Illustrative photo of the region — the property's own gallery is on the booking page.

A 500-year-old Andalusian-quarter riad in Chefchaouen's medina, with two mountain-view terraces and zellige tilework.

Riad Gharnata occupies a reputedly 500-year-old house in the Quartier Andalous, restored in Arabo-Andalusian style. It's small — around five rooms, from singles to four-person family suites — built around the two terraces reviewers consistently single out. Staff, with manager Youssef named repeatedly, get consistently strong marks for warmth.

The honest caveat is real: at least two separate travellers report the riad contacting them weeks-to-months ahead of a paid-in-full booking to say it was overbooked, then repeatedly pressuring them to cancel. Both eventually stayed and reported a warm welcome once there, but this is a booking-reliability flag worth surfacing, particularly for peak-season, pre-paid bookings.

Why we chose it

• Two rooftop terraces, one facing the Spanish Mosque and the mountains beyond; a junior suite has its own private rooftop terrace
• A reputedly 500-year-old medina house, restored with zellige tilework, wrought iron and carved wood
• Breakfast served courtyard-or-rooftop from 8:30am

Amenities

• Two rooftop terraces
• Courtyard or rooftop breakfast included
• Traditional zellige/wood/wrought-iron interior

Getting there

Riad Gharnata is in Chefchaouen, 1.5–2 hours from Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG). From here, Chefchaouen's highlights are within reach, including Plaza Uta el-Hammam, Chefchaouen Kasbah & Ethnographic Museum and Hike to the Spanish Mosque — see the full Chefchaouen guide for more on what to see nearby.

Frequently asked questions