Great Riad. The facilities, rooms, common areas are very very well kept, clean, everything works, good toiletries, and your room is beautifully scented in the evening. Great sheets and bed. Very beautiful, the location is a little further away from the main square (15-20minutes walk) but very close to the Saadien Tombs and Bahia Palace.

Just came back from 3 nights at the riad lydines, although not a 5* as suggested by out tour operator, we were not disapointed ! staff were friendly and the general feel of the place was good, fantastic base right in the heart of the city, and a great place to stay for a few days, highly recommend

After a rather daunting taxi ride from the aiport to the back streets of the Kasbah in Marrakech we were very glad to arrive at this beautiful Riad.

If you are used to 5 star modern hotels then this type of accommodation will not be what you are expecting. If you go with an open mind and consider where you are staying you will love staying at this Riad as much as myself and my partner did. Please ignore some of the previous comments (unless you want to stay in a hotel with no character).

Our room (number 5) was beautiful and had every amenity we wished for. Yes there was no television in the room but if you cant go a week without one then this is not the place for you! There is probably a hilton or some equivalent nearby for you!

I feel I must now mention the staff at Riad Lydines. Nothing was an inconvinience for them, the cleaning was outstanding (room and public areas) and service was always with a smile! One evening my partner asked Mohammed (manager) if he had any playing cards to play on the terrace, he said no. Half an hour later there was a knock on the door and he had actually gone out to buy some for us! This is just a small example of what lengths the staff (Mohammed especially) would go to make our stay perfect. Breakfast was delicious, the only thing that I would mention is that croissants were a little bit hard but other than that there was a large range of things to choose from so it was perfect!

There is a small but quaint swimming pool on the ground floor which was sufficient for our stay. Lots of hotels let you use their pools at extra cost if you are really desperate for a proper swim.

I feel that the previous review of this hotel is very unfair and would ask you to look at all of his reviews before making your decision!

All in all our stay at Riad Lydines was excellent and I would certainly recommend it to cultured travellers who would like a taste of the "real Marrakech."

A brilliant Riad right in th heart of Marrakech (just a 10-15 minute walk from Jemna El Fna."

A big thank you to all the staff, we will not forget our stay at Riad Lydines very easily!

Riad Lydines is a lovely Riad and the staff are lovely and caring. They looked after us well and a good time was had. However it was somewhat overshadowed by the poor quality that the Angsana brand brought to bear. Let me explain.

First off, booking it. You cant call the Riad direct. Only through the booking line. So I spent hours on the phone to someone, somewhere in the world trying to negotiate a deal that was supposed to be svailable online. They booked it wrong, twice, and I eventually spoke to another bookings office in Morocco who sorted it out.

Then, arriving. It costs about 20dhm to go from the airport to Kasbah where the Riad is located. Probably you will get ripped off by a local taxi driver like we did and pay 80dhm or so. The Riad wants 400dhm for the pleasure - 2000% markup! We were very late arriving due to flight problems but we had no idea if anyone was still up to greet us in the Riad. The bookings line were not able to call the Riad directly and so we arrived blind. At 4.30am, finding the Riad is near impossible. If you find yourself in that position, go to Bab Agnaou and then past the Kasbah Mosque on the Rue de Kasbah. Then first left and then first right. You will come out on the square. From the mosque, you will need to go by foot for about 5 minutes walk.

As I said earlier, the people running the Riad are lovely and attentive. We made good friends with them and they made us very welcome. I must say though that a five star residence this is not. Go to La Sultana if you want five star. This is good three star living and is priced at European prices accordingly. Angsana seriously overplay the quality of this place!

Going on from there, booking any excursions through them is madness. A taxi to Essouaira for the day costs 900dhm - for the whole taxi (4 seats). Angsana want 985 per person. And on it goes with the corporate rip off culture. At the end they charge 10% extra for service. I liked the staff so I tipped them each separately. The delighted look on their faces made me speculate whether they ever see the light of the 10% that I paid, but I don't know for sure.

As to some general pointers, this Riad is right in the middle of Kasbah. It is a lively and noisy area and this is mirrored inside. The doors have big gaps in them which means you hear everything from the kitchen and you will be up for breakfast by 9am! That said, the rooms are nicely air conditioned and very clean. No roaches to be seen!!!

The Riad was empty for us for much of the stay and in these recessionary times, Angsana need to think how to up their game and start thinking about customer service rather than the upsell.