Origin Hotels - Riad El Faran

“Amazing Riad with incredible staff!!!! Highly recommendable”

I stayed 3 nights in this Riad and it is simply perfection. The place is beautiful and a little heaven in the middle of the Medina. You are walking distance to all important sites in Marrakesh. The staff is really the very best, the food is outstanding and breakfast is very generous. The setting ... more

I stayed 3 nights in this Riad and it is simply perfection. The place is beautiful and a little heaven in the middle of the Medina. You are walking distance to all important sites in Marrakesh. The staff is really the very best, the food is outstanding and breakfast is very generous. The setting is simply excellent, overall an amazing and unique experience that I would recommend to anybody visiting. Christophe, the Riad manager, is a one of a kind and very helpful to make your stay unforgettable. Simply Perfect!!!!

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“Excellent Riad”

Couldn't recommend the Riad or staff highly enough. It's a beautiful place, good breakfasts and really nice and helpful staff. It's well located for ease of access to airport as well as being in the medina and within walking distance of the attractions etc.

“A piece of paradise”

Positives- welcomed with transfer pick ups&greeting from the parking with short walk to Riad. We were greeted by Rashan (hope this is correct saying) &his wife who were always smiling, friendly&welcoming. They spoke little English, therefore we mainly communicated with nods&gestures, but we got b... more

Positives- welcomed with transfer pick ups&greeting from the parking with short walk to Riad. We were greeted by Rashan (hope this is correct saying) &his wife who were always smiling, friendly&welcoming. They spoke little English, therefore we mainly communicated with nods&gestures, but we got by. Had no official greeting from the manager? Unlike all the other reviews. I think we passed him on the stairs, but he did not officially introduce himself- which was a shame! The staff can not do enough for you here! Particular thanks to Abto who on several occassions escorted us to different places&picked us up later (which was so kind)& we tried to give him a tip, but he would not have it- he was so lovely. After the hustle&bussle of the soulks&square your really look forward to coming back to this place for unlimited (free) mint tea or coffee. Courtyard is so tranquil& terrace beautiful- we spent many breakfasts mornings up there. The staff lay your table out ready& food is generous with pancakes, bread, jams, yougurt& fruit. We ate at the Riad for 15drh they do Tagines- but you might get bored of these as they are everywhere. Food was good&they do wine etc (but alcohol is expensive). Rooms are amazing! We stayed in the Green one- large double. Bathroom tub is huge! Lovely hot water&cleabed everyday. It's only a 10min stroll to main square- get to the parking where all the taxis (donkeys) are then turn left- walk a good 10mins to end of road, when you see the horse&carts turn left the Square is down there- wonderful at night - sit on a cafe terrace& look out to the views. Most people would recommend you go in at night about 20:30pm because the alley ways can be busy with young teenagers& pick pocketing is quite common (but we had no trouble). I'd ask one of the staff to take you down if you arrive late as it can be confusing the first day&thr map didn't really help us or their directions, we still got lost! Once you get your barrings though its fine honestly. You always feel as if the staff are out to help you! Even if they struggle to communicate- shame the manager can not pay for them to have lessons as they are such lovely people. Do NOT follow people on the streets unless your willing to pay them! Nothing is FREE in Marrakech- everything is money orientated& I personally found this a down side after a while. It is fun haggling though don't get me wrong, just be aware there is a lot of FAKE stuff out there- fixed prices tend to be genuine, but check your saffron before you buy (put in warm water- if it goes any other colour than yellow- it's fake)- haggle low to start off with&just walk away they will soon have you back& shake your hand :) Negatives I would not recommend booking tours through the Riad~ we did this x2 & had trouble. First was to Atlas Mountains- we had no Itinerary so had no clue what the tour involved (the Riad recommended) first we paid up front for both trips, then once on the trips, were told by the driver (who again spoke no English) this is your kind, you pay him 300 dirham (£30). I did not like how we were not given a choice. On the desert trip to Zagora (2 days&1 night) it took 12 hours to get there (driver had no English) but he was lovely. We got there& found out we were doing a camel trip into the desert for an hour&half. On the way back the road was closed to get back into Marrakech and we had to drive around another 450km (14hour drive) then due to the language barrier the drivers boss rang asking if we could lend him £50 for fuel & he would give it us back. When we go back the driver didn't understand us when we asked for money& he said "Riad, ask Riad" We tried to sort it with the Riad (as we did book through them) &still did not get our money back! As we were told we had to pay this. The communication barrier was hard& it looked bad on the Riad, although we know it was not the staffs fault, they did their best. However I feel the manager could have possibly been around more to resolve issues such as this. I would not have booked this tour if I knew there would have been problems& I feel they took advantage of our trusting nature to lend the money. The Riad was particularly noisy on one night when a group of French back packers turned up& decided to stay up until 2:30 am, wake everyone up, smoke weed&play music on their phones&attempt to open our door out of confusion under the influence. They again woke us up at 6:00am so we were tired that day. The staff again were lovely& said they were kept up all nighy& u have to remember its THEIR home also! Overall I would come back to this Riad the good out way the bad& it is truly amazing due to the staff that run it! The manager could improve on a few communication issues.Marrakech is an insight into a wonderful experience& well worh a visit. Tip- visit Jardin Majorelle, Imlil- Kasbah du Toubkal (have lunch with views of Atlas Mountains), spend a night in Zagora desert (camp in a tent) the locals sing&play the drums. Visit Dar Zellij (Riad around the corner) amazing food, rose petals on Tables& live music. Thank you to all the staff for a wonderful Holiday. Take care Heather&Alan x

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“Tranquility in the middle of the Medina”

This Riad is a little gem hidden inside the enchanting medina of Marrakech. Although navigating your way to the Riad could initially be a bit of a challenge, after a while, when you have found your markers and signs, you will truly enjoy walking through the narrow streets of this old medina. Upo... more

This Riad is a little gem hidden inside the enchanting medina of Marrakech. Although navigating your way to the Riad could initially be a bit of a challenge, after a while, when you have found your markers and signs, you will truly enjoy walking through the narrow streets of this old medina. Upon our entry, we received a warm welcome from the manager as he started to explain the city of Marrakech while offering us a delicious cup of Moroccon mint tea. While the manager could speak English very fluently, communication in English was not that easy with the rest of the staff. This, however, did not stop them from showing us their friendliness and attentiveness through smiles and gestures. The Riad itself is an old Moroccon dwelling, renovated to perfection. The place is well organized and well decorated, and has a wonderful atmosphere with a pleasing scent. Our room was comfortable and big in size. Every morning we enjoyed our delicious breakfast which was served in a beautiful Moroccon style. This Riad offers various lounges and communal areas inside as well as outside on its roof terrace. Just know that internet access is rather limited in the old medina, even in the city's Cyber Park we had difficulties to connect to their WiFi. Due to the form of the old buildings, with their courtyards and interconnected areas, noises move around the dwelling quite easily, and this may cause some issues for a good night rest. As a final note, we would have appreciated a final visit--even for a brief moment--from the Riad manager upon our checkout. All in all, we had a wonderful stay at this Riad and would highly recommend this place to anyone traveling to Marrakech.

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