Kasbah, Medina

Les Jardins de la Medina

★★★★★

Les Jardins de la Medina is the best-value way to have a riad's character and a garden's space in the old city. The hotel occupies a former princely residence in the Kasbah, the quieter southern district of the Medina, just steps from the Royal Palace. A French family from Toulouse bought and restored the property and opened it as a hotel in 2001, and it has remained family-owned ever since, which shows in the warmth of the welcome and the many returning guests. What sets it apart from almost every other hotel inside the walls is the garden: some three thousand square meters of lawns, orange trees and century-old palms, with bougainvillea on the walls and a swimming pool at its center, a genuine green retreat after a morning in the souks. Rooms are arranged around courtyards and the garden in a style that blends traditional Moroccan craft, zellige, carved wood and tadelakt, with comfortable, uncluttered furnishings, and categories range from standard rooms to larger superior rooms and suites, some opening onto the garden. The restaurant serves Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes, with meals in the garden or beside the pool in good weather and in the salons in winter, and the hotel publishes guides to the city and the region on its own blog. A wellness center offers hammam and massage treatments. The Kasbah is one of the most pleasant parts of the Medina to stay: calmer than the area around Jemaa el-Fna, with the Saadian Tombs, the Kasbah Mosque and the great gate of Bab Agnaou nearby, and the El Badi and Bahia palaces within walking distance. It suits travelers who want space and greenery without paying palace prices.

Who it suits: couples and families on a mid-range budget who want a pool and a garden, first-timers who prefer the calmer Kasbah to the busy lanes around the square, and travelers who want a hotel with full services rather than a tiny riad. Children have room to play in the garden, and the pool is a lifesaver on hot afternoons. Light sleepers should ask for a room away from the restaurant areas.

Location math: the hotel is in the Kasbah near the Royal Palace. The Saadian Tombs and Bab Agnaou are a few minutes on foot, El Badi and the Bahia Palace around ten to fifteen minutes, and Jemaa el-Fna about fifteen to twenty minutes on foot or a short taxi ride. Taxis can reach the Kasbah more easily than the heart of the souks, which simplifies arrivals and evenings out.

Practical notes: rates are in the mid-range for Marrakech and offer strong value for a hotel with a pool and gardens inside the walls; they rise in spring, autumn and over the festive season. Garden-facing rooms are the ones to request. A per-person tourist tax is added per night. Book dinner in the garden on your first evening, then use the Kasbah's rooftop restaurants nearby for variety.