Where to Stay in Ouarzazate With a Family

Deciding where to stay in Ouarzazate with a family is easier than it looks, because the town is small and the good options are not the expensive ones. We picked a riad, of course. After reading more reviews than I would like to admit, we booked Riad Chay for two nights on the way to the desert, and it turned out to be one of the nicer stays of our whole Morocco trip. Here is what it was actually like with a three year old and a seven year old.

Where to Stay in Ouarzazate With a Family: Riad Chay

We opted to stay in a riad of course!  No surprise.  I did some research on the best riad in Ouarzazate.  After reading many, many reviews of riads, hotels and bed and breakfasts in the Ouarzazate area, I happily settled on Riad Chay.  It did not disappoint!

Riad Chay feels most like a bed and breakfast as a westerner might expect.  There are somewhere around 6 suites.  Ours was extremely spacious, one of the many reasons I chose this place.  Our suite was two rooms in size, great for the kids (but mostly mom and dad!) to have their own space.The rooms had everything we could need.  The split system worked great and cooled the room quickly, probably the most important item in the middle of summer.  I can’t recall the wifi being terrible, but I always travel with portable wifi just in case, as I usually have to work intermittently.

The staff was extremely pleasant.  The younger men that cared for us, and lived on site, were thoughtful and attentive to all of our needs.  They spoke english very well.  They even offered to take Viona and I around to see their garden and animals while our youngest was napping.  Viona was so excited to receive a fresh cut rose from the garden!Breakfast was included in our stay.  You have the choice of where you would like to eat.  We chose the terrace both mornings because the view is beautiful and the weather is temperate in the summer mornings.  The breakfast here was one of the better ones of our trip.  Their egg dish was SO good! I keep trying to recreate it at home, unsuccessfully…(crying).

The location is outside of the city, closer to the movie studios, and near a Kasbah.  While it did feel a bit remote, we were still only 5 minutes to a large gas station/grocery mart center, and 5 minutes to the film studio lots.  Overall it was a wonderful experience and such a lovely stop on our way to the desert.  There are a few luxury hotels in Ouarzazate, but the cost is so much higher and I still read a lot of negative reviews of those places.  The reviews for this place were consistently great and the cost for the space and experience you get was bar none.  You can see more photos and read the guest reviews on the Riad Chay listing.  Even though it is rated a 3 star hotel, it really is more in line with a 4 star hotel.  After reading the many reviews, this really could be the best riad in Ouarzazate.

Tips for Choosing Where to Stay in Ouarzazate With a Family

If you are comparing places yourself, these are the things that actually mattered to us.

Ask about the room layout before anything else. Our suite was two rooms, which meant the girls could go to sleep while we were still awake, and on a long road trip that one detail is worth more than any amenity list.

Check that the room has a proper split system. We were there in high summer, and being able to cool a room quickly at the end of a hot day is the difference between a good night and a bad one.

Think about location honestly. Riad Chay sits outside the city, closer to the film studios and near a kasbah, so it does feel a little remote. In practice we were five minutes from the studio lots and five minutes from a large gas station and grocery mart, which is all we needed.

Take the included breakfast if it is offered. Ours was one of the better breakfasts of the trip, we ate on the terrace both mornings, and not having to find food with two hungry kids before 9am is its own kind of luxury.

Do not over trust the star rating. This place is listed as a three star and felt more like a four, while the actual luxury hotels in town cost considerably more and had noticeably worse reviews. Read the reviews rather than the category.

One practical note: bring a portable wifi device if you need to work at all. The riad wifi was fine, but coverage across Morocco varies and it is a cheap insurance policy.

What made it work with kids, specifically, was the size of the place. A property with around six suites means the staff know who you are by the second morning. The young men who looked after us lived on site, spoke excellent English and were genuinely warm with the girls. While our youngest was napping they offered to walk Viona and me around the garden to meet the animals, and she came back holding a rose someone had cut for her. That is not something you can book, but it is the kind of thing that happens at a small place and almost never happens at a large one.

The terrace is worth planning around too. You choose where you want breakfast, and we picked the terrace both mornings because summer mornings here are still cool and the view is the whole reason to be up early. The food was one of the better breakfasts of our trip, and I am still failing to recreate their egg dish at home.

If you are travelling in high summer, plan the day around the heat the way you would anywhere in southern Morocco. Out early, back to the room through the worst of the afternoon, out again toward evening. A room that cools down quickly is what makes that rhythm possible, which is why the air conditioning question is not a fussy one.

There is more of the town in our Ouarzazate with kids guide, plus the best things to do in Ouarzazate with kids, where to eat in Ouarzazate and how the girls handled the days here.