[Dec. 2025] Chefchaouen, the blue city of Morocco, doesn’t have any particular sights to see; it’s a place to enjoy the town itself, so many tours seem to just visit briefly without staying overnight.
However, we wanted to fully immerse ourselves in the atmosphere, so we stayed for one night.
The accommodation we stayed at was Riad Cherifa.
For this holiday, the agency arranged all the accommodations for us, but when the itinerary was sent to us, we checked each one online and gave the go-ahead.
Therefore, there were almost no problems.
This was also the case with Riad Cherifa.
The room we were assigned was long and narrow, with the bed at one end and the bathroom at the other end.
The space wasn’t very large, but the handmade-style furnishings were charming.
It reminded me of the accommodations we stayed at in Ecija, Spain, a few years ago, and some hotels we stayed at even earlier in the Alentejo region of Portugal.
Unlike the riad in Tangier the previous day, this one wasn’t family-run but organized, with several young employees.
The young male staff handled tasks like carrying luggage, while the administration was handled by young women.
It seemed more like the women were giving instructions to the men.
Our room was relatively close to the entrance, but the next morning, when we were shown to the breakfast room, we were surprised.
It turned out to be a very large, intricate building with an extremely luxurious design.
Above all, the ceiling was magnificent.
The town itself is like a maze, and the riad is like a maze too.
There were staircases everywhere, seemingly leading to different rooms.
Apparently, it’s a riad created by combining two mansions built over 150 years ago.
Since no two rooms are the same, I wish I could have seen more.
I looked it up online, and apparently the name Cherifa comes from the Arabic word “sharif,” meaning noble person, and this is the feminine form.
It was named after Saida al-Hulla, a powerful woman in this region in the 16th century.
That’s probably why the female staff were in positions of authority over the men?
Breakfast was also more luxurious than before.
The light, donut-shaped fried food was particularly tasty.
However, my husband got sick from it and had a miserable afternoon.
