Isabel Conway stays at award winning luxury IZZA, a boutique hotel inside the Medina of Marrakech
“Marrakech – magical, mysterious, exotic, chaotic. My nostrils are full of diesel fumes, charcoal smoke, street food and pungent drains”: I jotted down these impressions in the blank notes page of my pocket guidebook during a first visit to Morocco’s Rose City’ city many years ago. My footnote read: next time be sure to experience an authentic Riad – escape from all the noise and bustle.
So I am mighty excited to be back in beguiling Marrakech, on my way to IZZA a renowned luxury boutique retreat. Our gleaming transport enters the Medina and crawls along a warren of identical alleys, through which spluttering scooters race, and hand carts piled high with bread and building bricks, mattresses and vegetables are pushed.
An artful, imaginative escape
IZZA has been gathering accolades and much attention internationally as an artful, imaginative escape. Yet the unprepossessing Medina neighbourhood of humble terracotta hued laneways gives no inkling of what is behind walls punctuated by ancient carved doors.
Named after the original Berber owner, the property, comprising seven interconnecting riads, three courtyards linking them all together, is hidden away in a labyrinthine alley.
I am having an Alice in Wonderland moment, wandering through magical open-air courtyards, hung with elaborate filigree lamps, passing intricately tiled fountains, lush hanging foliage, and mosaic-lined bathing pools, wondering where all those mysterious white staircases lead.
Opened in 2023, after eight years in the making, the privately owned property has garnered much attention for its quietly sophisticated vibe, friendliness and superb food, not to mention its multi-million-dollar art gallery. The riad houses contemporary Moroccan works, as well as one of the largest collections of digital and generative art anywhere.
House of Friends
The design and atmosphere of IZZA, which calls itself ‘House of Friends’, brings to life the work of American born socialite and interior designer Bill Willis, whose sense of style and aesthetic is found throughout.
Friend to celebrities such as Yves Saint Laurent (whose Moroccan home he designed) Grace Jones, Mick Jagger, Jack Kerouac, Marianne Faithful, mega rich Getty and Agnelli families, Bill’s Bohemian lifestyle in Marrakech throughout the sixties and seventies was legendary. The bon vivant and extravagant party host created Rick’s Bar for the film Casablanca. He is also remembered for incorporating traditional Moroccan crafts and decoration techniques into modern building and interior design, much of that re-imagined in IZZA’s bedrooms and public spaces.
Fourteen rooms encircle the three courtyards, varying in size, all dressed in sumptuous fabrics, with mid- century furniture, bathrooms replete with Moroccan plaster and zellij-tiled light refracting bathrooms. The Staircases lead to the beautiful open air roof terrace bar and restaurant where meals are served, dining under the stars.
I am staying in one of the smaller rooms, an intimate space in emerald greens and ochre, adorned with traditional Moroccan tadelakt plaster, the only sounds from the courtyard pool below and chirping birds who fly in and out of the trees and shrubs outside my window. I read how ‘riad’ comes from the Arabic ‘ryad’ meaning garden and there are no external windows or external balconies by design, following the Islamic idea of privacy and inward reflection.
Sanctuary away from hustle and bustle of the souks
I manage to get hopelessly lost during my own initial tour of IZZA, but not as badly as a day later whilst trying to find my way back, luckily locals come to the rescue and call the hotel reception on their cell phones which brings a staff member running out of the maze of alleys.
This sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the souks (which are within easy walking distance I discover thanks to our city guide Mustafa) has a library, a small fitness room and a spa where I enjoy a fantastic body scrub in the dedicated Hammam in place of a massage in the treatment room. Other amenities at IZZA includes an elegant tearoom, a gorgeous gift shop of high end Moroccan crafts and fashion and Bill’s bar, dedicated to the memory of Bill Willis and counter culture he espoused, through photos and artefacts detailing his storied life.
Sharing plates are sublime
IZZA’s roof terrace restaurant Noujoum ensures that food wise every aspect of the guest experience is also memorable. My breakfast kicks off with a vitamin boost – cucumber, pineapple, mint and apple -followed by egg Royale served with saffron hollandaise, and smoked salmon on brioche bread. I can’t keep away from msemen flatbread spread with Amlou butter (crushed almonds and argon oil) either. Sharing plates at lunch and dinner are sublime, from IZZA house couscous to Chicken Tagine and seared fillet of beef with rocket and chimichurri to crab and leek croquettes and braised duck ravioli.
The menu focusses on local, seasonal and sustainable produce, aiming to showcase the best Morocco can offer, combining traditional cooking methods with a European influence and Mediterranean flair. Foodies who have visited say the pastry chef at IZZA is a genius and we try every single delectable pudding on the menu (sharing of course, in the true spirit of House of Friends!)
Tell me More about Riad IZZA in Marrakech
Riad IZZA 46 Driba Laarida, , Sidi Ahmed Soussi, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
T: 00 212 066 195 6246
All of IZZA’s rooms and suites are named after creative freedom seekers who partied and hung out with Bill. Prices range from £180 to £720 per room per night, including daily a la carte breakfast and airport transfer on arrival. Direct bookings also include a 45-minute massage in IZZA’s in-house spa and hammam or a complimentary cocktail
