The short answer
Mostly, and a courtyard riad can be the safest base in the city, since it faces inwards with no traffic. Check two things before you book: the courtyard plunge pool, which is rarely fenced and can be deep, and the staircase, which is often steep, open-sided and spiralling. Ask for a ground-floor room if the stairs worry you.
In more detail
The layout is the reason riads work with small children. Rooms open onto an enclosed courtyard, so a toddler can roam while you sit with a mint tea, and there is no street, lobby or busy restaurant entrance. Many riads have family suites or connecting rooms, and several of the better ones keep cots, extra bedding and a simple children's menu.
The hazards are built in too. Courtyard pools range from shallow and decorative to deep, unfenced plunge pools in the middle of the house. Traditional staircases are often steep, open on one side and spiralling, a real risk for a child who is just finding their feet. Ask about the roof terrace too.
Ask the riad directly about pool depth, stairs and a ground-floor room before you pay anything. Many have a ground-floor room and will hold it for a family. If a pool is the whole point of the trip, the larger hotels and resorts in the Palmeraie offer lifts, gated shallow-end pools and ground-floor family rooms, trading medina atmosphere for convenience.
When you send us your dates, tell us the children's ages and we will suggest family-room riads that suit them.
Good to know
- Ask: how deep is the pool, and is it fenced?
- Ask: how steep are the stairs, and is there a ground-floor room?
- Ask for a cot when you book.