A rooftop terrace and plunge pool above the medina

Daybeds, lanterns, minarets on the skyline, and a small plunge pool for the warm months. It is where guests end up spending the afternoon.

Up top

The terrace

The roof is the second living room of the riad. Shaded daybeds under sail canvas, low seating, bougainvillea over the rail, potted olive and palm, and lanterns once it is dark.

The view is the medina itself — flat terracotta roofs running to the minarets, and the Atlas mountains behind them on a clear winter morning.

It is shared by all seven suites, which in a house this size means it is rarely busy and often empty. No sun-lounger politics.

Breakfast happens up here if you want it to. So does dinner, and so does the hour after a hammam, which is arguably the best use of it.

Rooftop lounge with white seating, coral cushions and bamboo ceiling at Riad Dar Alhambra Marrakech

Rooftop plunge pool with green zellige tiles and a minaret beyond, Riad Dar Alhambra

The water

The plunge pool

There is a small plunge pool on the roof, open in the warmer months, tiled in green zellige with a minaret behind it.

It is for cooling off in forty-degree heat after a morning in the souks — three strokes and you are at the other end, and that is exactly what it is for.

Being straight with you: this is a plunge pool, not a swimming pool. It is small, it is on the roof, and it is open in the warmer months. We would rather tell you that now than have you arrive expecting lengths.

Rooftop terrace with sun sails, daybed and plunge pool at Riad Dar Alhambra Marrakech

Rooftop daybed with medina views at dusk, Riad Dar Alhambra

Rooftop terrace with daybeds and city views, Riad Dar Alhambra

Rooftop lounge with terracotta cushions and minaret view, Riad Dar Alhambra

Bougainvillea in bloom on the rooftop of Riad Dar Alhambra

Rooftop with blue daybed and palm, Riad Dar Alhambra Marrakech

Breakfast on the rooftop with pastries and juices, Riad Dar Alhambra

Through the day

What the roof is for

Morning. Breakfast, if that is where you want it — it is served wherever you like, and up here is the popular answer. Quiet, and the light is good.
Midday. Shade under the sails, and the plunge pool when it is hot. This is the part of the day the medina is hardest work, so most people come back for it.
Late afternoon. The call to prayer goes up across the rooftops from several directions at once. Worth being up here for at least once.
Evening. Lanterns, and dinner at a table on the terrace if you have asked Khadija for one.

Questions

About the pool and the terrace

Does the riad have a pool?

Yes — a small plunge pool on the rooftop terrace, open in the warmer months. It is for cooling off rather than for swimming lengths.

Is the pool heated, or open all year?

It is open in the warmer months. If you are coming in winter, plan on the terrace rather than the water.

Is the terrace private to my room?

No. There is one rooftop terrace, shared by all seven suites. With a house this small it is rarely crowded and frequently empty.

Can I have breakfast on the roof?

Yes. Breakfast is served wherever you would like it — the rooftop, the courtyard, or your own room.

Can we have dinner up there?

Yes. Chef Khadija’s three-course dinner can be laid on the terrace or in the courtyard. Tell us during your stay.

Is there shade?

Yes — sail canvas over the seating and daybeds. Marrakech sun in July is not something to face unshaded.

How do I get up to the roof?

By the main staircase. The riad is an old medina house and there is no lift, so the terrace involves stairs. If that is a problem, the Chaouen Suite is on the ground floor and we can bring things to you.