Accommodation types

Accomodation types

Selecting accommodation for a stay in Morocco can be a little confusing if it is your first time - you can feel overwhelmed by a choice of riads, ryads, hotels, maisons d'hote, kasbhas and a few other categories as well! Here is a quick summary of the different type of accommodation to help.

Riads

Riads (also ryads) are former private houses of the wealthy that have been converted into small hotels with some very specific and attractive common features. indeed, the abundance of riads in Morocco goes some way to explaining the popularity of Morocco as a destination for culture, relaxation and style.

Firstly, riads are small in scale (riads typically have between 4 and 10 rooms) and are built around an central internal garden or courtyard, which provides a shady refuge from the sun and a place to enjoy nature, and peace from the outside world. Peace and quiet is important to the design of riads as many are located in the central, ancient part of the cities, particularly the medinas. Perfect for guests wanting to relax but be walkable to the main sites. Riads also offer guests a highly authentic and intimate Moroccan experience, and without all the usual facilities, hurry, and 24/7 services of hotels. Instead they are usually run by a small house-keeping team under the supervision of a manager or the owner, who together will provide guidance and service whenever they can, as well as a friendly familiar face to return to after a day exploring the city.

it is also worth adding that the trend towards boutique hotels in the UK and Europe has had a clear impact on many riads in Morroco who have reinvented themselves (often very successfully) to offer an experience which combines their tradition with a more luxury and design led style. Many of these are listed on Morocco Gateway.

Hotels

The other main category of hotels in Morocco really covers all other type of accommodation than riads, from large modern hotel chains to smaller private hotels. On our website you will however only find a selection of privately owned hotels, those which we believes offers an authentic experience, high standards and value for money. And we believe we have listed a choice of hotels for all budgets and tastes of our users.

Other types of accommodation

Other terms for accommodation include "maisons d'hote" which are what we call  bed & breakfasts in the UK, "kasbahs" which are arabic fortresses, many of which have been converted into tourist accommodation, and "private houses" covering villa and appartments (we list a small selection of these).