For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
Dar One
- Style
- Minimalism à la mode
- Setting
- The Marrakechi Marais
Like the Parisian Marais, the Dar One riad is all about sleek, edgy design chic and pared-back luxe in the old Jewish quarter. Owner Jean Peres designed all the bespoke furnishings himself and had them crafted by local artisans – we like his style.
Need to know
- Rooms
- Six.
- Rates
- Low season, €80–€120; high season, €100–€165; New Year, €130–€165 (four-night minimum stay), including breakfast but excluding local city tax at €2 a person, a day. You can rent the riad exclusively for €530–€820 a day, accommodating 12 people.
- Check-out
- 11am, but flexible subject to availability. Earliest check-in, midday.
- Facilities
- Courtyard with water feature, roof terrace with sun loungers and daybeds, free WiFi, open fireplaces, AC, hammam or beauty treatments and in-room massages by arrangement.
- Poolside
- No pool, but you can dip swollen feet into the courtyard fountain or freshen up after sunbathing on the roof with an alfresco shower.
- Children
- Welcome. Cots and extra beds are charged at €30 a night for children staying in parents’ rooms. Sirocco on the roof terrace is the best room for families, although this designer den is more of an adults retreat. Babysitting can be arranged.
- Hotel closed
- The hotel will be closed for renovations between 24 August and 4 September.
- Also
- Between 22 December and 6 January the riad must be booked in its entirety, for a minimum of five nights.
In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- Dune has an open fireplace, exposed beams, a sexy black marble sink and big tadelakt bath. Darkly elegant Mirage has a deep grey tadelakt bath and modern chandelier. Colourful St Ex (named after author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) features chocolate browns, cornflower blues and tomato reds. Sirocco is up on roof-terrace level, with a putty-coloured suede headboard, a red rug and stripey lampshades. All the rooms are about the same size, apart from Petit Prince, which is a touch smaller (and therefore costs a bit less).
- Packing tips
- There are sunhats to borrow on the roof terrace, so don’t worry if you forget yours. Bring comfy pumps or trainers for exploring the medina on foot, and a French phrasebook will come in handy.
- Also
- Owner Jean’s impeccably behaved dogs Loukoum and Tosca follow him loyally wherever he goes. He visits the riad every morning to help guests plan their day, and then hands over to his excellent team of staff. Book an airport transfer for €15 a person; almost as cheap as a regular taxi and much less of a headache. A vase of fresh roses will appear in your room every day.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- Take breakfast on the roof terrace or at a communal table in the salon. If you want to dine at the riad, a Morrocan three-course menu costs Dhs250 a head, and features tasty salads, aromatic tagines with couscous and fresh, fruity desserts.
- Dress code
- Whatever you like, but Jean’s chic wardrobe will have you wishing you’d packed your favourite crisply laundered shirts and Prada sundresses.
- Top table
- In the salon by the fire in winter; on the roof terrace in summer.
- Last orders
- There are no rules here: take breakfast whenever and wherever you like. You’ll have to give a few hours’ notice if you want lunch or dinner, however, so that cooks Meriem and Asma can pop out to buy fresh ingredients.
- Room service
- None, but a porter is on hand 24 hours a day if you need anything.
- Hotel bar
- Aperitifs are served each day and you can order beer, wine or champagne to drink wherever you please – we like the cosy lounge with its open fireplace.
Smith card offer A bottle of wine on arrival, and a traditional Moroccan woven-silk tassel key fob
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
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Smith concierge
If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
Local restaurants
A short walk (or even shorter taxi ride) from Dar One beyond Marrakech's Djemaa el Fna square, El Fassia at 232 Avenue Mohammed V (+212 (0)544 434060) is run entirely by women, who conjure up tasty tagines and fluffy couscous.
Local cafes
Get a table at one of the roof-terrace cafés or ice-cream parlours skirting the Djemaa el Fna at around five and watch the square throng into action – all the stallholders set up for the night as the sun goes down.
Nightlife
Kosy Bar (+212 (0)524 380324), a trendy sushi and Maroc-Asian fusion restaurant and bar, is a short stumble from Dar One and plays a jazzy soundtrack.
Worth getting out of bed for
Just round the corner, you’ve got the Palais de Bahia, Royal Palace and the Kasbah to visit, and a walk of mere minutes will get you to the Koutoubia mosque and Djemaa el Fna.
Jean and his team at Dar One can sort out city guides or hiking daytrips into the mountains, where you’ll probably spot wild monkeys, and then have lunch in a Berber village (about Dhs200 a person), as well as longer expeditions exploring little-visited parts of Morocco, perhaps combining camel riding and camping in the desert. He can also help you with bespoke requests, from a picnic party on the Ourika riverbanks to floating across the Palmeraie in a hot-air balloon at sunrise (for about €150 a person).
For our insider guide to Marrakech, with more tips on what to do while you're in Morocco, click here.
