Le Perroquet Bleu is in the East side of the Marrakesh Medina close to the Mosque Cadi. Its situation on the Aarst El Baraka and so, unlike some Riads, it is directly accessible by taxi and minibus. Our booking was through Voyage Privé and included private transfers from/to Marrakesh Airport. This extra was most worthwhile as you need excellent bargaining skills to succeed in hiring a taxi at a sensible price in Morocco. Our flight landed at 0930 hours. By 1000 hours we had cleared customs and found our driver. After a 20 minute journey we were welcomed by Omar with Moroccan pastries and mint tea. We were then given a comprehensive tour of the Riad’s facilities.
Check-out time is 1200 hours, so our Junior Suite was not yet available. Omar offered us use of an alternative room to rest in until ours was ready. This was most welcome, given that we had an early start at Stansted. Our first impressions of the excellent service at Le Perroquet Bleu was continued throughout our stay. Omar and his father Rachid helped us with directions, restaurant recommendations, ‘phone calls and fixing us with an evening taxi to/from the Jemaa el-Fnaa for a fixed price with a “good man” driving.
Everywhere in the Riad was spotlessly clean. Breakfast consisted of coffee, fresh orange juice, breads and pastries with maybe pancakes or fried eggs. Dinner was not inclusive but very reasonably priced. Nicely cooked Moroccan dishes were offered, with wine if requested.
Our one disappointment was that the plumbing in our bathroom did not work as well as we hoped. Drainage from the sinks and bath was slow and when the Riad was busy, hot water became decidedly tepid.
Nevertheless we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Le Perroquet Bleu. The family atmosphere and service were superb. We enjoyed the location in the Medina. It was refreshing to hear the distant sound of children playing in the street each evening – a welcome change to the muzak in so many hotels.
