Riad Due

From Essaouira, Lina and I took a spiffy white bus back to Marrakech. Travelling in Morocco quickly brings back that long shadow of colonial divide, arriving behind the thick wooden door at Riad Due simply completes the picture. Outside, the myriads of ancient alleyways making up the market souks. Inside, futuristic shots worthy of any glossy interior design magazine. An environment so sparkling clean that you would barely find it in Europe; the magic touch of Milanese photographer and designer Giovanna Cinel which caught my attention years ago when reading the travel magazine RES.

An old riad turned into top notch suites and luxury rooms. The jasmine hand wash welcoming you, the generous breakfast and the smiling hospitality. All those small things that still leave me ambivalent. Are we contributing to something good and sustainable here? Or just reinforcing the public/private divide that the wooden door represents?