In Marrakech, a green paradise with eight rooms in the heart of the ocher city

LE FIGARO.

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It was all a matter of opportunity.

Gabriel's father bought this riad in 2002, thinking of spending part of his retirement in Morocco.

But life decided otherwise and he finally entrusted it to a manager to run it as a guest house.

It didn't work, the riad fell into disrepair and he wanted to sell it.

On our side, we always had this dream of opening a hotel establishment.

The desire to leave France and create a life elsewhere, preferably in Asia, was very strong.

It was therefore not exactly the initial plan, but the occasion was too good!

We had a discussion in the spring of 2015, then quickly resigned from our jobs in catering and communication.

Six months later, we moved to Marrakech.

Alice and Gabriel, the founders of Riad Yasmine.

Lucy Mason - Riad Yasmine / Press photo

What seduces you in Morocco?

We had already been there three times for tourism, but we had never considered settling down.

However, expatriation is very easy there.

For the geographical proximity with France on the one hand, for the comprehension of the language on the other hand.

Marrakech is full of paradoxes: life is intense, there is traffic, pollution, it's teeming... And at the same time, the people are so welcoming that there is a great sweetness in the daily exchanges.

We formed a new family, first with expatriates, then with Moroccans in a second phase.

Today, the city has become our village and this riad our home.

We now have a baby girl, Billie, and our cat Bowie, the house mascot.

One of the rooms at Riad Yasmine.

Lucy Mason - Riad Yasmine / Press photo

What is the French touch of Riad Yasmine?

She is deliberately very discreet.

Obviously, we are French so certain influences can be found here and there, but we wanted to integrate as quickly as possible, without making any cultural difference.

We learned our first words of Arabic at the vegetable market, we know all the merchants in the neighborhood and live at the same pace as them.

The decoration of our riad was designed with local craftsmen, the plants that make up our little jungle are typical and the bottom of our swimming pool is decorated with Berber signs.

Even in the kitchen, we didn't want to impose our culture: we serve Moroccan specialties for everyone!

Moreover, our hosts are mostly English-speaking, whether at the riad or at the Petit Yasmine,

our new three bedroom home located right next to its big brother.

The adventure has only just begun.

Riad Yasmin