Janat Salam

The room was shockingly dirty and nothing like the photos we had seen. The sheets were disgusting and unacceptable. It felt really disrespectful to arrive and find it like that. I took pictures and plan to take action. I hate having to do this, but I felt scammed.

We booked three nights through Expedia after seeing photos of clean Moroccan-style rooms, good amenities, a convenient location, and a fair price. Finding the riad was difficult because there was no sign outside. The street was chaotic, noisy, dirty, and smelly, and I hoped we weren't staying there. We were. Our exhausted taxi driver left us at a doorway beside a steep flight of stairs, with nobody to help with our luggage. My 70-year-old boyfriend made it up to what passed for reception: a dark hall with a broken table, a filthy dusty couch, a phone on the floor, and cables hanging everywhere. The manager showed us to a second-floor room, up another steep staircase. It was like a dungeon. The bathroom was disgusting: a dirty, moldy shower and a clogged, loose sink that was half floating. The toiletries were gross, the sheets were so thin we could see the mattress, and the TV was broken. The AC barely worked as a fan. There were no towels at first, and the two we got after asking felt like old scratchy rags. There were no water bottles or slippers, despite what the listing advertised. Dead plants, an open electrical panel that was clearly hazardous, and musty rugs were everywhere. Just nasty. We told the manager this wasn't the room we had booked and asked for one like the photos online. He said this was all they had. We begged for something less terrible, but he said the nicer room wouldn't be free for two days. My boyfriend went to look for another hotel while I called the owner. He was rude and told me to take it or leave it. I asked for a refund because they weren't providing what they had sold us. Eventually he agreed and promised to pay us back. It was already 8 p.m., and we were tired, hungry, and in a city we didn't know, so we stayed that night and left for another hotel after breakfast the next day, around 10 a.m. Before leaving, we asked the woman who served breakfast to get the manager so we could return the key. He was still asleep and came out in pajamas, hostile and yelling at me for taking photos. He said they would refund the money. A month later, they still hadn't refunded us for the two nights we didn't stay, and they hadn't answered my emails. Expedia has also ignored my messages, which has been a total disappointment. I won't use it again. I hope this saves someone else from booking here and turning a vacation into a nightmare. Please see the attached pictures. Thanks!

For a stay in the Medina, the location is hard to beat. It's right in the heart of the city, on a lively street, so it isn't quiet, but it's handy for exploring or popping back to your room for a rest or shower. The riad is small, clean, and really nice, with comfortable rooms and all the basics, including good towels, a hairdryer, and shampoo. The two young hosts were so kind and available to help at any hour, day or night. Breakfast was generous and tasty. Thanks for the hospitality!

The central location is handy, since we could walk to the main square and nearby sights without needing a taxi. The staff were friendly, and a few meters away there's a lovely bakery where we had cheap, delicious breakfast every day. The riad has potential, and it's really sad the rooms and especially the bathrooms aren't maintained. We saw three rooms in total, and all had bathrooms in terrible condition with mold everywhere. Our room had a broken toilet seat and shower, so I used the one in the other room. One hairdryer didn't work and had no warning label. When I turned it on, it gave me an electric shock. Luckily it only left my finger hurting, but it could be dangerous to leave it in that state. There weren't enough blankets or towels either. It was cold when we arrived and we only got one blanket. The rooms were moldy, the sheets old and torn, and the street noise came through because the door stays open all day and the insulation is poor. With good earplugs, I managed to sleep. Only the owner speaks English, but Google Translate worked well enough for us to communicate. There are separate Wi-Fi networks for the first and second floors. People who say the Wi-Fi is weak may be using the wrong one, since ours worked perfectly once I asked the owner for the correct password. There's no breakfast at the riad. If you don't mind the mold, the smell and sight of it, or the condition of the bathroom and toilet, this place may suit you if you want to stay right in the heart of Marrakech. But it felt far too expensive. I'd pay only half the asking price.