Compliments to the Owners ...

My husband and I stayed with the Riad Jonan over the Easter period. Though we arrived at 11 PM, we were welcomed by both Martyn & Howard and offered refreshments to start our stay. Chit chat and discussions about interests then started and we were offered a guided tour of central Marrakech by Martyn the following morning. I expected the tour to be a short walk to key area's and we would be on our way, however Martyn stayed with us for most of the day providing insightful and historical information about Marrakech. I especially enjoyed the tour of a spice shop that provided us with the opportunity to learn about different spices used in Morrocan cooking.

When we requested a tour to the Atlas Mountains, they organised a guide to take us there who was fantastic and met our needs at every whim. Even lending us cash when we ran out!

Both Howard and Martyn are a knowledge of information and are willing to give it whenever prompted. They organised everything that we needed, which took the hassle out of having to guess. The restaurants they recommended were spot on. Coming back to the Riad was like coming home to family.

When we left for the airport at 5 AM, Howard even got up to wish us off. I would recommend this riad to anyone that is planning a trip to Marrakech. The accomodation is comfortable and nicely decorated with morrocan style rugs and ornaments. The bathroom sink was particularly interesting as it was painted with flowers.

I would recommend Riad Jonan to anyone.

Absolute bliss....

Having just returned from a short break at the Riad Jonan, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is a haven of tranquillity and Martyn and Howard are the perfect hosts, providing hospitality and information on local attractions in a friendly and helpful way at all times. I will certainly return to recharge my batteries and enjoy the calm and peaceful atmosphere of Riad Jonan.

Thanks for a great time

We have just returned from a fantastic break in Marrakech staying at The Riad Jonan. Martin and Howard have created a beautiful, chilled out house with fabulous rooms and lots of areas to relax and get away from the madness of the Medina.

They were incredibly helpful with advice on what's good (and what's not) about Marrakech and nothing was too much trouble for them. We instantly felt at home (though this gorgeous house is nothing like my home sadly) and enjoyed their recomendations of restaurants and spas which were great.

This is a lovely place to stay and I would recommend it enormously.

Excellent haven

We have just had a wonderful stay at Riad Jonan in Marrakech. A small and homely setting run by Martyn & Howard who were excellent hosts - not overly intrusive but always around to give guidance and advice and to have a laugh with. The riad is extremely tastefully decorated Morrocan style and the fact that there are only 5 rooms makes it very personable. We had a superior room for the first 3 nights, and loved the offer of a laptop with DVD one night so we could watch a movie in bed! Also minibar and stereo which made us feel more at home. We enjoyed returning to this lovely haven after a hectic day out in the souks, and always found our hosts interested in what we had been up to, and then suggesting a good place for us to eat for the night, which was always very well recommended. Breakfast very good and just right. It's quite rare to stay in a place where you don't feel like you have to return to your room the minute you get back, but can easily sit and chat, have a beer or tea in the open courtyard, and also feel that your hosts are enjoying themselves too. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable stay and we felt rested and allowed to unwind from the moment we arrived. So much so that we returned a few days later from the coast to spend our last night there! Fully recommended and would love to return.

Romy & Andy, Brighton, UK.

A Great Base to Explore Marrakech

A friend and I have recently returned from a fabulous 3-night stay in Riad Jonan. Before booking, I checked the reviews on TripAdvisor and perhaps uniquely couldn't find a bad word about it. All I can say now is that the reviews are to be believed.

The place is lovely and a haven of tranquility very close to the crazy, wonderful, vibrant city that is Marrakech - within walking distance of the Medina and Jemma el Fna. Martyn and Howard, who rebuilt the place, and their staff are great hosts and their recommendations for restaurants and getting around are excellent.

I agree with an earlier reviewer who said that if you take a trip out of the city ask for Kabbour as your driver. And make sure you book in advance for Les Bains des Marrakech, just a short walk away.

All in all a great place. We will return and we will recommend Riad Jonan to friends.

The Place to Stay in Marrakech!

I have just returned from a weekend in Marrakech with 6 of my girlfriends. We stayed at the Riad Jonan on the Rue de la Kasbah and I have to say it was the most perfect weekend ever!

The riad is beautiful - a little haven off a bustling Moroccan street and down a small alleyway into the heart of the Medina. All the en suite rooms are slightly different but each as inviting and beautifully decorated as the next. For those of you who are fussy about where they stay, the Riad Jonan is clean, tidy and the bathrooms are to die for!

There are mini bars, safes and sound systems in (I think!) all the rooms and a selection of CDs to play - especially chosen by the owners as the soundtrack to your stay! There is a fab sound system in the salon where you can while away the hours sipping the freshly prepared mint tea and nibbling on the many tasty Moroccan delicacies that the riad will prepare for you if ordered in advance.

Sadly I can't comment on the terrace as the one weekend we chose to be there it rained and rained! But this didn't spoil our weekend one bit!

The owner, Martyn Hayes, was quite simply the perfect host! From the moment we arrived late on the Friday, to the moment we left on the Sunday he looked after us! He organised taxis, advised us on places to eat, the best bits of the Souk to visit.... He is a font of knowledge about what to do and where to go in Marrakech! And he will act as a guide should you wish to tour the city or Souks. All of my girlfriends thought he was a wonderful host and many of them said they would return to the Jonan with their boyfriends or husbands to spend more time in this vibrant and fascinating city.

I would recommend this riad to anyone looking for a great, friendly, beautiful (and incredibly reasonably priced!) place to stay in Marrakech!

Staying here made our holiday special

Staying at the Riad Jonan felt as if the owners, Howard and Martin, had been introduced to us by mutual friends. That's the only way to describe the hospitality on offer - it feels like staying with friends, rather than a soul-less commercial experience. The recommendations they gave on where to eat and what to do were 100% right - they are obviously great judges of character. Thanks to them, our stay there was wonderful despite unseasonable weather.

The Riad is wonderfully situated, with most main attractions in easy walking distance. It is like an oasis of calm compared to the bustle outside. Don't expect CNN in your bedroom and room service on the phone; if that's what you want, book into a chain hotel. However, I don't want to give the impression that the Riad is 'homely' (i.e. a dump) - it's not, it's been very pleasingly designed with a great interior courtyard and terrace with views to the Atlas Mountains.

My tips:

- have your first evening meal there. Martin cooked us a wonderful tagine, eat there and talk to the owners about what you want to do and see on your stay;

- if possible, do the day trip to the foothills of the Atlas mountains - ask for Karmour, he was a wonderful and caring driver. He's popular, so you might need to ask for this when you book your stay;

- get there fast, while you can get in, because I think everyone who goes there will recommend it to friends and family - I certainly will.

Pleasant stay

The previous reviews pretty much sum up the Riad Jonan. A few things to note:

1) You're best to get a taxi there from the airport. We would really have struggled to find the riad on our own as it's down a back alley way.

2) We visited in winter and found the room quite cold at night, and no heater. However, the bed had lots of blankets.

Hosts were very helpful and booked a nice Moroccan restaurant just down the road for us which came to £60 with wine. Huge & tasty servings!

Breakfast was great and the location is within walking distance of the medina and other main sites.

Recommended.

Great place!

I took a short break at the Riad Jonan in Marrakech to de-stress and can't praise it enough. This part of town was perfect, plenty of old town charm, walking distance of everything but not swamped with tourists. The Riad was really lovely. Food was great, really comfy rooms and plenty of atmosphere. The open central courtyard with the fountain was just a great place to unwind. Owners were really nice too. Happy to help but also happy to leave you alone. Great for the independent traveller.

Mystical Marrakech

We so appreciated the warm hospitality of Riad Jonan. Our hosts Martyn and Howard could not have done more to help us enjoy an amazing visit to Marrakech. They recommended and booked great restaurants, guided us to a beautiful spa and on our first morning Martyn took us on a tour of the old city which was a great initiation to a very different culture. At the end of each action packed day we could return to the comfort and atmospheric ambience of a beauifully restored Moroccan villa - Riad Jonan.