Riad El Ma

A guesthouse in the heart of the medina

Riad El Ma is a six-room guesthouse in a fully restored old riad (a traditional house built around a courtyard) at 4 derb Sidi Besri. A derb is a medina lane; El Hedim square and the Bab Mansour gate are a few minutes' walk away, and the Bou Inania madrasa of Meknes is close by.

The house is known for its fountains and pools, whose sound fills the courtyard. The ground-floor rooms open straight onto it, with traditional painted-wood windows and carved stucco; the upstairs rooms are reached by the staircase. It is a house on a human scale: six rooms, a shared lounge, and a team that arranges excursions, transfers and cooking classes.

Six rooms, six characters

The rooms are named after their colour or style, and their sizes range from small to three times as large. The choice matters, especially for families or anyone avoiding stairs, and Chambre Bleue, at ground level, is wheelchair accessible. For a couple, Chambre Rouge for space, or Chambre Bleue to live at the pace of the courtyard; for a family, Suite Jaune, on the ground floor, saves carrying luggage upstairs. Chambre Beldi, the smallest, suits a one-night stop.

The roof, the table and breakfast

The roof terrace rises over several levels, with a small pool open in season. From up there the view takes in the medina rooftops, the Great Mosque and the Bou Inania madrasa; it is the place for tea after sightseeing and for evenings under the stars.

Breakfast is included, served in the courtyard or on the terrace depending on the season. In the evening the house offers, on reservation, a table d'hôtes of Moroccan home cooking prepared on site: it is the cooking guests' reviews mention most often. Booking dinner when you arrive saves going back out into the medina after dark.

One night in Meknes: how to use it

The riad works best as a base for one night between Fez and the coast. The formula that works: arrive in the early afternoon, head to Volubilis, about thirty kilometres away, for the end of the day, have dinner at the riad, then explore Meknes on foot the next morning, from El Hedim square to the Heri es-Souani granaries and the Dar Jamaï museum. The team can arrange the excursion to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss Zerhoun.

Sabaro's view

For whom: couples and families who want to sleep in the Meknes medina, in a guesthouse rather than a hotel.

Strengths: a genuine six-room riad a few minutes from Bab Mansour; the roof terrace and its small pool; the table d'hôtes; a 4.8/5 rating on Tripadvisor from more than 500 reviews.

Good to know: the service is that of a guesthouse; there is no lift and four rooms are upstairs; some reviews find the rooms dark, as is often the case in riads turned towards their courtyard; the pool opens only in season; you arrive on foot through the lanes.