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What is a Riad?
A Riad or Ryad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden in the patio – the word Riad comes from the Arabian term for garden.
Since not every family could afford such an immense construction, a Riad often was for those born in privilege.
The riads were inward focused, which allowed for family privacy as well as protection from the hot weather in Morocco, which is the reason why most of them are found in cities inland.
The rooms and suites of each individual or part of the family all give out on this patio, which is often living room, garden, dining room or play ground alike.
Nowadays often looked at in a negative light, the riads owe much to the existence of the harem principle, in which a man was allowed to marry with more than one woman. The names of many riads still lovingly refer to the favourite honey of a grandfather or the woman that made the riad stand out.
Fes alone boasts not less than 12.000 Riads - the whole Medina has been declared Patrimonium of Humanity.
Riads nowadays
Nowadays travellers only know a Riad as a typically Moroccan guesthouse. Indeed, many riads have been converted into guesthouses, and the word has almost become a synonym for a traditional Moroccan guesthouse.
This evolution finds its roots in a combination of reasons:
With the evolution towards a ‘tourist industry’ and travelling having become more and more industrialised, many travellers wanting to step out of the here and now, are very much attracted to the love for the tradition that a riad guesthouse can offer. A stay in a good riad guesthouse can indeed provide the ‘real thing’; a perfect basis for truly knowing the country.
With the houses being such mansions, and the harem system belonging to the past, few are the families that can still afford so much space and maintenance. Keeping the tradition alive by converting their house into a guesthouse is then a logical step.
At the other side, many are the hoteliers from abroad that thought of the riad as an ideal and original hideaway or getaway for travellers; also they have largely contributed to the revival of those houses that can also safely be named ‘patrimonium of humanity’ themselves.
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Riad Sara, Fes
Authetic and cosy, small Riad in Sara in the medina provides a very calm and pleasant atmosphere
Prices from 73€
It is said that in Marrakech alone there are no less than 800 riad guesthouses. So how did we make our selection?
To provide our guests with a true riad experience, we opted for a combination of various important elements:
First of all many of our riads are managed by families. The family aspect being so intrinsically linked to the tradition of the houses, a family management results in a more traditional and altogether nicer atmosphere.
Secondly, we opted for management that is either rooted in the region, either stems from the house itself, that was born in the house, or has started the reconstruction itself with great care for the authenticity and of the neighourhood.
Thirdly, to safeguard continuation and avoid confusion, experience in hospitaly is a conditio sine que non.
Many Riads may be asked by travel agents to start with a swimming pool, with the promise that they will send more guests... out of respect for the true nature of the old construction and the tradition, some of our Riads prefer not to do so - a standpoint we greatly admire, as it shows long term vision, towards the past and the future alike. After all, you want to stay in a Riad for the Riad experience.
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