Riad Bousskri

I would be spending a few days here in Marrakesh prior to flying out. I thought that it would be a good idea to stay somewhere in the old medina of Marrakesh. I found one just within the walls of the old city. My first challenge was to get there. Fortunately for me, good old google found me a route which bring me very close to the riad. There is a bus stop just across the train station. Unfortunately, the bus stop here seems to be lost in a sea of vehicles. I wasn’t really sure where it was. I just thought to wait where a lot of people are waiting and hope for the best. The bus indeed came and I got on board. The driver understood English and I was able to pay.

The bus was packed and there weren’t any available seats. I have a large backpack with me and it can be awkward to have something like that in a packed bus. The riad was some distance away so I was balancing myself with the bag below so I wouldn’t be hitting anybody. My stop was actually the very last stop of the bus. It looks like there is a bus terminal somewhere. This area looks like it is very residential and it wouldn’t look that much different from the residential areas of Manila or Bangkok. Fortunately, the riad was not that far away. For some reason, these riads have this knack of hiding in plain sight. I was standing right in front of the riad when I had to ask someone for directions. Turns out they have a sign on the door but the sign was in the shade and it was difficult to read it. Perhaps I should have pointed it out to them.

I was welcomed by the lovely Ghizlane who works at the Riad Bousskri. My room was in the far corner of the ground floor and honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. It felt like a makeshift guestroom. The bed was actually two beds pushed together. The electrical socket was near the door and nowhere near the bed. The room itself was plain and nothing really interesting. The bathroom itself was better but you have to note that there is a window in the bathroom which opens to the central area. What’s more there is a table right beside the window so you need to very careful with this window and make sure you are aware that you or the staff might have left it open. Apart from the lackluster design of the room there wasn’t much to complain about. WiFi is a bit hard to receive to get because of the thick walls of the riad. It might be too much ask for repeaters all over the place. Maybe this is their way of telling me to disconnect. While all this might seem a bit negative, I had a pleasant stay at Riad Bousskri. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here the next time I come here.

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