Our great riad, Dar Vedra, was about a fifteen minute walk from Place Jmaa El Fna, up the road near the Bab Doukala Mosque. It was actually nice staying a little ways away from the nightly craziness of the main square. No part of the medina is devoid of tourists, but they (we) were in lesser supply up in the northeast corner.
It was Jason’s first time stayIng in the vicinity of a mosque. The first morning, he was a bit shocked by how early and how loudly the call to prayer came across the loudspeakers. But we soon got used to it, and wi half a pill of melatonin, I slept right through the 3:30am wake up.
Another benefit to the neibourhood is that it houses the Maison Arabe. This was the original riad of note in Marrakech’s medina, and it remains a luxurious destination for sleeping, eating and relaxing.
Jason and I had a gorgeous dinner there one night. I convinced him to try the pigeon Pastilla, which was possibly the best thing we tasted in Marrakech. The deserts was also delicious… Just an insane chocolate dessert!
We also had other tasting of Moroccan wines. The maitre d’ even gave us a glass of gris to try… Is like a ultra lightly pressed rosé. Not impressive, actually, but still interesting. There was a Medaillon brand that I really liked.. Tons of complexity and depth in the red Shiraz blend. 
