Riad Dar Souihla Hotel

In Isolation

by bekahl about Riad Dar Souihla

The information on all the websites about this riad states that it is a 10 min drive from the centre of Marrakech, actually it is more like 10 miles and a twenty minute drive on a good day! The riad is not even in Marrakech and is totally out in the middle of nowhere. Also when we booked our stay at the riad it stated that it was bed and breakfast and that the breakfast was a hot one with bacon and eggs as a minimum, however, breakfast was actually 2 croissants each and some jam. We requested a late check in but when we arrived at 22:30 they were not expecting us at all and the grounds to the hotel were all locked up and no one was around. After telephoning the riad a few times finally someone answered and came to let us in, oh and we had requested a travel cot for the baby but we didn't have one in the room. When we spoke to one of the owners the next day she said that they had not received our requests.
However, after all the bad starts things did get better. The owners and their sons were lovely and really helpful. My 10 month old son needs medicine twice a day and it has to be kept in a refridgerator and the owners kept it in the hotel kitchen and brought it to us at breakfast and at night. They played with him and made sure we had everything we needed for him.
Our room was very large with a large lounge aswell as a big bedroom. We had both air conditioning and a ceiling fan. The riad has a pool which looked gorgeous but it was very cold and doesn't have a shallow end. The riad is very quiet with nothing happening. They serve basic meals and the food is good. The riad is not suitable for children due to the deep pool and the lack of entertainment. Friendly owners and a lovely pool.

Bus to the city

by bekahl

The bus to and from the area of the Riad Dar Souihla is the number 27. It runs every hour on the hour from the city centre and takes approx 30 mins to get near the riad. It costs 5 DRH per person.

Taxi from the airport

by bekahl

Taxi from the airport to the city centre costs around 150 DRH and to the Riad Dar Souihla it costs 220 DRH. We tried to haggle but all the taxi drivers were saying 300 DRH to the riad, we eventually got them down to 220 but it took a long time. Pretty hard to haggle when everyone says the same as they know you can't just go and get it cheaper with the next person.

Dar Si Said

by barryg23

The Dar Si Said was built around the same time as the Bahia Palace but it’s a much smaller building with far less lavish rooms and courtyards. It’s now home to the Museum of Moroccan Arts and contains a variety of exhibits from different periods of Marrakech's past. Like almost all Moroccan museums, the building itself is as interesting as the exhibits it contains. The collection is housed over two floors and there is also a nice garden in a courtyard at the back. It costs 20 Dh to enter. Dar Si Said is not far from the Bahia Palace, hidden in the back streets off Rue Riad Zitoun el Djedid. However, it’s well signposted and easy to find.

Morocco

by shreddies

"Caves of Hercules"

This picture is of the caves of Hercules near Tangier. It is supposed to look like the map of Africa, but I think it looks like a sea horse. It was dark and we had no lantern and I got wet when the waves came crashing in.

"Snakes and Lizards"

In the towns I like to watch snake charmers, They try and put snakes on you. Some of the snakes are cobras and they spread their necks out when the men play a pipe.

In the desert I chased lizards, they run very fast. The lizards are the same colour as the ground they live on. Once I caught one and it bit me and the tail fell off. Then the lizard pretended to be dead and lay still and the tail was like a very wiggly worm. My Mummy says that I had frightened it.

Some beetles rub their wings together to make a noise. They are very noisy and they give me a headache.

"Camels"

I rode a camel onto the dunes. When you are on a camel you are very high up. To let you get off they kneel down quickly and if you dont hold on tight you will fall off.

"Carpets"

Moroccan carpets are made on big looms, mostly in the country. They are made by four women sitting on one loom. They showed me how to thread the wool and use a metal fork to bash it down. I helped them for a bit and they laughed at me.

"Carpet shops"

In the towns they have carpet shops. They give you Fanta and Mint Tea, and even better you can run around and play hide and seek and tap. Noone shouts at you because you can't break anything. So I like Moroccan carpet shops a lot.