Dar Darma is squirrelled away on a cobbled side street in the medina’s ancient El Moukef neighbourhood, a 15-minute stroll from the sensory saturnalia that is Djemaa El Fna, Marrakech’s mesmerising main square.
Planes
Menara International Airport is a 20-minute drive from the riad. Private transfers are available on request and cost €25 one-way; transfers for stays of three nights or more are free.
Trains
Also around 20 minutes away, Marrakech train station connects the city to Casablanca, Rabat, Fez and other destinations. Transfers are again free for stays of more than three nights, or €20 otherwise.
Automobiles
Even the most experienced Marrakech cabbie may baulk at squeezing their pride and joy down the tiny narrow street on which Dar Darma is located. Perpetually heavy traffic around the centre also means you might be better off experiencing the city on foot. However, you can rent a car at the airport should you so wish. Parking is available at a garage just round the corner from Dar Darma.
Worth getting out of bed for
You don’t have to look far for things to do when staying at Dar Darma. The riad kitchen, for a start, where chef/wizard Maria hosts regular cooking classes (at 11.30am, Monday to Friday, for €60 a person) in which you’ll learn to prepare a Moroccan feast – think fragrant harira soup, spicy tagines and zesty lemon cake – before scoffing the lot over a sociable lunch with your new budding Bourdain buddies – and you'll get a gift to take home, too. No-one will think any less of you if, instead of heading out for a spot of sightseeing afterwards, you opt to slink off to the hammam or take a mint-tea digestif by the rooftop pool. But if you can bear to exit this tranquil Moroccan mansion, there’s an absolute treasure trove of things to do within a few short strides.
Book Dar Darma’s personal shopper for a trip to the labyrinthine network of souks in and around Djemaa El Fna, Marrakech’s carnivalesque main square. It’s here, under your guide’s expert eye, that you can unleash your best haggling game and exit triumphantly wielding bargain armfuls of aromatic saffron, handwoven Berber rugs, delicate silverware and unique Moroccan jewellery. Or, you know, go it alone and risk being relieved of several thousand dirhams for a garishly embroidered kaftan you didn’t want, don’t need and most definitely won’t wear. The choice is entirely yours.
Get your culture fix at the Museum of Marrakech, just a couple of minutes’ walk from Dar Darma. Spend an awestruck moment in this flamboyant former palace’s interior courtyard, where floors, pillars and fountains are adorned with thousands of vibrant zellij tiles, and a massive geometric brass chandelier with arabesque motifs forms the spaceship-like centrepiece. Then head to the museum galleries for further Moroccan marvels including weapons and armour, ornate Berber jewellery and colourful Fez pottery.
Staff at Dar Darma can also organise excursions for the outdoorsy thrillseeker. On the menu: hot-air ballooning, quad biking along the shores of Lalla Takerkoust lake and camping beneath starry desert skies, all sure to make for way more engaging postcard content than that insincere old chestnut, ‘wish you were here’.
Local restaurants
A short walk west past the mediaeval architectural marvel that is the Ben Youseff Madrasa brings you to Le Jardin. The clue’s in the name here: the most sought-after tables at this Marrakech institution are to be found in its garden area, a frenzy of foliage and hanging vines tucked away behind the walls of a 16th-century mansion just off Djemaa El Fna. While the name may be French, the food is resolutely Moroccan, with great platefuls of mezze, chicken pastilla and belt-loosening tagines on the menu.
Chequered marble floors, a grand central staircase, art deco motifs and gently rotating ceiling fans lend a touch of old-time Casablanca glamour to proceedings at Le Grand Café de la Poste. Marrakech’s in-crowd gather for cocktail hour in the early evening, sipping French martinis beneath palm fronds on the balcony, while diners gorge on glorious gallic fare including steak tartare, baked camembert and grilled St Jacques scallops. There’s also an excellent selection of fine French and Moroccan wines to work your way through.
Local cafés
Grab a good book and mosey on over to Dar Cherifa in the Medina’s Mouassine district. While away the hours over Arabic coffee and moist almond cake in the sleepy courtyard of this restored 16th-century residence, with its carved beams, ancient stucco mouldings and big comfy sofas tucked into peaceful nooks. Time it just right and you might even catch the occasional small concert or art exhibition here.
Café des Épices and Café de France jockey for pole position as the finest spot for sunset views over the Medina rooftops, each with a leafy terrace that feels far from the madding souks. Visit both and make up your own mind over refreshing mint teas and zesty lemon verbenas.
Local bars
The maze-like nature of the Medina’s cobbled streets mean no apparently short walk is ever really that straightforward unless you’re possessed of preternatural navigation skills. Weave your way west to Kabana, just off Djemaa El Fna, for Marrakech’s premier rooftop experience. We’re talking glorious sunset views of the Medina and a cocktail list that includes Jim Beam mixed with lemon juice, sugar and argan oil and an aromatic Lavender Fizz. The walk here takes about 15 minutes; the walk back after a few too many Kopakabana Saffrons… considerably longer.
We recommend taking the 15-minute cab ride to and from Le Baromètre rather than attempting the journey on foot. This Prohibition Era-style speakeasy features a cavalcade of decorative jars behind the bar, each crammed with colourful spices destined for your drink. Expect unique and unusual concoctions that would no doubt have blown the mind of even the most seasoned illegal imbiber in 1920s America.