What are the best riads in Marrakech?

I get asked this more than almost anything, and my honest answer always starts the same way: there isn't one best riad in Marrakech, because a riad is a deeply personal choice and the 'best' one for a honeymooning couple is the wrong one for a family of five. What I can do is steer you through the real tiers and tell you what genuinely separates a wonderful riad from a forgettable one, because the medina has hundreds and the quality range is enormous.

At the top — the once-in-a-lifetime tier — the names that earn their reputation are Royal Mansour (technically a palace-hotel of private riad-style courtyards, built by the King, and the most opulent address in the city), La Mamounia (a grand historic hotel rather than a true riad, but a Marrakech institution with legendary gardens), and El Fenn, the bohemian-luxe riad co-owned by Vanessa Branson that I send design-lovers to again and again for its art, colour, and rooftop. These are special-occasion places, and they deliver.

Where most travellers actually want to be is the mid-range, and this is where Marrakech shines, because a beautiful authentic riad here costs a fraction of a bland chain hotel. I happily recommend the likes of Riad BE, Riad Yasmine (whose green-tiled plunge pool is one of the most photographed in Morocco), Riad Kniza (a restored family home run with real warmth and a genuine cultural pedigree), and Riad El Fenn's smaller cousins dotted through the medina. What they share is a true central courtyard, a usable rooftop, fewer than a dozen rooms, and hosts who treat you like a guest in their home rather than a booking number.

When you're choosing, judge a riad on four things rather than the photos alone. First, location: you want to be inside the medina for atmosphere but within a few minutes' walk of a gate or main artery, so a taxi can drop you close and you're not lost for twenty minutes with luggage. Second, a real rooftop terrace, which is where you'll have breakfast and sunset drinks. Third, the courtyard and whether there's a plunge pool, which matters enormously in summer heat. And fourth, the reviews about the host and the breakfast, because in a small riad those two things make or break the stay. Tell me your budget and your vibe and I'll match you to the right one — that's the real answer.