Guest User
January 19, 2023
We love Riad Iflouki and if and when we return to Marrakesh we will definitely stay here. It is an extraordinary place, a real oasis in the middle of the Medina, handy for everything. The Riad is quite a large building with several courtyards each with citrus trees and the happy sound of birds; I imagine in the summer it to be cool. There are lovely alcoves in which to sit at a table or on large lounges and read or socialise. The rooftop terrace is a delight and we breakfasted here everyday in January. The sun was warm, 21 degrees and the sky blue. Breakfast is prepared to order, between 9 am and 6.30pm and consists of as much of the varied breads as you can eat, served with omelettes and jams, also the soft white cheese that is so common. Central to the charm of the Riad is its owner, Pater Bergmann a Danish octogenarian with a relationship to the Riad and to the city going back to the late 1960s. He is a delight; interested and interesting and can switch between English, French, Danish, Swedish and German at will. His philosophy with his staff is commendable and Abdul, manager and Ilias and Mohammed were very helpful and polite, able to communicate in English and French. The ladies, most produced the food and cleaned the rooms were charming too. We had two of our four evenings eating in the Riad which was the best food we had while in Marrakesh. You get four courses with ample bread and wine is available to purchase. We had the Moroccan Red and Rose both of which were very drinkable at 20 € per bottle. Water is purchased in two litre bottles and is added to your bill at the end but ample tea and coffee came at no cost. The evening meals were 4 courses including soup, a veggie meal, a tagine and a dessert. They asked us if the main meal they had in mind suited before purchasing fresh that day. The meal at €25 per head was reasonably priced and served in the dining room. We ate with Peter both nights and no other guests were present. He was full of information about Marrakesh, Morroco in general and more. Our room came directly off the main courtyard and was convenient and private with a large shower and plenty of hot water. There are no TVs or other mod cons which suited us. Our room was large and was probably one of the bigger rooms with a four poster bed and two sofa type chairs. There is ubiquitous wifi and normal 2 prong plugs. The bed was comfortable and warm. January daytime temperatures were lovely and shorts would have been fine. At night a sweater is a must. Marrakesh has many many Riads and no doubt everyone enjoyed theirs; the Moroccans are very polite and culturally genuinely enthusiastic for their guests to be happy. Riad Ifoulki though I feel is quite unique, almost place like and several hundred year’s old. Much has been done to preserve the old world charm and still make it comfortable. It is not somewhere if you want to be noisy and take over the place. There is very small pool with jacuzzi style jets which I would i