Riad Ayadina

Christine Michel – Bouviala has enjoyed a privileged life. Born into the Bouviala dynasty Christine grew up in the family seat of Chateau Levezou, a 14th Century Chateau in Aveyron , Southern France. Her childhood days were spent cycling around the great halls and corridors of the Chateau, no doubt, to the dismay of her elders.

The Bouviala family are steeped in hotel and restaurant history. The excellence they aspire have earned past acclaims to Chateau Levezou, the highest being Michelin Star ratings. It is no surprise; therefore, that Christine and her siblings should continue this tradition.

Chateau Levezou remains in Christine’s control, likewise the family have business interests in in Paris and also Riad Ayadina in Marrakech.

This hard working determination; to achieve the highest standard, is certainly not lost on Riad Ayadina. From the moment you arrive and are greeted, you find yourself sitting in a chair or on a chaise, that has been designed and manufactured by a member of the family. Each bedroom in Riad Ayadina is a unique feature room; some with 4-poster beds, some with Neapolian ball-on-claw copper bathtubs, all very large and accommodating. Even the roof terrace has an area set aside in the direction of Yves St. Laurent’s Majorelle with cacti displayed in indigo planters. Sumptious colours have been used in upholstery fabrics, to modernise image but are retained within classical furniture. A “Riad de Charme” offering the standards of a high-end Boutique Hotel.

Back in France, Christine spent time working alongside the, world renowned, French Chef Cyril Lignac. As such, the food at Riad Ayadina is exceptional. A blended mixture of Moroccan cuisine with a Euro-Franco twist makes dinner an eagerly awaited foray into a unique culinary experience.

Christine, as self-confessed workaholic, takes great care in providing the very best for her clients. I have even witnessed her demand the mint leaves, to make tea, be brought to her “they smell slightly different to what we normally buy, a little less sweet. Do not use them”. Nothing is left to chance, which gives Christine’s clients a real feeling of being pampered.

Unusually Riad Ayadina has a series of cellars or “caves”, in French. At Chateau Levezou the cave is used for dining whereas at Riad Ayadina the cave, no doubt an ancient prison, has been converted to create a series of intimate rooms for the clients to enjoy a host of Spa treatments.

RenaisSENS Ethetique offer the fullest range of beauty treatments at Riad Ayadina. Sophie Louet a graduate of the school of management EDHEC, in the top 5 best schools in France, has hand picked the very cream of aestheticians, Graduates of l'Ecole Européenne d'Esthétique, which is accredited by Montpellier ETEC. Sophie takes business seriously and is very aware that Christine Michel will settle for nothing below the highest standards for her clients. Although Sophie’s business is young, starting in 2009, RenaisSENS Ethetique is building up a significant client base, offering a satellite service to Riads, Hotels and private clients for up to 40km outside Marrakech. Her business deserves to succeed, as she is keen, willing and very able to provide a unique service.

With the “Credit Crunch” impacting on many pockets Sophie’s solution prevents the need to employ retained staff who may find themselves with downtime on their hands. The Marrakech Holiday Guide Research Assistant sampled a typical massage and was suitably impressed.

Cost can be the undoing of hard endeavour when finally you find that you need to charge prices to cover your outgoing. I was extremely surprised to discover that room rates started from as little as £80 room/night. Equally the cost of the Beauty treatment is no greater than elsewhere even though RenaisSENS Ethetique are employing fully qualified Aestheticians who, in turn, have to travel to make the appointment.

To arrive in a stylish Riad, check into a feature room, eat delicious cuisine and be pampered within budget are a few of the prerequisites to your vacation in Marrakech then Riad Ayadina and RenaisSENS Ethetic may well be the team you are looking for.

In the company of Christine Michel…… ( Happy 50th Birthday for September Christine…. 5 decades living, 5 centuries knowledge); I found her enigmatic, charming, good humoured and beautiful.. also very excited about her new “Virtual Reality” website for Riad Ayadina, albeit the current website is better than most. Many well-meaning people, who try to accommodate guests, could learn from the efforts at Riad Ayadina.