Enchanting and mystical quality. At the same time...

La Maison de Marrakech was not a hotel, but a riad, a household. I came to feel as if my idiosyncrasies were tolerated, as those of an eccentric relation rather than a customer.

The key to my room had a pink tassel on it, and I left it in the door (outside the room) as was customary. Nothing was stolen. I was somewhat taken aback to be asked to leave my passport with hotel staff, but it was returned to me upon my departure.

My room was the Sheherazade suite. It was quite gorgeous, and a perfect place to set a seduction scene. My room was one level above ground level, and there was a balcony all around overlooking the courtyard, where breakfast was served, as well as functioning as a restaurant for lunch and dinner.

In spite of my privacy issues, I was able to leave the shutters in my room open. It was to let the breeze through, but I could have shut everything up and utilized the airconditioning. I found that I wanted to hear the music in the courtyard, the sounds of life in the streets, glimpse those who passed by, smell the various cooking and incense smells, etc. As I sat at my window typing, those who passed by often stopped to say hello, and I was able to respond without undue anxiety.

I was offered a free massage during my stay, but I was not able to get past my psychosis in this area, even though I had a knee problem that might have benefitted.

I tried some of the foods at the riad, including vegetable couscous, chicken tagine and pastilla au lait et aux amandes, and everything was excellent. The food in the nearby cafés and in the square was usually much less expensive, and also quite good. I did enjoy the complimentary breakfast at La Maison, but it was not completely Moroccan-themed. (Coffee or tea, freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh fruit salad, chocolate pastry, orange cake, a selection of pancakes, bread and toppings.) I liked the mint tea that was commonly served in Morocco, as well as the spiced olives that usually came as an appetizer.

The main square and the markets could be exciting, but at the same time it was difficult to deal with how often I was pressured to spend money or give money. The riad was often a refuge from the onslaught.

Note: I found it helpful while in Marrakesh to have some knowledge of/ability to speak French.