Marrakesh has exceptional hotels. Five stars are dropped at every turn, the spas are superb, and the loving attention to detail is overwhelming. If, however, you'd prefer not to spend a fortune sleeping in the bed where a movie star once slumbered, solid budget riads and midrange boutique options abound. They're small, clean, and suitably Moroccan in style to satisfy adventurous penny-pinchers.
To take on the historic heart of Marrakesh and live like a pasha of old, head to one of the medina's riads. Riad restorations, many by ultrafashionable European expats, have taken over the city; you'd trip over them, if only you knew where they were. Anonymous doors in the narrow, twisting derbs of the medina, and especially the souks, transport you to hidden worlds of pleasure. There are cheap ones, expensive ones, chic ones, funky ones, plain ones. Riads normally have around four to six rooms arranged around a courtyard and each room can be rented individually on a nightly basis. For special events and larger gatherings, it’s worth considering booking the whole property.
Marrakesh is something of a Shangri-la for designers who, intoxicated by the colors, shapes, and patterns of the city, feel free to indulge themselves in wildly opulent and ambitious designs. Although it isn't all tasteful, much of the decor and style in Marrakesh hotels and riads is fascinating and easy on the eye.
Most of the larger hotels (classified with three, four, or five stars by the Moroccan government) are in Guéliz, Hivernage, and in the zone touristique located beyond the Agdal Gardens heading out of town on Route de Ourika. There are also many superb guesthouses just a few miles out of town in the surrounding countryside. If you prefer something authentic and inexpensive near the action, choose one of the numerous budget-friendly riads in the medina, near Djemâa el Fna. Anybody with mobility issues or physical limitations should note that staying in a traditional riad usually involves a walk from the nearest parking area through narrow streets to reach the front door and climbing stairs to access the bedrooms and terrace. There are rarely elevators in all except very few of the larger luxury riads or boutique hotels.
Hotels and riads vary their prices wildly between high and low season. This means that if you time your trip right you can find some great deals. High season runs from March to May and from October to December, with spikes at Christmas, New Year's, and Easter.
