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 wealthy neighborhood on the eastern side of the Djemaa el-Fna, Riad Mena is nearby with the mini-palace of Dar Moulay Idriss and Dar Si Said. As a result, the buildings here are more impressive and the streets are broadr and easier to walk through than other parts of the old city. Taxis can drop you almost at the door in Place Douar Graoua, while the Djemaa el-Fna, Bahia and Badii palaces are just a 10-minute walk away.
Riad Mena was formerly one of Marrakech’s great secluded mansions, a classic, white-washed Arabo-Andalucian property, built in the early 19th-century for a family of courtiers. It retains its original chahar bagh design of four quadrants planted with fragrant herbs, orange trees and a variety of native palms whose leaves chafe in the wind and sound like distant waves. At its edge is an beautiful 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 casual contemporary vibe evoked through a mix of contemporaryist furnishings and art, with some nice antiques and crafts. The result feels easy and truly welcoming, a testament to owner Schurer Merckoll’s great taste but fun-loving attitude. The pool is thoughtfully placed in a second courtyard for privacy, while other rooms reveal a family-style dining room with a black Saarinen table and chairs and the most stunning Damascene cupboard, and an elegant living room with a fireplace and a Hicham Gardaf photograph.
Clever architectural features make the house feel spacious so guests are never on top of one another. You can hear the gentle chatter of fellow travellers, but usually have the pool to yourself, or can nap in peace on the first floor loggia. Likewise, multiple staircases leading up to the roof terraces where there are more sofabeds set under cheerful yellow umbrellas; you can find a secluded sunbathing spot here or join new friends for sunset drinks.
Service focuses on life’s true luxuries: a warm welcome, helpful advice, an great selection of books, privacy when you want it and conversation when you’re feeling convivial. Guests are treated like adults with an trust system for snacks and free non-alcoholic drinks, and a nice marble-lined hammam is available at no charge. The staff, too, are smart and casual, easily interacting with guests, which generates the feeling that the house is still occupied by a large extended family.
For the mindful traveler there’s also yoga, massages, Tai Chi, Japanese exercises, a healthy 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 by 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 that Schurer Merckoll regularly hosts at the house.
The eight generous suites (including a two-bedroom “dar” adjoining the property) are quietly spacious, 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 secluded terraces. Beat generation poets and pioneering contemporaryist 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 classic 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 variety of fresh-cut fruit, Moroccan yogurt, pancakes and bread with homemade jams, honey and amlou (argan paste), and thin omelettes sprinkled with parsley and a pinch of cumin or bowls of shakshouka (eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic spiced with paprika).
Jouhra is a great cook with a many dishes for lunches and dinner. Let her advise you on some of her creative versions of Moroccan classics: maybe the mini meatballs or potato salad sprinkled with cumin or tasty spiced chicken wings. Dinners, which you need to request at breakfast, are more detailed usually involving different tagines, although the they remain subtle, which you’ll be thankful for given Marrakech’s universal love of serving lots of food. Abdel, the house manager, is also an great for restaurant recommendations.
Not suitable.
This is stylish place and attracts a creative crowd. That said, the Studio Suite has one extra bed.
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