The beauty of many riads in Morocco is the super-relational customer service. Its not unheard of for the riad manager to meet you at the outskirts of the medina, help you with your luggage, act as a concierge for your travel plans, arrange taxis, recommend destinations and restaurants for you to see, and help you with anything else you might need.
At Dar Nour in Tangier (www.darnour.com), the manager sent someone to help us make it through the Tangier medina, greeted us when we arrived, chatted with us about his life and experiences, helped us figure out a good restaurant to eat at, told us about a great fabric/artisan market, and prepared a dinner for us based on our specific needs. Incredible. That was over a year ago, but Dar Nour still feels like my “home” in Tangier.
Or take Riad Watier in Essouira (www.ryad-watier-maroc.com), I had some friends stay there last year and they came back glowing. Not only did the staff offer advice on what restaurants to go to, but they also were happy to call and make reservations for them. They also had photocopied street maps of the medina and drew out directions on how to get around- a great service for the winding roads of the medina. And to top it off, they were happy to let my friends’ boys play with the pet turtle that lives at the riad. My friend said, “When I was there, I didn’t feel like I had to figure things out for myself about Essouira, they took care of us, and they took care of things for my family. It was incredible.”
Now are all riads like that? Of course the answer is no. But many of the riads of Morocco are treasures as much for the rooms they offer as the service that goes with it.
