TRAVEL THE FREQUENT FLIER MARRAKECH SILVERSEA
TRAVELIFE MAGAZINE
What Lies BEYOND CHRISTINE CUNANAN returns to a riad in Marrakech that charmed her
B
y the time we reached the Riad Al Badia in the less touristy side of the medina of Marrakech, we were completely exhausted, having traveled over 36 hours door-to-door from Manila via Istanbul and Casablanca, and then having to navigate across a busy city just before the dinner hour and drag our suitcases through a dark cobbled alley for the very last leg of the trip.
WALLED SECRETS A short walk through this alley, however, and then we had before us our final destination: a simple heavy wooden door, which must have surprised my companion although he said nothing of it. He only understood later, you see, how such doors – literally the gatekeepers of life in the medinas of Morocco – are typical in a country of opulence and elegance beneath a veneer of deliberate understatement. Less typical perhaps was the effusive warm welcome of Laurent, a Frenchman who had done time in the Sahara desert before moving to Marrakech to run this tiny jewel of a riad we had traveled thousands of kilometers to stay in.
Peering at us from behind antiquated spectacles that softened his gaze, he said with genuine concern: “You must be hungry. We’ve set up a very nice table for you on the rooftop. Come up once you’ve had a chance to freshen up.”
“The riad’s tiny ground floor was just slightly larger than my living room, but within its whitewashed walls was an indoor pool with waters the color of jade green, that made me want to dip my feet in after the meal.” FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT In general, I don’t book small hotels because space matters to me and my luggage. But one night last year I’d had the opportunity to dine at this riad and I was instantly enchanted by the intimacy of everything.
The riad’s tiny ground floor is just slightly larger than my living room, but within its whitewashed walls, it held a reception area, a well-respected restaurant called La Table du Al Badia and an indoor pool with waters the color of jade, that made me want to dip my feet in after the meal. Even my suite, which was the largest of the riad’s six rooms, was simply furnished and miniscule by the standards of luxury establishments in Marrakech. It had a fourposter bed, a spacious cabinet, a sitting area with a lounging sofa, and a dressing table with a hand-hammered silver tray of amenities. I wanted for nothing.
MEMORABLE ROOFTOP I eventually found my way to the rooftop where Laurent and my companion awaited, amidst a homespun version of a fairyland under starry skies. Potted plants and intricately carved brass lamps with glass panes full of flowery scenes that Laurent and his team had painted themselves worked their magic on a table set simply for two on a terracotta-colored patio, to ensure we had a truly enjoyable dinner and that I had ever so sweet dreams of Marrakech that night. n
RIAD AL BADIA www.riadalbadia.com
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