Who says homestays can't be luxurious?

In the old medinas of Morocco, there is an abundance of Riad homestays. A trip to Morocco without staying in a small luxury Riad is as regrettable as traveling to Beijing without experiencing a siheyuan (courtyard house). A Riad is a unique architectural style native to Morocco. Typically standing 2 to 4 storeys high, it is a courtyard building with a square layout centered around a garden—most are three storeys tall. Except for a single entrance, all doors and windows inside the building open inward, a design originally intended to protect the privacy of Muslim women. Traditionally, Riads vary in size, from quaint small abodes to large sprawling manors, all exuding strong Arab charm with their multi-storey structures.

Riads are also one of the most common themes in European architectural magazines. Countless Europeans, especially the French, have flocked to Morocco one after another to buy dilapidated old Riads. In Marrakech and Fez, many Riads have been renovated into family-run guesthouses, some as luxurious as palaces. Tucked away in the deep, winding alleys of the old medinas, a Riad always brings a delightful sense of discovering a hidden paradise.

Surrounding the fountain is a delicate blue-and-white ceramic border, with patterns that match the inlaid designs on the marble square tiles of the floor. The courtyard is encircled by a vaulted colonnade, with each side supported by four pillars...

The tops and bases of the columns are made of marble, and the middle sections are covered with blue-and-white ceramic inlays that echo the patterns of the fountain and floor tiles. Every element is arranged in impeccable symmetry, creating a mirror-reflection effect...

There are carved wooden shutters, silver-plated wrought iron railings, and above the railings stand exquisite stained glass vaults. I am particularly fond of these stained glass vaults, for they make the morning light shift constantly between red and blue hues, even softening the yellow light...

Moroccan writer Fatima Mernissi described the old mansion she lived in in her book *Dreams of a Courtyard Enclosed*: "Looking at the house that greets us at the threshold, it is as if I have never seen it before. What meets the eye first is a stark square courtyard, where everything is strictly symmetrical—even the marble fountain in the center, bubbling ceaselessly day and night, seems so obedient and compliant."

Every Riad in Morocco has its own theme and characteristics: some are traditional, some are luxurious, some are brightly colored, and some are even properties of international hotel chains. Morocco-China Friendship Travel Service will carefully select and recommend the best Riads for you, guiding you to an in-depth experience of this unique charm.

Kasbah Castle Hotel (KASBAH)

Kasbah, meaning the Berber castle, is a unique architectural style of the Berber people in North Africa. Just as one would experience a noble European castle hotel when traveling in Europe, shouldn’t you also stay at a traditional Berber castle hotel during your trip to Morocco?

Different from Riads, which are mostly tucked away in the depths of bustling old medinas in Morocco—offering a peaceful retreat amid the hustle and bustle, like a wonderland from Alice’s adventures—Kasbahs are situated in remote areas with distinctive scenery, standing as self-contained entities that blend seamlessly into nature. Constructed from red earth instead of bricks and cement, these distinctive castle-style buildings let you discover a striking fusion of contradictions: primitive and modern, nature and industry coexisting in perfect harmony. In the whole of North Africa, the most authentic and characteristic hotels are all right here in Morocco.