Les Jardins De Zyriab Hotel

We spent 14 days here as two adults and two children, in a ground-floor suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a lounge and a small kitchen. It had a coffee machine, kettle, microwave with grill and electric hob, though no oven, which made cooking rather difficult. The children's room had two single beds and ours had a double. The bedrooms were adequate, but the mattresses were very hard, so bear that in mind if that bothers you. Breakfast was good quality, with pancakes, fruit, boiled eggs, freshly made omelettes and yoghurt, but it was the same each day. The pool was nice, about a quarter the size of an Olympic pool, enough for a bit of fun and a soak. Staff were polite, very helpful and looked after us well. One thing to know: this is a French-speaking hotel, and the English is very basic, so brush up on conversational French before you go.

Getting into the city takes about 20-25 minutes, and you'll most likely need to arrange a taxi in advance. It costs around 250 DH each way. Most activity providers won't collect you because the hotel is too far from the city, and they can get in touch at the last minute, leaving little time to make plans. The stay itself was very pleasant. Les Jardins de Zyriab has spacious, nice rooms in a quiet, pretty setting, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

I liked having a little kitchen in the room for making breakfast, since it wasn't included in the price, or for putting together a simple meal. The hotel has a lovely garden, and the bathroom was very spacious. But that extra sofa bed was so uncomfortable it was almost impossible to sleep on. The playground, midget golf and bowling area all need some maintenance. WiFi was only available in the lobby, which was inconvenient because I had some work to do, though it usually wouldn't bother me on vacation. One evening during dinner they suddenly put a kids movie on a big screen right beside our table. It ruined the cosy atmosphere, and they could've told us beforehand.

A little beyond Marrakech center town, which means you get peace, nature and lovely surroundings while still being fairly close. Saufya and Driss, the hosts, and their team are kind and helpful, and can arrange trips around Marrakech and nearby. It felt like paradise on Earth!