Riad Lyon Mogador

Awful experience. The rooms were clean and the location was good, but the service was shockingly poor. Staff were unfriendly, careless, and incompetent. We asked them to arrange a restaurant and horse riding, but neither booking was made. When we contacted the places ourselves, everything was sorted straight away, so it seemed they hadn’t even tried. They also put two wool jackets worth €750 in a washing machine, despite our clear request for dry cleaning only. The manager laughed, was arrogant, and wouldn’t take responsibility. Extremely disrespectful and unprofessional. Never again, and I wouldn’t stay here.

The room was comfortable, though I’d have preferred one of the larger ones, which were already booked. Breakfast was excellent, with lovely views from the rooftop, and the service was attentive. There was also a QR code with restaurant and activity ideas at a range of prices. The hotel is nicely decorated and centrally placed in the Medina, an easy walk from everywhere for exploring Essaouira.

We spent two nights at this romantic Riad with my wife and loved the rooftop, where we had breakfast. It’s near the Ocean on a quiet street, and the staff were friendly and easy to get along with. The place is one of the prettiest and cosiest I’ve stayed in, with elegant, high-end decor, old stone, lovely wooden furniture, and a really nice smell. I’d definitely come back if we’re in the area again.

The decor, breakfast, accommodation, and staff were all lovely during our three nights in January 25. But we had a really unpleasant encounter with the owner. Apparently our two-year-old woke him while playing on the roof around midday, and he was very rude to us. We were shocked and felt unwelcome after that. We even considered moving elsewhere. I got the impression he may not want families there, so people travelling with children might want to avoid it.