Chaouen Suite — 32 m² in the medina
The Chaouen Suite is the only guest room on the ground floor of Riad Dar Alhambra. The other six rooms share the single upper floor; this one has its level to itself. That makes it the most private room on the property — no corridor neighbours, no footsteps overhead from the landing — and the only one you reach without climbing a stair. It is a full 32 m² suite with marble floors, sculpted stucco and hand-painted ceilings, finished in the chalky blue of Chefchaouen, and it costs €150 rather than the €170 of the two upper-floor suites.
No stairs to climb — stated plainly
Most riads in the Marrakech medina are old courtyard houses with steep, narrow, winding staircases and no lift. Riad Dar Alhambra has no lift either. The difference is that this suite is on the ground floor, a few steps from the courtyard, so you never meet those stairs at all — not on arrival, not with luggage, not last thing at night. If stairs are something you plan a trip around, this is the room to book.
The most private room in the riad
Being alone on a floor is unusual in a seven-room riad, where rooms normally open onto a shared landing. Here nobody passes your door on the way to their own. Guests who want to disappear for a few days — or who sleep lightly — consistently do better in this room than in any other.
Suite-grade, at the lower suite price
It is the same 32 m² as the Royal and Dunes suites, with the same spa bath and seating area, for €20 less per night. The trade is the fireplace and the gallery archways of the upper suites, in exchange for the ground floor, the privacy and the marble.
Specification
| Room size | 32 m² |
|---|---|
| Category | Suite |
| Floor | Ground floor — the only room on its level |
| Beds | One double bed |
| Sleeps | 2 guests (a child counts as one of the two) |
| Bathroom | Private en-suite with spa bath |
| Outlook | Inward, over the courtyard |
| Climate | Air conditioning and heating |
| Terrace | Shared rooftop terrace, plunge pool in warmer months |
| Lift | None — the riad is an old medina house |
| Rate | From €150 per night, breakfast included |
Who this room is for
A good fit if you are…
- Anyone who would rather not climb stairs
- Light sleepers, and guests who want real privacy
- Couples wanting a suite at the lower of the two suite rates
- Longer stays — the easy access adds up over a week
Book something else if…
- Groups of three — the suite takes two guests
- Guests set on a fireplace, or on the upper gallery outlook
Inside the Chaouen Suite
What is included, and how you reach the room
Included in the rate
- Moroccan breakfast, made in the riad each morning
- Air conditioning and heating — both matter here; medina walls are cold in winter
- Fast free WiFi throughout the riad
- Spa bath and a separate seating area — included with all three suites, not with the standard rooms
- Private en-suite bathroom with free toiletries and a hairdryer
- Mini bar, flat-screen TV and a wardrobe
- Rooftop terrace, shared by all guests, with a small plunge pool open in the warmer months
- Daily housekeeping, and help arranging an airport transfer on request
Finding the suite, and getting to the riad
The riad is entered from a lane in the medina, and this room is a few steps off the courtyard on the ground floor — you do not use the staircase at all. Worth knowing before you arrive: the medina’s lanes are pedestrian, so a taxi cannot pull up to the door. The final stretch is on foot, and we can arrange an airport transfer and help with the walk in if you tell us your arrival time.
The rooftop terrace and its plunge pool are upstairs, so the room is step-free even though the property as a whole is not. The riad has no lift.
What is around you
Riad Dar Alhambra is inside the medina, the walled old city — which is the reason to stay in a riad rather than a hotel in Guéliz. The Ben Youssef Madrasa, the 14th-century Quranic school with the courtyard everyone photographs, is a two-minute walk from the door. The souks, the tanners’ quarter and Jemaa el-Fna are all walkable, and you come back through the lanes to a house where the noise simply stops at the entrance.
That is the trade a riad asks you to make: no car to the door, and in exchange a quiet courtyard house in the middle of the old city. Most guests decide it is the right one. More about the riad.
Comfort, as standard
The rooftop plunge pool is small and open in the warmer months — we would rather tell you that now than have you arrive expecting a swimming pool.
Chaouen Suite — questions
Is the Chaouen Suite really step-free?
Is it wheelchair accessible?
Why is it cheaper than the Royal and Dunes suites?
Will I hear the other guests?
Compare it with the others
What else the riad does
Your arrival transfer is included — the concierge meets you at the drop-off point and walks you in.