Hotel Details
Riad Chi-Chi
| Region: | Marrakech and the Region |
| Location: | Marrakech |
| Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation Type | Low | Mid | High | |
| Plum/Turquoise Room |
Double room on ground floor
|
65 € | 72 € | 82 € |
| Ivory Room |
Double room on first floor
|
74 € | 82 € | 92 € |
| Aubergine Room |
Superior double room on first floor
|
83 € | 92 € | 112 € |
| Indigo Suite |
First floor
|
83 € | 92 € | 112 € |
| Exclusive rental |
All rooms and suite
|
370 € | 410 € | 480 € |
| Please note: All prices are per room per night | ||||
Check Availability
Special Offers
Summer specials
15% discount on all listed prices during July and August
Facilities
Swimming pool
Air-conditioning
Spa on site
Sunbathing area
Internet connection
Disabled friendly
Vegetarian food
Smoking
Child-friendly
Bar and drinks
In-house restaurant
OtherLaundry services on request.
Description
At least two hundred years old and formerly a residence of a welathyMarrakech merchant and his family, Riad Chi-Chi has been restored to create a minimalist-Moroccan guesthouse comprising four double rooms and one suite in the heart of the city. Riad Chi-Chi’s renovation employed the finest Moroccan craftsmen skilled in traditional materials and techniques and the result is a small yet comfortable house, typifying simple Moorish architecture.
White walls and splashes of colour make the rooms at Riad Chi-Chi soothing spaces in which guests can relax. The Plum and Turquoise rooms are similar in dimension (13 m²) and furnishings but not in decoration as indeed their names suggest. Opening onto the courtyard on the ground floor, the double beds can be adapted to provide twin beds if necessary. The en-suite comprises toilet, shower and washbasin. Additionally an extra bed for a child can be arranged in these rooms. As these rooms on the ground floor, they may suffer from some noise when other guests are taking breakfast. The Ivory room is understated and elegant with a Moroccan menzeh (alcove), double bed (or twins) and en-suite bathroom with a domed ceiling. The Aubergine room is a slightly larger room with all the facilities of the previous rooms but with the welcome extra of an open fireplace. On the same floor is the Indigo suite, the largest of the rooms (20 m²) and boasting a comfortable seating area, as well as a double bed and en-suite bathroom. An extra bed can be arranged for groups of three.
Read MoreThe staff at Riad Chi-Chi emphasise “a stress-free stay in Marrakech”, thus the house has been arranged in such a way to allow guests numerous spaces to relax in the sun or shade. The roof terrace boasts an array of aromatic plants from rosemary and lavender to jasmine. Sun-loungers provide a place to sunbathe, whilst shade can be sought in the tented pergola. Look around and guests can see across the hustle and bustle of the medina all the way to the Atlas Mountains on a clear day. Below, in the courtyard, papyrus and lemon trees frame the riad as well as the small Islamic pool and fountain. From this courtyard guests can step into the salon with its informal seating set around a fireplace (lit in winter months). Here, guests can also enjoy a small library of books and magazines, a satellite television, DVD player, stereo and iPod docking station.
If guests wish to eat lunches and dinners at Riad Chi-Chi, they can be served at any of the spaces mentioned above such as under the stars on the roof terrace or inside the cosy salon. Breakfast is freshly prepared with orange juice, pastries, breads and eggs, whilst lunch and dinner offer Mediterranean alternatives; soups, sandwiches (cheese, tuna), salads (lentil and tomato, aubergine, tomato and mozzarella, tuna). Dinner remains a traditional three-course meal, usually with a starter of a similar choice to lunch, but with a main of tagine (beef or lamb in prunes and almonds or cous-cous with chicken and apricots). Vegetarian options are always available and an array of desserts follow (crème caramels, fruit salads in orange juice or perfumed water or crêpes with sautéed fruits).
Alternatively, with only a short walk to the main square guests can explore the city and its restaurants with ease. Additionally, Riad Chi-Chi can advise of local restaurants and organise activity bookings where necessary.
Where is it?
Riad Chi Chi is a 1 minute walk to the Medersa Ben Youssef, Musée de Marrakech and 4 minutes from La Fontaine Chrob ou Chouf where taxis will generally drop guests off. A 15 minute drive to Marrakech airport and to the central train station.
Travel Times
| Airport | 15 minute drive |
| City | 2 minute walk |
| Beach | 2 hour drive to Essaouira |
Other useful information
Taxis drop guests off at La Fontaine Chrob ou Chouf, a 4-minute walk to the riad. Riad staff collect guests from the drop-off point and show them the way to the riad.
Mint tea and Moroccan pastries are provided on arrival.
A mobile phone can be borrowed from the riad to ensure a smooth stay - guests can call the riad if they need to be collected from a nearby destination.
The renovation of the riad was extremely environmentally friendly as no lorries were used to transport building materials. Because of the narrow lanes in the Medina most of the building materials were transported by donkey. Additionally, only natural products have been used (electric equipment was only used during the final renovation phase). The riad has the necessary plumbing installed for the generation of solar power at a later stage.
New for 2010 Chi-Chi offers Moroccan Cookery class in which its own cook Khadija will demonstrate the preparation of typical Moroccan dishes such as Aubergine Salad and Tagines of lemon chicken with olives, beef or lamb with prunes and almonds, and Moroccan desserts. After the class, guests can then enjoy their freshly-prepared Moroccan meal in the peaceful courtyard or on the roof terrace. Price including all ingredients is €45 per person or €35 per person for a group of 2+
The hotel scores are aggregated individual user scores which have been audited as authentic and accurate through due enquiry by Morocco Gateway.
Morocco Gateway reserves the right to exclude any reviews submitted by users which cannot be validated as authentic and accurate. Equally we will resist any request from any hotel to delist any negative review.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 7.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.3 | Relaxation | 8.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 6.0 | Value for money | 8.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 8.0 | Overall rating | 7.3 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
User Reviews on Riad Chi-Chi
Below you'll find reviews written by our users, that have stayed in this hotel. The reviews are vetted and verified by us and may have been summarised by our editor to give you a meaningful summary.
The Editor's Summary
Although Riad Chi-Chi has only opened recently, the few reviews received have been enthusiastic from recent guests who have enjoyed the high “level of hospitality” from the mint tea and pastries on arrival to restaurant bookings, massage and opportunities to organize excursions. Guests have been “pleasantly surprised” by the “enjoyable breakfast” and home-cooked meals staff serve, remarking that the “chicken tajine with olives…tasted like the most authentic meal we’d had during our weekend.” Although some guests may find the interior decoration of the riad “plain”, other have stated their “relief” at the soothing “white-washed walls” and “clean” rooms compared to the “hustle and bustle” of the city. As guests have commented, the city is on Riad Chi-Chi’s doorstep, providing a “brilliant location” for a whirlwind tour of Marrakech. However, its “backstreet” situation allows for an “unusually quiet” environment despite its inner-city status and therefore appropriate for a longer stay. Guests have also commented favourably on the mobile phones available to borrow in addition to the helpful staff that combine to provide a “reassuring” touch. 
Riad Chi-Chi was a really nice place to stay for a couple of days, reasonably priced, clean and with friendly staff (most of whom speak english). Riad ChiChi is located down a backstreet but dont let that worry you, it means that the riad is actually really quiet with hardly any noise pollution from real traffic, just the occassional scooter, donkey cart or rabble of children. We found our stay here very comfortable enjoying a dinner on our last night (as we were too tired to go for a restaurant in the square)we were pleasantly surprised with a chicken tajine with olives which tasted like the most authentic meal we'd had during our weekend.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 8.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 7.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 6.0 | Value for money | 8.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 7.0 | Overall rating | 7.1 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
We were picked up from the airport wth a taxi we had pre-arranged with Chi-Chi and swept off to the riad and taken to the front door with our bags. This level of hospitality continued throughout our visit with sweet pastries and mint tea as soon as we stepped in through the door, to a relaxing massage we requested the afternoon before our return flight. My husband and I stayed a total of four nights and by the end of it felt like we had made a really good choice choosing Chi-Chi. Whilst it may be plain in comparison to other Moroccan riads that show off a highly decorative Moroccan theme, we found it a relief to step into a white-washed environment after the dusty, crazy souks and the intricacy of visual elements in the nearby sights, like the musee de Marrakech. The location here is great, with only a few minutes walk away from these sights and others that the staff kindly advised us on. We would definitely think about returning and trying a differently geared trip as the riad mentioned that they can organize Atlas mountain trips, and after seeing them from the terrace, we really wanted to get closer.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 6.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 9.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 7.0 | Value for money | 8.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 8.0 | Overall rating | 7.4 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
Would love to come back here, as we only stayed two nights on our way back from Essaouira. The brilliant location meant we were lucky to see everything we'd planned in one afternoon and the following morning. Very helpful staff who organised our taxi, served an enjoyable breakfast and maintained a clean house, comfortably designed for guests like ourselves who were a little concerned of the heat we'd experience, as well as safety issues. However this place is fortunate for being hidden down a windy set of streets allowing is to be unusually quiet for the city and the guard who was on night -shifts in addition to the manager and the mobile phones you can borrow are reassuring elements.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 7.0 | Food and drink | 7.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 8.0 | Relaxation | 8.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 5.0 | Value for money | 8.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 9.0 | Overall rating | 7.4 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
View Riad Chi-Chi in a larger map