Dar Mouna Mogador

I spent two nights at Dar Mouna Mogador on a trip to Essaouira and really enjoyed it. The riad is stylish and lovely, with nice decor, a clean, cool feel, and very friendly staff. It’s close to one of the main souks, too. As a woman traveling on my own, I felt looked after the whole time, which was reassuring. I’d definitely recommend staying here.

We found the riad a lovely place to spend a few days in Essaouira and relax. Our room was spacious and spotless, and the staff were warm and welcoming, which made the stay even nicer. Breakfast was filling and had a good variety.

Breakfast was huge, and the bedrooms were a good size. The riad itself is really nice for a reasonable price, with a great atmosphere and decor. The receptionist was friendly, and the service felt personal and helpful. They even arranged dinner at a restaurant called Hungry nomad, though we enjoyed eating on the beautiful riad terrace.

This was a terrible experience, and I strongly advise against staying here. I booked this location, but Mona told me she was living there and it wasn’t available. She offered to let me leave my bags there, said my actual accommodation was nearby, and told me her husband would bring the luggage. Instead, she walked me for 20 minutes to a place at the other end of the medina. On the way she stopped to check in other guests at a third property, leaving me waiting. Those guests had also booked the same place I had through Booking.com and were redirected too. After the time spent moving my belongings and walking to the new address, I agreed to stay. Mona charged me 15 euros, more than the Booking.com fee by several euros, then told me I also had to pay the person hired to carry my bags. That extra cost came up after I’d paid, even though she’d said her husband would carry them. Once I’d paid, Mona showed me the terrace and said I’d be sharing a bathroom with a man staying there. My booking had included a private bathroom. The man told me he’d already paid to rent the whole house and had no idea I was coming. I hadn’t known he was there until after paying either. Mona had rented me a room in a house he’d booked in full. The bathroom had no mirror, no towel hooks, and no outlet. The shower sprayed straight sideways, and its angle couldn’t be adjusted. There was no divider between the toilet and shower, so the toilet got soaked. I had to take a mirror from the living room and do my hair in the kitchen. The kitchen faucet had a single knob with no temperature control, and the floors throughout were dirty. They hadn’t left me a key or shown me how to work the odd front door lock. Mona said the keys were hidden on top of one of the three dirty gas and water meters in the long, muddy hallway by the entrance, but they weren’t there. Her husband came over, and when I went downstairs the keys were sitting in plain view on a meter. He insisted they’d been there and said I hadn’t seen them. As he left, he rudely shouted, “Lock the door!” Before I arrived at this second property, Mona said I could stay a second night for the same price, as long as I didn’t book through Booking.com so she could avoid the fees. The next morning she called and asked me to go upstairs as a favor to check whether the man had left and left his keys. After I confirmed he was gone, she said I’d have to pay double for another night because I’d have the house to myself. She also said someone else had just booked the whole house, so I’d owe double if I stayed. I declined. She seemed angry, sent me more than 20 texts, and called seven times trying to bargain while I was trying to find another place on my phone. I left quickly before she could get there and cause trouble, then blocked her to stop the messages. Two days after I left, Booking.com emailed to say I’d been reported as a “no show” for the day I actually stayed and asked me to confirm whether I’d been there. I confirmed that I had. Weeks later, the site still showed “reservation cancelled” when I tried to post a review. I assume she did that to block my review or avoid paying Booking.com fees. As I write this, I’m also wondering whether she charged me for the cancellation, which would mean I paid twice. That’s my experience, and I can only say: don’t do it. This is just my opinion, but the other reviews look very phony. There’s no way this place is anything close to a four-star hotel.