Choosing where to stay in Marrakesh usually comes down to three options: a riad in the Medina for the full authentic experience, a resort-style escape for pure relaxation, or a more conventional hotel just outside the old town.
I’ve tried the first and last options – both, of course, with rooftops. Two very different hotels: IZZA, a stunning riad (actually three beautifully connected riads in one) tucked away in a calmer corner of the historic quarter, and 2Ciels Boutique Hotel in the popular district of Guéliz. A classic hotel choice for those not keen to stay in the Medina. But were either worth booking for the rooftop alone? Discover which of these Marrakesh hotel styles works best for you and whether the rooftops elevated my stays or not.
IZZA Marrakech Review
I have always avoided staying in the Medina. While riads are traditionally inward-facing to create a sense of privacy and calm, they have often felt too enclosed for me to truly switch off from the energy and intensity outside. This changed when I was invited on a hosted stay at IZZA to experience the riad and its rooftop for myself. Discover whether this stylish riad finally changed my mind about staying in the Medina – and whether the rooftop alone is worth booking for. As always, this review reflects my honest personal experience.
⭐ Quick verdict
Best for: Staying in the Medina, art lovers and a slower-paced luxury escape
Not ideal if: You’re travelling with friends and need separate beds, as rooms are currently all doubles (though this is changing)
Rooftop value: Excellent
Who this hotel is for: Couples, solo travellers, friends and anyone who appreciates thoughtful design details
Overall feel: Boutique, art-led and authentic, yet surprisingly spacious
🛏 Room Details
Type: Marianne (Named after Marianne Faithfull, reflecting IZZA’s concept of rooms inspired by creative figures connected to Bill Willis and the cultural era he moved in)
Size: Small-medium
Storage: One wardrobe
Bed: So comfortable
Table: No, but a small side stand
Blackout curtains: No, but shutters work well
Air con: Yes
View: No direct room view, but Marianne includes access to a corridor balcony seating area overlooking the riad courtyard
Balcony: No private balcony as we know them but a private seating area
Water in room: Yes, replaced daily
Kettle: Yes
Coffee machine: Yes
Mini bar: Yes (small)
Extras: Sweet treats delivered daily
🛁 Bathroom
Style: Traditional with modern touches
Shower pressure: Excellent
Hairdryer: Good
Shampoo & conditioner: Custom hotel products
Bathrobe: Yes – so soft!
🏨 Hotel Logistics & Practical Info
Distance from airport: (Around 20 minutes by taxi which if booked direct is included)
Location: Northern Medina
Getting around: Close to the Medina boundary, so taxis can drop nearby while still allowing easy walking access into the souks
Hotel size: 14 rooms and expanding
Communication pre-arrival: Reassuring and helpful
Welcome drink: Moroccan tea and a pastry
Local supermarket: No
Staff: Warm, kind and welcoming
Accessibility: Not suitable for those with mobility issues due to the old riad layout meaning no elevators
Noise: Generally quiet during my stay, though room location may affect this (some street-facing rooms can be noisier)
🏖️🏋🏼♀️ Workout, Rest and Play
Gym: Yes
Spa: Yes (massage included if booked direct)
Pool: Yes courtyard plunge pool
Beach: No
🍽️ Restaurant & Bar
Breakfast: Included, served on the rooftop with a good à la carte selection
Bubbles at breakfast: No (but available from the bar if needed!)
Bar: Bill’s Bar downstairs and Noujoum Rooftop
Restaurant: Noujoum Rooftop
🥂 Noujoum Rooftop
Size: Medium
View: Surrounding rooftops on one side but not from the restaurant
Bar: Yes
Restaurant: Yes
Pool: No rooftop pool
Shade: Yes
Best for: Relaxed rooftop dining and curated cocktail menu
Read my full rooftop review of Noujoum
💰 Cost & Value
Cost: Hosted stay for review purposes (rates start from approx. €220 per night including breakfast)
Worth it?: Yes, especially for design lovers and a calmer Medina stay
Would I stay again?: Yes – I would happily pay to return
✍️IZZA Marrakech Review
My third visit to Marrakesh, and I’ve always avoided staying in the Medina. It’s a feast for the senses, but also overwhelming. That changed when I was invited to stay at IZZA Marrakech. Unsure to start, I did my homework and the more I researched it, the more I felt not just safe in their space but genuinely excited to experience it.
IZZA isn’t a single riad – it’s three interconnected buildings that have been carefully restored and linked together. Bringing these different areas together didn’t just create more space and rooms but opportunities to explore the history and culture they came from and were inspired by. As someone who can struggle with claustrophobia, this scale was a big reason I said yes.
What stood out for me (aside from the rooftop!) was the sense of intention behind the hotel. The art, design detail, and charity community partnerships all added layers of authenticity that felt genuine to me rather than decorative. Coming from a charity background, I especially appreciated the partnership with Pikala, a not-for-profit cycling initiative supporting local employment opportunities (though, being super clumsy, this is one I would admire rather than personally attempt).
I was staying in Marianne and the attention to detail flows from reception through each room (I even got to see the pièce de résistance – the IZZA suite! And holy moly I was ready to move in if I won the lottery). Stylish and homely, this was giving honeymoon vibes, though the stairs to the bedroom would worry me! Good job I haven’t won the lottery or getting married!
And to the rooftop – Noujoum – was it worth staying for? I was slightly worried in advance this might be a “no” for me. There aren’t the 360 mesmerising Medina views you can get from some rooftops in Marrakesh, which is usually a must for me to fully love a rooftop. But what I wasn’t expecting was how Noujoum would make me feel. Instead of being defined by views, it felt like coming home. A place I could sit with my laptop during the day, join others for drinks or have relaxed evening dinners. There’s a rare balance here: you can keep to yourself or easily join others depending on your mood. Nothing feels forced, and there’s a quiet respect for how people want to use the space.
Importantly, it isn’t just a rooftop bar, it’s also the hotel’s main restaurant, which makes it central to the entire stay rather than an add-on. And the food was a real highlight. The crab salad and beef dishes I could, and did, eat on repeat! AND their tiramisu had a gluten free option! So is IZZA worth staying for the rooftop? Yes, and it’s one of the strongest reasons I would return. It felt like a riad retreat complete with the cleansing green juice! But no fasting or booze banned here! In fact, their cocktail menu was another reflection of their thoughtfulness. Plus cocktail making is on offer – one I excelled at!
A few practical things to be aware of: some rooms are accessed via tiled staircases that can be uneven underfoot, so care is needed. I didn’t fall once (a personal win), although I did manage to bang my head a couple of times as I’m quite tall. Accessibility is also worth noting, as this is a traditional riad layout with stairs and levels throughout.
Overall, IZZA is not just about luxury or aesthetics – it isn’t a place built for show or Instagram – it feels rooted in ethos, history and connection to place. And I really felt that. The atmosphere, art and intention. It’s a very specific kind of stay, and one that genuinely changed how I feel about staying in the Medina.
📝 Admin
Date Stayed: 2026
Information check/updated: 2026
IZZA Marrakech website
2Ciels Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa Review
I’ve stayed at 2Ciels Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa twice, and the experiences were quite different. Below, I share an honest overview, including room tips and, of course, whether the rooftop is a real reason to book this hotel. If you love the idea of a Moroccan rooftop sunset from an infinity pool, I hope this review helps you decide whether 2Ciels is the right fit for your Marrakesh stay.
⭐ Quick verdict
Best for: Rooftop pool posing, sunsets, walking distance to the medina
Not ideal if: You want to stay in a riad
Rooftop value: Excellent
Who this hotel is for: Friends, couples, solo travellers, business stays
Overall feel: Art-led big boutique
🛏 Room Details
Type: Standard booked. First stay was upgraded to a suite and the second to a deluxe due to issues
Size: Big – huge!
Storage: Great
Bed: Huge
Table: Yes
Blackout curtains: Yes
Air con: Yes
View: Street on the first stay, poolside on the second (always ask for poolside as the street is noisy)
Balcony: Yes
Mirrors: Yes – lots
Water in room: No
Mini bar: Yes
Any extras?: Sweets
🛁 Bathroom
Style: Modern / arty
Shower pressure: Good
Hairdryer effectiveness: N/A
Shampoo & conditioner: Yes
🏨 Hotel Logistics & Practical Info
Distance from airport: Around 20 minutes by taxi but can take much longer – read more in my travel guide
Location: Just outside the medina, in the Hivernage area (map)
Getting around: Walking, local taxis, Uber
Hotel size: 85 rooms but feels bigger
Communication prior to arrival: Not great
Welcome drink: No
Local supermarket: Yes
Staff: Well-meaning but need more training. Communication was weak, issues weren’t resolved swiftly, and there was a general lack of guest understanding
🏖️ Workout, Rest and Play
Gym: No
Spa: Yes
Pool: Yes — rooftop and small pool downstairs (though a little overlooked)
Beach: No
🍽️ Restaurant & Bar
Breakfast: A good spread but poor for allergies. Gluten-free bread had to be sourced elsewhere and took a long time – every day despite knowing in advance. Breakfast in your room was not included
Bubbles at breakfast: No
Bar / restaurant: Patron La Mer – a fish restaurant where breakfast is served, plus a cute bar and outdoor area. Lola SkyBar or as I call it starbar as it was a star!
🥂 Rooftop
Size: Decent for the bar, very small for the pool and sunbeds
View: Over the city and burnt orange rooftops!
Bar: Yes
Restaurant: Yes
Pool: Yes – almost an infinity
Shade: Yes
Best for: One rest-and-rosé day (get up early as there are only a handful of beds), pre-dinner sunset drinks, or a post–day trip dip
Read my full rooftop review
💰 Cost & Value
Cost: Fair – both times
Worth the money?: Yes
Would I stay again? Yes – if the price was right
✍️ 2Ciels Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa Review:
I was excited to return to 2Ciels Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa, not something I do often and initially wished I hadn’t. On both visits, our room wasn’t quite right. The most recent stay began with a low-level, noisy, street-facing room with balcony doors that wouldn’t lock. We flagged it immediately and explained we were on a tight time line as had dinner reservations. Unfortunately, urgency wasn’t part of the response. The lock was eventually fixed, our dinner reservation missed, and a promise made to move us the next morning – which did happen. But not a great start. (The previous stay we ended up in a suite!)
The issue itself wasn’t the deal-breaker; the handling of it was. Communication was slow, unclear, and required repeated follow-ups – something we experienced throughout. On my initial visit, breakfast in the room was effortless and generous, charged only at the standard service tray rate. This time, I was told breakfast in the room was not included with breakfast being included in the rate. It could happen but only if we paid for again and this simple question took multiple attempts to get an answer on.
And yet… I’d still stay again. Because this hotel’s rooftop is that good. Here, it’s not just a nice extra – it’s the reason to book – but note a few caveats. The pool is smaller than the photos suggest, perfect for dipping rather than lounging, and the number of sunbeds at the pool is limited (I counted eight on both stays). That said, visiting in February and March meant full pool days didn’t mean rising with the sun to nab a bed! Though I did – I am no risk taker when it comes to my one and only full rooftop pool day!
If you’re after a touch of luxury and are happy to accept a little Fawlty Towers energy along the way, this hotel delivers where it matters most. Sinkable beds, a calm courtyard that offers riad vibes without the medina overwhelm, and a rooftop that genuinely elevates the stay. Yes, there are caveats – but if rooftop sunsets and pool days are high on your list, this one earns its place.
📝 Admin
Date Stayed: February 2025 (first stayed 2017)
Information check/updated: 2026
Hotel website: 2Ciels Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa
Hotel Rooftop Booking Tip
Some hotels close their rooftops for private events, seasonal schedules, or refurbishment. This isn’t always communicated to guests in advance. If the rooftop bar or pool or restaurant is vital for your stay, do contact the hotel to confirm opening times during your potential stay.
