Riad Mena was originally conceived as a private home and the personal touches throughout have created a wonderfully unique hotel experience in Marrakech. Riad Mena & Beyond is not only a spacious 600sq m Riad in Marrakech in the heart of the Marrakech Medina, but includes a two-acre permaculture farm, just forty-five minutes from Marrakech in the Ourika Valley, where it sources all its produce, olive oil and honey for guests to enjoy.

Riad Mena is the luxurious, creative city outpost capturing the inspiring and international essence of Marrakech. It features five large bedroom suites, individually named, with a smaller sixth bedroom, The Writer´s Den. Other amenities include an eight meter heated outdoor pool, Hammam, indoor and terrace dining and an elevator to take guests up to the terrace. The library is full of inspiring books for guests to read in front of the roaring fireplace. The Staff speak both English and French with our Moroccan cook making some of the best food in town, recently wowing a Michelin starred chef we had come to stay.

Creature comforts include luxuriously sized beds with 600 thread count sheets and the Philip Starcke bathrooms add a modern twist to the traditional Riad feel. The unusal design – by Philomena Schurer Merckoll and Romain Michel Meniere - makes Riad Mena stand out amongst Marrakech´s many Riads, with its subtle mix of Moroccan touches combined with mid-century modernist furniture, all found in the local flea markets. The neutral palette and verdant plant filled courtyards make for a welcome oasis in the midst of the bustle of Marrakech.

The restoration

Originally conceived as a private home, this early 19th Century Riad was brought to modernity by Philomena Schurer Merckoll and Romain Michel Meniere, opening as a hotel – Riad Mena & Beyond - in September 2014.

Over the course of seven years, Schurer Merckoll and Michel Meniere sensitively restored the Riad keeping as much of the original features as possible; carved wooden and plaster ceilings and existing room proportions. Traditional materials such as limestone and tadelakt, as well as cement tiles for the walls and floors were used, with a strong contemporary contrast added by the installation of Philip Starcke for Duravit bathroom fittings.

Columns creating an outdoor terrace and the Grand Suite were added, with the wooden Menzeh a nod Egypt.

The additional Douria containing the 8m heated pool, dining room as well as two bedrooms with en-suite bathroom and an elevator going up to the terrace floor were completely built from the floor up, keeping a traditional sense of Medina architecture.

The verdant courtyard garden has been created by Romain Michel Meniere, who kept the existing orange trees, adding banana and palm trees, an abundance of greenery and bamboo for good fortune, creating a serene jungle effect. The central fountain was inlaid using antique tiles recuperated from the Douria next door.

The interior decoration evolved to become a mix of classic Moroccan elements such as the custom built Moroccan mattress sofas covered in keria fabric from the Souk, hand carved wrought iron lamps and rugs from various regions of Morocco combined with mid-century modern furniture such as Eero Saarinen tables and chairs and a XX Egg chair, all found in the local flea markets. A mix of contemporary art and orientalist paintings can be found throughout the Riad. The only items imported were heavy suitcases of books ranging from art to architecture, permaculture and holistic living to create an inspiring library for guests to read whilst enjoying the serenity of Riad Mena.