Marrakech with 9 and 10 year olds - riad in medina - am I bonkers?

[KarlosKKrinkelbeim]

Would it be better to get a hotel a bit further out and walk in? Might it be too busy/crowded in medina? They are country kids, they get a bit 😕 In busy cities

No you're not mad! We stayed in a Riad in old Marrakech for 3 nights with a 6 year old and I'd do it again! Reading the other Marrakech thread, others may feel differently but I'd advise either getting taxi's (they're cheap) or a guide - some of the old city isn't on the map and the roads narrow and jam packed with mopeds and donkey carts! My daughter isn't city savvy either & with the heat & getting lost a lot on day one she didn't have a great time. Day 2 was much better as we just took taxi's!
After 3 days at the Riad we spent a week AI at the Eden Andalou on the outskirts of the city. Not my usual kind of place but our daughter had an absolute blast there.
So - all in, I'd recommend a mix of a few nights in the city, a few out. We did have s great time - honest!!

Thanks! Seen Eden andalou online and it's not really my cup of tea either but can see how kids might like it. What is the food like there?

Im a vegetarian and my daughters very fussy - the honest answer is it's ok, there's lots of it but it's pretty repetitive after a few days. The wine was drinkable but pretty industrial. It didn't have the wow factor of the Riad at all but the rooms were huge. AI is really really not my thing (I usually feel a bit murderous after a couple of hours in a lounger) but we didn't go for us adults and our daughter had a really great time. She made a gang of mates, there was a mini disco, mini club, water park etc. Frankly it could have been absolutely anywhere in the world (though there's a free mini bus to the medina) but apparently is 'the best place we've ever stayed at' (apparently much better than the eye watering expensive eco hotel we stayed at in Costa Rica last year - :-( ).

Have a look at the Riad Noos Noos. They have the most amazingly decorated split level room where the children can sleep in converted beds in the living room and you sleep in the loft bed. The owner, Laurent is absolutely wonderful. It's a ten minute walk from the centre, but once in their ad it is so peaceful. We went twice in 6 months because I liked it so much.