Riad Azzar

Local restaurants

Al Fassia (+212 (0)524 434060)  on 232 Ave Mohammed V serves traditional Moroccan cuisine in a highly untradtional manner – it's staffed and operated exclusively by women. Bô & Zin (+212 (0)524 388012) is a Thai-style salon a little out of the way on the Ourika road, but worth the trek for excellent Southeast Asian dishes and a very trendy atmosphere.  With less-than-demure belly-dancers and skilled musicians, Le Comptoir on Avenue Echouhada (+212 (0)24 437702) has a fantastic energy, making it a great place in which to eat trad Moroccan or international options with a group of friends. Le Fondouk (+212 (0)44 378190) in the heart of the medina serves Moroccan dishes with a few diversions into Mediterranean cuisine along the way. Book ahead at weekends. Le Tobsil (+212 (0)24 444052) is best-known for multi-course Maroc cuisine, and unless you have an enormous appetite, the set menu can be a bit of an extravagance. Prices include wine and aperitifs, and performances by traditional gnaoua groups.

Local cafes

The roof terrace of Café des Epices (+212 (0)524 391770) in the spice souk is the perfect place to position yourself for people watching in the medina. It's popular with the young, arty Marrakech crowd, and wouldn't look out of place in Hoxton.

For a full list of eating and drinking recommendations in Marrakech, check out our Marrakech eating & drinking guide

Worth getting out of bed for

Riad Azzar  is in the medina, so you're only a few steps away from the temptations of the souk – haggling can be quite an addictive pastime. The staff at the hotel will also be happy to help you arrange diversions further afield, including hot-air balloon, cycling or quad-biking expeditions and Atlas Mountains trips. There's a golf course less than five kilometres away (ask staff for details), and the riad's chef, Fatima, is happy to atrrange cooking classes.

For a full list of recommended activities in Marrakech, check out our Marrakech destination guide