I feel lucky, and so does my wife, for having stayed at this Riad. For me it was one of my best hotel experiences (if not THE best) ever.

Where to begin... perhaps the incredibly romantic, yet tasteful rooms with a fireplace. The latter not just for decoration: the staff was more than happy to light it for us, and so we fell asleep a couple of nights to little crackling sounds of the fire dying down (we stayed in December).

The bathroom was amazingly big and also very pretty. A huge bath tub with rose petals, as seen in 5-star places, but this time twice as big and more beautiful. We stayed in two different rooms, and amazingly they had the same lay-out, but all the details were different. Different wood on the floor for example, different arches in the bathroom (in one room round, in the other "thousand-and-one nights" style)... in short, everything seems to have been made with a loving attention to detail.

This same loving attention to detail is felt in the service. We were welcomed by manager / owner Jean, who helped us out with things before we ourselves even figured out we could use them. He even helped us out when we were in Marrakech, because he had a contact that helped us get a guide with a car to go to the mountains and get around Marrakech (without getting ripped off). The rest of the staff is very friendly and professional. I really liked meeting Samira the chef, to have a chat about what she could cook for us. She made us a delicious tagine, among other things.

Breakfast included with the rooms is amazing. Where in other hotels we sometimes opt for room service, here we felt so comfortable in all the rooms and spaces (also the patio and the roof terrace) that we went to the dining hall for breakfast which consisted of all the things I could think of and more (nice French croissants, pain au chocolat, crêpes, eggs done however you like them by Samira, assorted Moroccan breads, jams, marmelades, fresh fruit, yoghurt etc...).

I can only hope this place will continue to maintain its excellence, so at some point in the future I will make my way back there. If we go to Morocco, it will definitely be on the list.

And finally, we felt that the value (what we paid for what we got) was so nice that I left a large tip for the service.

Beautiful riad. We stayed here for 2 days at the end of 2 weeks in Morocco and it was just what we needed. Haven't felt more relaxed than on my honeymoon in Hawai'i. Jean and his staff make sure everything is taken care of. Dreaming of the hours spent on the terrace, in front of the fire in the courtyard (and in our room!), in the amazing shower... Perfection.

Riad Chbante is a beautiful, hand-built paradise. Each room is elegant and comfortable (we looked at 3 before choosing ours). The staff is wonderful, friendly, helpful and gracious. Beautiful rooftop terrace with great views of the city. Decadent tubs with bath salts and rose petals. Great room to unwind in. Riad is off the main street and therefore very quiet. Wonderful.

What an amazing place. We were stunned by the architecture and ambience from the moment we stepped through the heavy but unprepossessing door to the street in the medina. And that was only the courtyard! It's big and beautiful, and seriously hip, too. Stunning rooms, tiered roof terrace, roaring fireplace, cool music, delicious breakfasts, excellent service.

We stayed in Berbere, one of the less expensive rooms, and it was large, lovely and romantic with a huge bath big enough for two - and candles. I can only imagine that the more expensive rooms are simply sensational!

The only thing that went wrong was that we'd arranged to be met at the bus terminus and when our coach arrived, in driving rain, nobody was there for us. We waited for nearly an hour (nobody answered the phone at the riad) before a local guy offered to lead us there for a few dirhams - and it took only five easy minutes to walk! We'd far rather we'd been given directions (which was what we'd asked for by email) so that we could have saved ourselves a fruitless and frustrating wait.

Aside from that unhappy start, we loved this riad and would stay there again in a heartbeat. It's significantly more expensive than most others in the area, but it's worth every penny or cent. Don't hesitate. But do ask for clear directions!