the architect
Zaouia 44
A grand riad of eight suites around a garden patio, five minutes from the souks.
The collection
“Chez Sophie” are houses to live in — in Marrakech, Tangier and Oualidia — where the passing guest is welcomed as a friend, in a simple sharing of the same artistic tastes.
The simplicity of luxury
The story
Sophie Raynal, then an architecture student at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, fell in love with Morocco on a trip to Marrakech. One after another, she undertook the renovation of several houses in Marrakech, Oualidia and Tangier, holding to one watchword — the demand for authenticity — and a keen taste for fine arts and architecture. A true aesthetic vision.
Sophie is no longer with us, but she passed on to her family and her team the values born of her sensitivity and her humanism. All of this, dear guests, is what you will feel during your visit — and what we wish you from the bottom of our hearts.
fig. — the spirit of the houses
Three cities
« It is the warmth of a smile over a mint tea, an emotion at the sound of an opera aria played on the piano, the melodious song of the muezzin at dusk before a pool rising from a luxuriant garden, the passing of birds that stirs a book read at sunset over the ocean. »
The five houses
Marrakech — the medina
the architect
A grand riad of eight suites around a garden patio, five minutes from the souks.
the secret
A well-kept secret at the end of the derb, five rooms where the architecture speaks.
the romantic
Past the threshold of the Mellah, the bustle falls away — patio and pool, salons with a fireplace, a terrace facing the Atlas: six very romantic rooms, each named for the world of Saint-Exupéry.
You are here
Oualidia & Tangier — toward the ocean
the lagoon
A house overlooking the Oualidia lagoon, between the ocean and the strip of land.
the garden
An 1860s residence with a lush garden, between the port and the Grand Socco.
Book direct
From one house to the next, booking direct carries the same courtesies: the best rate, guaranteed, and the house's own attentions. Here at Riad Dar One, your stay is confirmed within moments.