Our advice
One perfect day in Marrakech: the day we plan for our guests
It is the question we get every morning at breakfast, tea still in the pot: "so what do we do today?" Here is the answer we give, the one that works for almost everybody — the souk before the heat, a pool and lunch under the olive trees at the hour the medina turns into an oven, a shower back at the riad, and an evening that suits you. Plus, as a bonus, the day in the Agafay desert our guests are still talking about a year later.
A day in Marrakech, hour by hour
Marrakech runs on the sun: you walk in the morning, you find shade in the afternoon, you come back out in the evening. The whole day below follows that one rule. It works just as well for a first three-day visit as for a week — you simply repeat it and change the addresses.
Breakfast, then an early start
Freshly squeezed orange juice, warm msemen, olive oil and jams: our housekeeper serves breakfast on the terrace, at the hour you tell her the evening before. Take it early. An hour gained in the morning in Marrakech is worth three in the afternoon.
Getting lost in the souk, before the crowds
The stalls raise their shutters around 9am. It is the best moment: the lanes are still breathable, the craftsmen have time to talk, and the light comes down in shafts through the reed roofs. From our door, count eight minutes on foot to Jemaa el-Fna, and the souk starts right behind it.
Off to the Beldi Country Club
When the medina turns into an oven, you leave it. A little taxi takes you beyond the ramparts in a quarter of an hour, into some fifteen hectares of rose gardens and olive trees. The day pass gives you the pools and includes lunch: the most restful afternoon of the whole stay.
Shower, terrace, sunset
You come home, you shower, you climb back up to the terrace while the sky turns orange above the rooftops. This is the moment you decide on the evening — and often the moment you ask us to book a table.
The party or the quiet, your choice
Two opposite directions, two very good evenings. Le Comptoir Darna to dine, watch the dance show and slide into the club. L'Mida for carefully made Moroccan cooking, served on a rooftop facing the Koutoubia, with no loud music and no alcohol.
The morning: getting lost in the souk
It all starts at our door, at 50 Derb Fondouk: we are in Sidi Mimoun, opposite the Royal Palace, eight minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna. You walk up towards the Koutoubia, cross the square while it is still quiet — at that hour the snake charmers are barely setting up — and the entrance to the souk opens just behind it.
After that, you have to accept getting lost — that is rather the point. The souks of Marrakech are not visited with an itinerary, they are wandered through. But if you want a thread to follow, take this one: go in by Souk Semmarine from Jemaa el-Fna, the long covered artery lined with fabrics, babouches and copper lanterns. Drift down towards the Rahba Kedima, the spice square, with its pyramids of cumin and ras el hanout and its straw baskets stacked to the sky. Then head up to the dyers' souk, where freshly dyed skeins of wool hang drying above the lane. In the middle of the morning the sun comes through them: it is the finest photograph you will bring home from Marrakech.
Your host's tipSet off between 9am and 9.30am, and plan to be home by 12.30pm. After midday in summer the medina goes comfortably past 40 °C and you stop enjoying anything at all. On Fridays many craftsmen close in the middle of the day for the main prayer: that is the day to leave earliest.
Haggling without losing your whole morning
Bargaining is not a confrontation, it is a conversation — and it is held with a smile. The rule we give our guests comes down to three moves: let the seller name his price first, never pay more than a third of what he asks at the start, and counter below what you are actually willing to spend. Show interest, but do not rush: the price always drops when you have time. And if it does not drop far enough, there are three identical stalls in the next lane.
The classic traps of the medina
The only real nuisance in the souk is the fake guides. They approach you in French or English, with a well-rehearsed script: "I'm a student, I'm flying home next week", "I'm the craftsman's son", "there's an official cooperative, just over there". The aim is always the same — to walk you into a shop where they take a commission on whatever you buy, a commission you pay without realising it. Politely refuse all unsolicited help, take out your phone and follow the map: you never stay lost for long in the medina. Leave your passport, bank cards and jewellery at the riad too, and carry nothing but change in a zipped pocket.
Midday: the Beldi Country Club day pass
This is the tip our guests thank us for most. About fifteen minutes by taxi from the medina, on the Route du Barrage, the Beldi Country Club is a fifteen-hectare estate built like a pisé douar, in the middle of rose gardens, olive trees and vegetable plots, with the Atlas behind. You take a day pass for the day: access to the pools — there are several, some heated in winter and two for children — a lounger, and lunch served on site, Moroccan and Mediterranean cooking following the seasonal vegetables.
In practice, you arrive around 1pm, you have an unhurried lunch, you spend the afternoon between the water and the shade of an olive tree, and you head back as it cools. Reckon on around €40 to €50 per person for the package with the meal — less if you take pool access only. Rates move from one season to the next: call to confirm when you book, or ask us to do it.
Your host's tipBook, always — the loungers go quickly. And come on a weekday if you can: at weekends the place is taken over by Marrakchis and you lose exactly what you came for. Do look in at the Chabi Chic shop on site as well: it is a chance to bring home pretty, well-made presents without going back through the souk negotiation.
Out to the Beldi or a day at the riad: how we choose
The question comes up every day, and the answer depends mostly on the morning's programme. After a big morning in the souk, the Beldi is perfect: the scenery changes, you eat without thinking about it, you do not set foot in the medina again before 6pm. But if you have visited a monument and simply want to escape the hardest hours, there is no need for a taxi — our private pool, up on the terrace does exactly the same job, three steps from your bedroom, and it is shared with nobody. It is our most frequent answer to the question "what do you do in Marrakech when it is too hot?": nothing at all, and by the water.
The evening: the party or the rooftop
You are back, you have showered, the terrace still smells of sun. All that is left is to choose your evening. We suggest two, and they are nothing alike.
Le Comptoir Darna — dinner, show and dancing
This is the institution of Marrakech nightlife, open since 1999 in the Hivernage quarter, five minutes by taxi from Jemaa el-Fna. You dine in an oriental setting, somewhere between Moroccan cooking and an international menu, and around 10.30pm the lights drop: the dancers come down the staircase to the drums, the gnawa musicians take over, and the whole room stands up. After the show a DJ takes the room on and the restaurant becomes a club until the small hours. Reckon on around 450 to 500 MAD per person for dinner, drinks not included.
Your host's tipBook for 8.30pm or 9pm, not 7pm: you will dine at your ease and the show will arrive at exactly the right moment, without three hours waiting at the table. And above all, warn everyone about the dress code — it really is enforced. Smart dress: a dress, a shirt, trousers. No shorts, no flip-flops, no caps, even if you have come straight from the pool.
L'Mida — the rooftop that takes your breath away
For a quieter evening, this is our favourite address in the medina. L'Mida occupies a Marrakchi house a step from the spice square, and its terrace is one of the highest in the old town: you dine facing the minaret of the Koutoubia, with the line of the Atlas behind. The kitchen is led by Nargisse Benkabbou, who takes the Moroccan classics — slow-cooked shoulder of lamb, kefta, fish tagines — with a precision and a freshness that make you forget the tourist menus of the quarter. You order several plates and share.
Your host's tipThree things to know before you book. Ask explicitly for a table on the rooftop: the room downstairs is pleasant, but it is the terrace that makes the trip. Aim for sunset. And be aware that the house serves no alcohol — the list of juices, infusions and alcohol-free cocktails is superb, but you are better off knowing beforehand. A deposit of 100 MAD per person is taken at booking; it comes off the bill.
A day in the Agafay desert
If you only make one excursion out of Marrakech, make it this one. The Agafay desert begins some forty kilometres south-west of the city, barely three quarters of an hour by road. And we should say it straight away, because it is the classic disappointment: it is not a sand desert. No golden dunes, no Sahara — hills of grey stone, dry and rolling, an almost lunar landscape running to the foot of the snow-topped Atlas. When you know what you have come to see, it is spectacular. When you are expecting Lawrence of Arabia, you go home let down.
What makes Agafay unforgettable is crossing it on wheels. The tracks wind between dry riverbeds and Berber villages, the dust rises behind you, and you stop on a ridge for mint tea under a tent. The guests who have done it talk about it as the strongest moment of their stay — often well ahead of the monuments.
Who we suggest you ride with
We recommend Adventures Wheels, based in Tameslohte, at the gates of Agafay. This is not the standardised quad excursion you will be sold in the street: they ride Can-Am Outlander MAX DPS quads and Husqvarna FE 450 enduro bikes, serious, well-maintained machines, with helmets and gloves provided and guides who know the ground. Formats run from a two-hour outing to a full day, and the route is adapted to the group's level — that is the thing to spell out when you book, whether you are a family trying it out or two friends who want to ride.
There is no published price: you write to them, describe what you want, and they come back with a proposal. Do contact them directly, or ask us to do it during your stay.
Your host's tipGo early in the morning or in the late afternoon, never at midday: in summer Agafay goes past 40 °C and the noon light flattens the whole landscape. Late afternoon is the best slot — the stone turns to gold, then to orange, and you can carry straight on to dinner under the stars. Take closed shoes, long sleeves, sunglasses, something to cover up with for the evening (winter nights drop to a few degrees) and above all cash in dirhams: cards are rarely taken out there.
If you are staying longer
The day above is the foundation. For a stay of three days or more, here is what we add, in this order of preference.
- El Badi Palace and the Saadian Tombs — a few minutes on foot from the riad, best done in the morning straight after breakfast, before the heat.
- The Majorelle Garden and the Yves Saint Laurent museum — ten minutes by car, to be booked online in advance and visited at opening: it is the busiest place in the city.
- A traditional hammam — the right moment is the last afternoon, the day before you leave. Ask us: we have our addresses, whether you want the authentic neighbourhood one or the spa.
- Jemaa el-Fna at dusk — the square only comes alive at sunset, when the grill stalls set up and the circles form around the storytellers.
- A day out in the Atlas or to the Ouzoud falls — a full day, best placed in the middle of the stay.
What we arrange for you
None of this is complicated, but everything is simpler when somebody on the ground takes care of it. We book your tables, we call the Beldi to confirm the day's rate, we order the taxi and settle the fare before you get in, we write to Adventures Wheels to set up the quad ride to suit your level, and we tell you honestly when a place is not worth the detour. Our housekeeper can also cook dinner at the house on the evening you no longer feel like going out.
That is the advantage of renting a whole house rather than a hotel room: your hosts live here, and you have only to ask. Riad Sasha is never let room by room — the riad's three bedrooms and the terrace are yours alone, for up to six guests, eight minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna. That is what makes this day easy: between two outings you come home, not into a hotel lobby.
Frequently asked questions
What can you do in Marrakech in one day?
The day we suggest comes in three parts: the souks of the medina between 9am and midday, before the crowds and the heat; the afternoon beside a pool outside the city, at the Beldi Country Club, on a day pass that includes lunch; then an evening in town, dance and music at Le Comptoir Darna or a quiet dinner on L'Mida's rooftop. In between, you come back to the riad for a shower and a nap.
What time should you go to the souks in Marrakech?
Between 9am and midday. The stalls open around 9am, the lanes are still walkable, the craftsmen have time to talk, and the light falling through the reed roofs is at its most beautiful. From 1pm in summer it is far too hot to walk anywhere. On Fridays many craftsmen close in the middle of the day for the main prayer.
Is the Beldi Country Club day pass worth it?
It is our number one tip for the afternoon. The estate sits about fifteen minutes by taxi from the medina: some fifteen hectares of rose gardens and olive trees, several pools, a few of them heated in winter, and lunch served under the trees. Reckon on around €40 to €50 per person for the day with the meal. Book ahead, and come on a weekday if you can: weekends are very busy.
Where should you go out at night in Marrakech?
Two addresses, two moods. Le Comptoir Darna, in the Hivernage quarter, is a restaurant-club open since 1999: you dine, then watch the dance and music show around 10.30pm, before the night turns into a club. Smart dress is required. For a quiet evening, L'Mida serves carefully made Moroccan cooking on one of the highest rooftops in the medina, facing the Koutoubia — no alcohol, and you have to book the rooftop.
Do you need to book restaurants in Marrakech?
For the sought-after places, yes, and ideally 24 to 48 hours ahead. At Le Comptoir Darna, book above all at weekends and from April to October. At L'Mida, booking is essential for a rooftop table and a deposit of 100 MAD per person is asked for — it comes off the bill. If you are staying with us, just say the word: we call for you.
Is the Agafay desert worth the trip?
Yes, as long as you know what you are going to see. Agafay lies some forty kilometres from Marrakech, about three quarters of an hour by road, and it is a desert of stone, not of sand: grey mineral hills, almost lunar, with the Atlas as a backdrop. Guests who go looking for Sahara dunes come home disappointed; those who come for the landscape and the late afternoon light never forget it.
How do you get around by taxi in Marrakech?
The little beige taxis are everywhere and run on a meter, but the meter is not always switched on: agree the fare before you get in. Keep change in dirhams, as many drivers do not take cards. For the Beldi or the airport, the simplest thing is to ask us to order the ride: we know the going rate and the driver comes right to the entrance of the derb.
When is the best time to visit Marrakech?
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November: warm days, mild evenings, and a pool at the right temperature. Summer is crushing, often above 40 °C — you live early in the morning and at the end of the day. Winter brings beautiful sunny days and cool nights: it is the season for terraces in the sun rather than swimming.
Prices and opening hours noted in August 2026 and given as a guide only: they change from one season to the next. Check them with the places themselves when you book — or ask us, and we will call for you.
See also
- Riad Sasha: the whole house, quiet in the medina
- The riad's private pool and panoramic terrace
- Sidi Mimoun: the neighbourhood and walking distances
- The riad photo gallery
- Check availability and book direct
Book direct with Virginie & Régis — no service fee.