll regularly hosts at the house.
The eight generous suites (including a two-bedroom “dar” adjoining the property) are quietly luxurious, with lofty ceilings, garden-gazing windows and enormous bathrooms. Where she could have fitted nine, 10 or even 12 rooms, Schurer Merckoll generously opted for just eight, two with private terraces. Beat generation poets and pioneering modernist designers, such as Eileen Gray and Brion Gysin, provided inspiration for the chic, understated décor. Huge comfortable king-sized beds beckon with the most pristine white cotton sheets, while bathrooms comes with Philippe Starck furniture and fittings which gleam against the glossy tadelakt walls.
In the adjoining dar (a traditional guesthouse) a ground-floor and first floor room, centred around a patio can be booked as two-bedroom family house. The smallest room is the idyllic Writer’s Den, which is a generous single featuring a gorgeous handpainted zouak screen dividing the bedroom and bathroom. The pièce de résistance, however, is the Grand Suite, which spans the breadth of the house, easily the size of a London apartment, and features a romantic latticework menzeh (window box) overlooking the garden.
Breakfast, served in the dappled shade of the garden, is a cavalcade of fresh cut fruit, Moroccan yoghurt, pancakes and bread with homemade jams, honey and amlou (argan paste), and wafer-thin omelettes sprinkled with parsley and a pinch of cumin or sizzling bowls of shakshouka (eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic spiced with paprika).
Jouhra is a wonderful cook with a wide repertoire of dishes up her sleeve for lunches and dinner. Let her advise you on some of her imaginative takes on Moroccan classics: maybe the mini meatballs or potato salad sprinkled with cumin or succulent spiced chicken wings. Dinners, which you need to request at breakfast, are more elaborate affairs usually involving different tagines, although the light touch remains, which you’ll be thankful for given Marrakech’s universal love of plying guests with food. Abdel, the house manager, is also an excellent source of restaurant recommendations.
Double rooms from €245 ($271). Breakfast and airport transfers included.
Not suitable.
This is stylish place and attracts a creative crowd. That said, the Studio Suite has one extra bed.
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