Hotel Madrid

The staff were helpful throughout, and the room smelled clean and fresh. The sheets and blankets were smooth and cozy, and bottled water was available for refilling. The hotel has a very specific old Moroccan style, with hand-painted furniture, ceilings, and doors, plus a replica sitting room. Our room had plain tile floors, white walls, painted tables and bedposts, AC and a safe. The bathrooms follow the same style, though ours felt shabby and poorly designed. The old-fashioned bath was about 3 by 2 feet and had only a plastic hand shower. The washbasin seemed unclean. We got just two well-used towels, hard little soaps with no smell that didn’t lather, and one roll of toilet paper. Hot water came from a geyser in the bathroom, and the only bin had no liner. The window let in road noise late into the night, and the TV didn’t work, probably because the remote batteries were dead. Breakfast was included and had plenty of variety, but the quality was mostly low and some things seemed stale. Many items, like biscuits, cakes, buns, Moroccan breads and crepes, seemed vendor-bought and tasted mediocre. A hot plate was there for reheating day-old bread and crepes. The fruit salad looked unappealing but tasted okay. Eggs made to order with fresh crusty bread were the best part. Moroccan tea and coffee were low quality, and the juices, jams, cereal, goat cheese and small packets of cream cheese were unremarkable, with the cream cheese leaving a bitter taste.