If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR345.45), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Riad Antara has all the foundations of a soulful souk-side stay. This peaceful pad – run by warm and welcoming owners Anne and Laurent (themselves reason enough to write home) – was once a Saadian residence, and much of the artisanal authenticity remains, with the addition of carefully curated art and modern touches. The solar-heated pool and traditional hammam will look particularly inviting after a day of medina mooching; as will a sundowner on the dusk-drenched terrace – feet clad with your own set of babouche.
10am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £266.64 (€310), including tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €2.50 per person per night on check-out.
More details
Rates include a set of babouche (traditional Moroccan leather slippers) and a bountiful breakfast. Start the day on the sun-soaked rooftop with a diffa of Moroccan brioche, french pancakes, fresh fruits and homemade orange blossom yogurt.
At the hotel
Indoor pool, rooftop, spa with hammam, two patios, restaurant. In rooms: WiFi, TV, safe, heated floors, bottled water, organic Nectarome products. Three of the suites are kitted out with fireplaces.
Our favourite rooms
All seven suites are tastefully decorated, but we love the ground-floor Alba suite with it’s fireplace and floor pouffes. Those wanting a view of the action might opt for the Beni Abs suite – its indoor terrace looks down to the swimming pool.
Poolside
Palm trees, pouffes and a floor-to-ceiling mirror (positioned to reflect the riad, not your face mid-front crawl) border Antara’s small, solar-heated pool. Despite its size you can still get your laps in, thanks to its counter-current swimming technology.
Spa
Relax travel-tired muscles in the two-person hammam, a traditional Arab escape from the medina melee. There’s a treatment room for traditional hot-stone and herbal massages, too.
Packing tips
More is more in Marrakech, so bring your loudest fits to compete with the medina mania.
Children
Welcome; extra beds can be set up in some rooms for €80 a night, babysitting is available on request (for an extra fee) and the restaurant is happy to adapt menus to suit little Smiths.
Sustainability efforts
The hammam and pool are heated by solar panels; LED bulbs are used throughout the riad; and the restaurant reduces its carbon emissions by working with small, local producers that use sustainable and organic practices.
Bag a table on the pastel-pink rooftop at sunset and watch the terracotta roofs of Marrakech turn a rich red hue.
Dress Code
Anything that works with your babouche, because where else can you wear slippers to dinner?
Hotel restaurant
The hearty, savoury-sweet cuisine of Morocco meets a dash of French flair in Riad Antara’s restaurant. There’s no set menu – instead, a visit to the market (and the preferences of patrons) define the dishes of the day. Expect home cooked sardine meatball tagine, steaming plates of Moroccan vegetables and perfectly poached pears. There’s a great selection of local wine and fresh teas, too.
Last orders
Breakfast is served from 8–11am; lunch and dinner are arranged on request, 24 hours in advance. Dinner is typically served around 8pm, but the hotel can be flexible depending on when you prefer to dine.
Riad Antara’s discreet façade is sandwiched between the high walls of Marrakech’s medina.
Planes
Marrakech airport is just 15 minutes away. Contact the hotel to arrange your transfer.
Automobiles
There’s a carpark just down the road from the riad – let the hotel know in advance and they’ll greet you there.
Worth getting out of bed for
Dodge donkey carts as you explore the looping derbs of the medina, just steps from Riad Antara’s salmon-coloured walls, and aim for Aya’s to get your hands on some traditional Moroccan clothing. For green space, take to Jardin Majorelle’s wonderland of canopies, cacti gardens and candy-coloured pathways (but head in as early as you can to avoid the crowds). Don’t forget that you’re just on the edge of the Sahara – sort a sandy day trip with Dunes & Desert. Or let off some hot air with a balloon ride over Morocco – Ciel d’afrique will take you to the skies for excellent views over mountains, gorges, deserts and Berber villages.
Local restaurants
For modern Moroccan fusion with lantern-adorned views of the Atlas Mountains, find a spot on L’mida’s rooftop. Try their homemade nut butter, made with argan oil, ground roasted almonds and honey. Le Kilim is a modern brunch option, featuring the likes of fluffy pancakes with amlou, sour yogurt and plum compôte. Le Foundouk’s rooftop is one of the city’s most romantic settings, serving Moroccan staples of couscous, pastilla and tagine. After dark, join the crowds in Jemaa el Fna square – every evening, the market is a haven for local pop-up restaurants such as No. 14, which serves fresh fish (order the calamari) with homemade dips.
Local cafés
Grab a spiced coffee or mint tea on the roof terrace of Café des Epices in the spice souk. Café Clock is a good choice for breakfast and lunch; start the day with caramelised banana-topped pancakes or berber eggs, or stop by around noon for an extensive selection of falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, citrus salads and sandwiches.
Local bars
As the sun sets, bag a table on the secluded terrace of the Grand Café de la Poste with a glass of rosé in hand. Take pre- or post-dinner drinks in La Mamounia’s Churchill bar. It’s low-lit and set to a soundtrack of sultry piano playing. Live jazz can also be found on the roof of La Pergola in the medina; while DJ sets are spun on Kabana’s roof terrace.
My sunglasses were at the bottom of my bag, thanks to some clumsy – ok, I’ll admit it – tipsy packing the night before. It meant the sunshine blinded my hungover eyes as I stepped into the chaotic hustle outside Menara airport in Marrakech. Mr Smith was away with the boys this weekend. I, thankfully, was heading to Marrakech for some R&R.
I braced myself as taxi drivers approached from every direction, all shouting louder than the next, eager to charm me into their backseat. With a pounding head I picked the one with the friendliest smile and hastily clambered in. Too exhausted to haggle, I obligingly got ripped off in exchange.
A few minutes into the journey my phone pinged – a message from Laurent, the hotel owner, arranging a place to meet me from the taxi. Impressive start, I thought. I hadn’t fancied navigating the maze-like cobbled streets with my suitcase, dodging the donkey muck, all on my own.
Laurent, a charming Parisian who moved to Marrakech for the sun with his wife Anne, was waiting for me as promised and escorted me through the narrow back streets of the medina to Riad Antara.
The entrance to the hotel, like many of the riads in Marrakech, is behind an intricately carved, mysterious wooden door. Across the threshold you’re plunged into an oasis of urban calm. The cacophony of the medina is shut out and your ears tune into the soft twittering of exotic birds, and the soothing ripples of the courtyard’s centrepiece fountain. Miraculously, my hangover began to ease.
I was ushered into an armchair in the courtyard, my luggage was whisked away, and I was asked, ‘What size are your feet?’ An odd question, I thought, but was quickly distracted by the interiors. Sleek and chic, Laurent and Anne have created a melange of traditional Morocco paired with their elegant Parisian influence.
After some famous mint tea and traditional Moroccan pastries, Laurent returns with the answer to his question – a pair of babouche (or Moroccan slippers, to you and me). A beautiful green leather pair, gifted to every guest on arrival. It’s generous touches like these which set Riad Antara apart.
Following a quick tour of my equally chic room and the rest of the riad, I was eager to get horizontal. Sunny rooftop terraces, with panoramic views across the medina, are a traditional feature of riads. But with straw hats, colourful towels, rose-hued walls, cacti and pink bougainvillaea, you could easily mistake this one for a cool Ibiza beach club.
Given it was the beginning of February and only 18 degrees, I had the whole roof to myself. I wasted no time ordering a hair of the dog (accompanied by an array of free salty snacks) and soaked up the rays. The staff, wrapped in coats and scarves, definitely thought this English woman was crazy.
With dinner booked at the hotel for later in the evening, I decided to head out and explore the medina. Despite clear and lengthy instructions from Anne on how not to get lost, I still managed to take a wrong turn as soon as I left the hotel.
Following my nose, I eventually managed to find my way through the labyrinth of souks to the main square – Jemaa el-Fnaa. It’s a sight to behold, the central melting pot of the city, where snake charmers, fortune tellers, monkey trainers, singers and belly dancers all compete to entertain the crowds, and stall-sellers lure the passersby from sunrise to sunset.
I enjoyed a sundowner in one of the many rooftop bars, watching the dazzling red city turn an even more fiery hue, before retracing my steps back to Antara.
Dinner was a very personal affair. Being the only guest dining that evening, I felt like the guest of honour. The menu was specifically tailored to my tastes and to what was in season at the local market. Laurent was in the kitchen, which meant the savoury-sweet lamb tagine with mixed roasted root veg had a delicious French twist. And the grapefruit and lemon sorbet to finish was the perfect palate cleanser.
The next morning, sans hangover, fuelled with hot black coffee and the sweetest orange juice I’ve ever tasted, I headed back into the medina to browse the souks. You need your wits about you when exploring the narrow streets. Motorbikes, pushbikes, donkeys and carts all force their way through the throngs of tourists and locals. Tourists haggle for beautiful silks, woven rugs, leather bags and shoes, and locals collect their spices and meats from unassuming shops.
With a few tagine pots under my arm for Mr Smith and family, and my senses once again overloaded, I made my way back to the sanctuary of the hotel. For the rest of my stay I could be found on the rooftop, sunning myself, and being truly spoiled by Laurent, Anne and their impeccable team.
Riad Antara has an abundance of things to write home about, but it’s the level of hospitality which stands out. Their many thoughtful gestures, their warmth and sincerity, really made me feel as though I was staying with dear old friends – friends who happen to live in a palace.
On leaving, Laurent escorted me and my bags back to the taxi point, loaded me into a taxi and spoke to the driver in Arabic to ensure that, this time, I didn’t get ripped off – even if it would have been obligingly!
