Riad Catalina

What an oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. You walk into a lovely courtyard filled with plants, centered by a fountain. You see turtles, birds, and are immediately greeted with an offering of delicious mint tea! The rest of your stay will be much the same. The food in the Riad is wonderful, the staff is friendly and helpful. Our room was a tad small, with a bed that was a bit challenging for a couple, one of whom is 6 ft 3- but that is the only challenge I can think of from a wonderful stay at Riad Catalina.

Great experience! The staff was friendly and helpful, the food was lovely, and the riad itself is beautiful. The only minor cons are that it is a little difficult to find initially (like most) and it's about a 7 minute walk to the jma-el-fnaa (we thought it was closer). But it was a great place and I will definitely stay here again.

My wife and I would strongly recommend this hotel. The taxi from the airport drops you approx. 350 yards from the hotel and an we were accompanied down a series of alleys to the hotel. I get the impression that most riads initally need a bit of help to find. Its location is very convenient - about a 5min. walk to the square. The area is quite safe and we never felt threatened. The riad staff were always extremely polite and helpful. Continental breakfast is very good. The swimming pool is small but useful for a cooling dip as opposed to a serious swim. We paid a bit extra and had a premium room/suite - something which I would recommend. For the record, my wife thought the style of the room was excellent. Ask for 104. ps This is the first time I have ever written a review - hope it is OK. pps The discerning gentleman should spoil himself and go for a wet shave, costing £1-50, at the old codger's place on the road to the square, you will not get a closer shave anywhere.

We as a couple wanted to stay in the centre of Marrakech to get a proper feel for the city and the buzz, this idylic Riad didn't disappoint! It's location is just fantastic with most things being a short walk away. Once you've found it and walk inside the big door it's like a little oasis of calm. The rooftop pool albeit small was perfectly adequate to cool us down on the days it hit 48 degrees! The sound of the prayers we found magical and we hope to return one day. The staff were extremely pleasant and accomodation always having a smile and a nod and rushing off to fetch you whatever you required wether it be cigarettes from a nearby store or some cold bottled water. The food also was well worth trying one evening...Just don't tread on the tortoises' we found one right under the step of our suite so he had a lucky escape! Thank you to everyone at Riad Catalina for making our stay so very memorable also, if you are worried about street sellers etc a polite 'no thankyou' accompanied with a smile seemed to work and we weren't hassled much at all, one pick pocket tried his luck by shoving a tshirt under our noses but soon ran off once we realised what he tried to do, just be sensible, cross body bags for ladies, zips fastened and no wallets hanging out your trousers for gentlemen. We never once felt threatened or ripped off, ask taxis to use the tariff or agree a fayre before setting off, carry plenty of small change for tips and you can't go wrong First Class Holiday

We were on a family trip to Morocco with our 8 and 13 yr old children - plan was high intensity Marrakesh for a few days then off to the beach at Essaouira. Riad Catalina was our base for the first bit. After a budget air trip in to Marrakesh leaving the airport in the dark for the short taxi ride to the Riad was a bit focussing...a discussion with the despatcher made sure that the driver was going the right place and then you arrive at the medina where you decamp to a chap with a trolley down ever smaller alleys - arriving magically at a big cedar door through which you are welcomed...and any travel stress melts away. Great traditional riad - accept the architecturally driven room compromise from international blandness; the small pool is great for a cooling submersion after a day in a great hot arabic city. Staff were great with all helpfulness. The combination of style (not very shabby chic), location and plain calming refuge makes this a great choice for a Marrakesh stay.

Its a very pretty Riad and we were very happy with the proximity to the Square...its tucked away into this maze that's far away from the noises of the Square and yet only takes 5 mins to reach the Square Very friendly and helpful staff....ask for Nadia...she speak several languages. They made restaurant bookings too and were just delightful. They will also for Euros 20 arrange cab from and to airport including escort to the Riad when you reach the Medina.

A lovely traditional Riad. Really peaceful. Very helpful staff. We upgraded to the Royal Suite at a modest charge, as our allocated rooms were small, but the suite was great. Breakfast was good with local fresh pastries, great coffee, bread and fresh orange juice We had dinner one night and that was fine.The situation was very good. All the main sites were within easy walking distance. Our stay of four nights gave us long enough to have a private day trip to the Atlas Mts which the Riad arranged and was well worth doing. Our airport pick up was spot on even though we were 45mins early. We would thoroughly recommend this Riad but be aware the cheapest rooms are small.

We stayed in room 5 I think.. A small room overlooking the central courtyard. The hotel was clean and close to everything. The Riad staff were amazing. They were very helpful and didn't try to push anything on us, in comparison to many riad owners in Morocco. This made for a very relaxed stay and I would definitely go back again.

This was a beautiful riad with wonderful, helpful staff. Most spoke good English. When we got there, it was dark and the taxi left us at the entrance to a dark alley way and told us to walk. We were a little nervous but there it was. It was absolutely beautiful and once we did the alley in daylight, we found it to be perfectly safe. The location is great near the market and souks. The only thing is that they take NO credit cards. There was a city tax that they asked for at the end of the stay that we did not know about. We almost did not have the cash to cover this and our taxi fare to the airport. I wish they had warned us at check in. But other than that, we were very pleased with the accomodations.

We very much enjoyed our stay at Riad Catalina. The staff was very pleasant and most helpful, the food was good (besides breakfasts we enjoyed a very nice dinner in the courtyard one evening), and the location was convenient for walking to the main square and other sights in the old city. Our room was tiny and a bit tired looking but rather quaint. The main courtyard of the riad was lovely, with a variety of lounging areas and tables and chairs complete with birds singing in the trees. If you like spas, do try a hammam while in Marrakesh. My sister and I had a wonderful experience at one, and definitely got our money's worth and more.