Riad Bab Berdaine

When I first arrived at Meknès, I head straight to the riad where I was staying, left my stuff there and head straight out for lunch. I never got to get a closer look at the riad but now that I have been to the medina and beyond, I have my chance to see the riad. Riad BAb Berdaine is probably one of the first riads that would come up in your searches. I think this is also the experience of others since there were other people also staying in the same place. The riad is on the fringes of the medina. It is in a quiet residential area so you think it might be little difficult to find. Amazingly, I managed to find the riad very easily. This is probably the first riad which I didn’t have call up.

The host was a very jolly fellow and he made me feel at home. The riad itself is large and has several floors. I was hoping to those nice rooms in the ground floor but I was brought all the way to the top. Not only that, I was brought to the roof top which I thought was strange. Apparently there was another room there which looks totally separate from the rest of the riad. I believe there are also rooms for the staff here in the rooftop but my room seems to be one for guests. The room is delightfully decorated in Moroccan aesthetics. It was actually quite large with three proper beds and two long sofas which could also be beds in a pinch.

It got chilly at night but there was air-conditioning with heating so it was nice and toasty in the room. I notice that the rooms aren’t sealed from the outside probably because they don’t really need it compared to Europe. The bathroom, while spacious, could have been better. There were no shower curtains, so be prepared to make a mess here. There were unsightly cracks on the bathroom walls but everything else was functional. The common area of the riad was lovely with three grand, wooden doors which lead to individual suites in the riad. The central area is open all the way to the top to let sunlight in. This is a common layout for riads and I think it is very practical. It helps with illumination during the day and it also helps with air circulation which doesn’t happen much especially with the lower floors.

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