Note: if you are American, Riad D’Or doesn’t need your business…see update at the end.

It should have been perfect and for a few hours it was. Our room was large and light. We had a semi-private salon just outside our door. It felt as if we had the place to ourselves; a perfect escape from my in-laws house; a perfect place for my daughter to play and be loud; finally, a place where we would not disturb anyone. We ran around a zillij column in the main salon and pretended it was a tree. We giggled. We admired: “Mommy, it’s so beautiful!” The water was hot for our shower. So what if they forgot to leave us any soap? It was a fraction of the cost of staying at a riad in Fes.

The French Fry Fiasco

Riad 20 Jasmins is the reason why I skipped half of the Morocco Business Forum. I left the conference early on the second day to take a much needed nap. My room, the smallest and, ahem, least expensive room in the house, was towards the front of the building. I could hear medina life at all hours of the day and most of the night. People watching was off limits. My room’s window was above the alley, so all I could see was the small garden where black birds made a ruckus in the morning just after the morning call to prayer. Instead of napping I enjoyed the quiet of the riad when all other guests exhausted themselves with tours of the medina. I essentially had the salon to myself, wireless Internet access, and excellent examples of zillige tesselations, borders, and stars to contemplate.

Staying-in in Fes

A brief look the places I can’t afford to stay at in Morocco, and a few I can. Luckily, I am able to appreciate good design through photos.

Do you know of a Moroccan hotel that exemplifies good Moroccan design? Leave a comment and include a link to photos. Then we can all live together in a virtual Moroccan wonderland. Thanks.

Places I can't afford to stay at in Morocco