We are off to profile riads in Marrakesh in two weeks, so it looks like the upcoming days are going to be long in getting ready.

Hopefully, I can put more time into the blog once we get rolling.

In the three days we visited about 30 of the riads of Marrakesh. Here are four of the most memorable.

1- Riad Ida ou Balou (www.riad-ida-oubalou.com): We were some of the first guests to stay in this inexpensive riad (about 50 Euros for a double room). The decor inside was simple, clean and traditional. The three things that made this riad standout were the service, the terrace and the orange juice. When we arrived we were greeted by Rachid and Mohammed along with Moroccan mint tea and an assortment of sweet cookies. As soon as we entered, we became the honored guests. For the next two hours the men sat and talked with us, refilling our tea glasses again and again as they told us the story of their riad. The truly exemplified the Moroccan saying “Dar-na pel dar-kum” (Our house is your house). I woke up early the next morning and spent time reading on the terrace. The cool Marrakesh morning wrapped around me, as the still quiet city slept all around me. The comfortable wicker chairs, the diverse plantlife, and the beautiful canopied breakfast area made me wish I could ascend to this terrace every morning. Rashid served us breakfast at our requested time- a layout of malawi, baghrir, assorted pastries, teas and coffee, along with the highlight- the orange juice. I have eaten a lot of oranges in my day and drank a lot of “fresh squeezed orange juice” but the juice at Riad Ida ou Ballou is honestly the best I have ever had. After the terrace morning and the orange juice, I left feeling like I could conquer the world. Great riad!

2- Riad Nora (www.riad-nora.com)- Beautiful riad! Talk about traditional. Out of all the riads we visited I felt like this one most made you feel like you were stepping back into time. A lot of riads in Marrakesh, while traditionally decorated in style are in fact newly renovated and you get the feeling the furniture and decor were around the time of the renovation. Riad Nora feels old and spectacular. The bathrooms were incredible. Rather than converting some tiny little space into a small shower and toilet, these bathrooms are etched into the stone and unfold before you. Both my colleague and I commented on how much our wives would enjoy them. The pics on the website don’t do it justice. And the prices they were asking (70 Euros in mid season) were great for the quality of room you get.

3- Riad Isis (www.riad-isis.com). Its a spa and riad combined. The bottom floor was a spa and guests could stay on the top floor. Tranquil, soothing, decorated in a blend of traditional and modern decor, this riad felt like an oasis in the middle of the Marrakesh sun. The atmosphere of the whole place spelled class.

4- Dar Vedra (www.dar-vedra.com/). This was probably my favorite riad for its style. The place is very tranquil and inviting, but I think it is the attention to detail regarding the style that makes this riad stand out. Each room I visited felt like it had been put together and decorated by a professional, rather than the hodge-podge assortment style decor many riads offer. Dar Vedra seems like they have put a high premium on attention to detail and you definetely feel that in the style of the riad.

1. Good, clear info available on the internet. I’m not booking through a magazine, and really these days, I wouldn’t use a travel agent. I want the info, and I want to be able to arrange my whole stay on the internet. I don’t want to have to call someone, or wait for an email to see if there is an opening.

2. Easy to use website! I hate when a website has good information, but it is designed so poorly that it takes forever to get what you want because you are always having to scroll down, click back- and then it says something about postdated data…- pull up 13 windows just to be able to see everything you need. If you are going to pay money to do a site, at least put the time into it to make it easy to use! This one is my soap box.

3. Pictures, pictures, pictures. Now, in planning a trip, I want to see where I am going and where I am staying. A place could have a great price and location, but if the info on the internet only shows me a shot of the pool and the outside of the hotel, it makes me nervous. I want to see the room I am sleeping in. I want to see a picture of the bathroom. The more pictures the better.

4. Customer Reviews. It is the hot thing these days, and I love it. I love being able to see if a place is clean, or to read about how they made accommodations for a late arriving guest, or how the breakfast buffet is awesome. Without the customer reviews things just feel like a shot in the dark, but with them, even if they get some bad marks, I just feel like I know what I am getting a lot more.

5. The Bottom Line Price. I hate when one price is posted, and in between the screen where you enter your info and the price page, there are about 15 different kind of taxes added. This is especially bad on airline websites. It is so frustrating when you begin buying and first, they show you just the price one-way, and then its a different price for the back half of the trip, and then they throw on airport taxes, luggage taxes, seat taxes, blah, blah, blah. I am sure there are logical reasons for all of it, but it still is frustrating. So any time I see something with an upfront- this is all you are going to pay price- it makes me happy.

What about you? I would love to hear your thoughts on what is important to you. How are you planning your travel these days? Any great sites your loving for travel? Any you are hating? Let me know…

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.