As I climb the stairs to our rooftop room, The Sultan at Riad Lorsya in Marrakesh, Morocco, I’m struck by how quiet and calm it is after bobbing and weaving through the hectic hustle of the medina Jemaa el Fna moments earlier.
It’s a climb we’ve done many times these last few days, and although there are a lot of steps before you reach the upper floors, I do mean A LOT of steps UP. I still breathe a sigh of relief once I get to the top.
Riad Lorsya is a 5-10 minute walk from one of the ‘streets’ of the famous medina. I use the word ‘street’ loosely because other than the main avenues such as Avenue Hommane Al Fatouaki or Avenue Mohammed V, all the streets here in the old part of Marrakesh are more like alleyways or passageways through the souk.
We affectionately call it ‘running the gauntlet’ as you need to dodge pedestrians, motor scooters, carts, beggars, vendors and the odd donkey – simultaneously at times – incredibly daunting if you are dragging your luggage behind you.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it; Riad Lorsya is challenging to find even with Google Maps or any other digital map system, and we took a lot of wrong turns the first time we went to check-in. Also, for the timid, it was a bit frightening at times as the passageways and alleyways can be dark and narrow, with sharp turns that often look like dead ends. If you get lost or don’t want to try to figure it out for yourself, call the Riad, and they will send someone to assist you.
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Make the journey a few times, and the twists and turns will become second nature, and you’ll wonder what the fuss was all about in the first place.
The Sultan room, as I said, is on the rooftop and, during our stay, was quiet but keep in mind that in any Riad in Marrakech, sounds echo throughout the halls.
Also, we were fortunate that no one staying at the Riad was a smoker since I’m sure that the smell and odour of cigarettes would have wafted through the open windows with ornate metal bars and into our room.
In our room of traditional Morrocan decor and comfortable bedding, we slept well each night on the raised platform bed in the sleeping area or our suite.
Water from the sink is not drinkable (not “potable”). Although the residents drink it, you are best to stick to bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth or use a water purification system such as LifeStraw. Our room includes a 1-litre bottle of water per day; if you don’t receive it automatically in your room, ensure you ask for it.
Our private bathroom with a window for ventilation and fresh air was large, and the shower had strong water pressure and was scalding hot, so be careful!
Our deluxe suite also had icy-cold air conditioning, complimentary toiletries, and an alarm clock.
The Riad is secure in that there is always someone on-site 24/7. You can let yourself out the main front door anytime, but you must ring the buzzer to get back inside.
There is a tiny pool of sorts in the central courtyard, but it doesn’t appear to get used very often based on the leaves floating in the water.
WiFi could have been better since our room was on the rooftop, and the router was on the main floor. The signal was stronger on the lower levels if you find internet access a problem.
The complimentary breakfast is between 8:30 and 11:30 am in the central courtyard and consists of either mint tea, English tea or coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice, yogurt, fruit, Moroccan pancakes (similar to crumpets), fried roti, jams, butter, and hard-boiled eggs.
A nice touch was when we had to leave for an early flight. Staff offered to have a light breakfast ready for us at 7 am.
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Would we stay at Riad Lorsya again?
The accommodations were indeed comfortable, and the location close to Jemaa el Fna medina and the souks was fabulous; however, it was a tad bit too ‘local’ walking through the narrow dark passageways.
Not to sound like a princess, but the towels were rough and scratchy since they are line-dried on the terrace. I opted to use the travel towel I always pack in my suitcase.
Also, an in-room safe was available in the wardrobe, but it wasn’t bolted down to anything. A thief could grab the safe and take the entire thing home with them to open at their leisure, which was useless since it was not secure.
We always wear money belts, so this was of no consequence to us.
If these issues do not affect your decision-making, I recommend staying at Riad Lorsya when visiting Marrakech, Morocco.
Looking for a more luxurious stay? I recommend you read the article, Alight in luxury at Riad Dar Les Cigognes Marrakesh Morocco.
Read the article Best Cities in Morocco – Travel North Africa, and A Guide for Things to Do in Rabat, Morocco
Pro travel tips for the area near Riad Lorsya in Marrakech, Morocco
- Getting to and from the airport is easy. You can pre-arrange airport pickup and drop-off with the hotel. A taxi will bring you to the closest accessible point to the Riad, and a man with a wheeled cart will escort you and your luggage the rest of the way.
- Alternatively, take the Alsa Airport ShuttleBus 19 (4 DH each), get off at Jemaa el Fna (look out for the KFC as a landmark), and walk through the Marrakech medina towards Argana Restaurant. From there, walk straight down the road through the souks until you reach the sign for Palais Les Almoravides and the passageway to the Riad. At this point, I would call the Riad for assistance, as it gets complicated from this point onwards.
- Taxi fare started at 120 DH, but we negotiated the driver down to 80 DH
- For currency exchange, we found great rates near the entrance of Jemaa el Fna closest to the horse and buggies
- Visitor tax of 5DH per person per day is payable on-site upon checkout in cash
- Anywhere you travel in the city, watch out for pickpockets
- Vendors and beggars will come at you from all angles – a firm ‘La Shokran’ or “No Thank you” will send them away
- Carry toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and small coins/change with you, as most restrooms require payment and will not have tissue or soap.
- If you decide to eat in Jemaa el Fna choose a booth that looks busy and full of locals. A great restaurant in Jemaa el Fna that we ate at a few times was Snack la Place No 34.
- A word of caution depending on which booking site you use when making your reservation. Upon checking in, we were asked to pay for our stay. We stated that we had already paid online via credit card, and the clerk explained that it was only a “hold.” We were worried that they were trying to cheat us. We presented our credit card, knowing we could dispute any extra charges.
