Sanctuary

OK, since yesterday I kvetched about our harrowing adventure travelling from the train station to our riad, today I will simply post pictures and a most-excellent video of our refuge (before slamming into a description the rest of visit to Marrakech).

So Riad Laora is typical of many local lodgings in that from the derb it is impossible to tell how lovely it is inside. Walking from the salon where we were welcomed and had our Moroccan tea, we crossed the small central courtyard to our room.

This lovely little pool sits in the courtyard. (We chose not to swim. The rose petals suggested perhaps the pool was not for doing laps.)

Looking up as we crossed the courtyard, this was our view. The courtyard construction is open to the sky, but there is a tent-like cover in place to keep the guests below dry.

Then, we entered our chamber. We were in the Aubergine Room, so fabrics and draperies were a deep, delicious purple! (There was also a Chocolate Room, Turquoise, Bordeaux and Cacao.)

There was a quaint sitting area in one corner of the room with a small fireplace (which we did not need during our visit).

And across the room there were two large closets and a luxurious bath!

The sink in the bathroom was hammered silver, rose petals were everywhere, and in a small crock on the vanity there were funky pink, yellow and teal cotton balls. I must admit, they were one of my favorite things about the bath!

That is not to suggest that the Olympic size bathtub was not impressive. It took about 30 minutes to fill up. We know, we filled it. The water stayed hot a really long time, too. I want one of these at home.

So just in case I missed anything, here is my narrated video touring the room on our arrival. Be sure to note the soundtrack.

And to quote another CSN favorite, Deja Vu. The next video is similar to the previous one, only much less steady (if that is possible). The shots of the courtyard are a bit better, though. Enjoy.