Le Relais De Marrakech

We camped here, just a short trip out from Marrakech, and the facilities were great. My highlight was breakfast by the pool, with Moroccan breads, jam, and honey.

A great stop just outside Marrakesh. Cristina and her team were very hospitable, and the pool area was lovely for relaxing. We also used the on-site mechanic to service our van. Prices were very competitive 👍

The outside grounds were fine, but the rooms were very dirty. The bedsheets, blankets, and shower were all in poor condition, the lighting was bad, and the linens smelled. There was no kettle, milk, tea, or other room facilities. The shower curtain doesn’t seal like a door, so water runs out into the room and makes a mess. There weren’t extra towels. Used ones went for cleaning, with replacements only by evening. If you weren’t in the room to hand yours back, you couldn’t get new ones. The same problem applied at the restaurant, where nobody spoke basic English. Nobody at the hotel seemed to speak English. Each evening and night, when reception changed shifts, dealing with the older man was a struggle. He couldn’t manage basic English or even numbers 1-2-3-4 when I tried to explain a TIME. A guest from the US asked me at the pool on my second night if I spoke French or Arabic because he was having the same difficulty with reception. On my first night, the receptionist kept my passport overnight. I had to hand it over because he couldn’t speak basic English or even check me in. Who gives their passport to anyone? Nobody. It’s illegal to hold somebody’s passport. On my third day, I met another family from the UK at reception, complaining that the receptionist wanted to keep their passports too. What right does this place have to hold anyone’s passport? I don’t understand how this place is still running with such poor standards. Once I got back to the UK, I wished I’d donated them some extra towels. The owner’s reply told me to learn Arabic, which says a lot about the attitude here. You should learn some basic English before asking guests to read Arabic. Wash the bedsheets and stinky blankets before confronting customers, and buy more towels before bombarding customers. If you’re checking the reviews before booking, listen carefully: many seem fake and far from reality. This was probably the worst hotel in all of Marrakech. Don’t let the reviews mislead you. What planet are we on, the Stonehenge era?

In my reply to the owner, who keeps insulting me, I stand by what I wrote. This was far from hotel standards, more like a basic campsite with a few extra rooms. Guests are expected to return towels to reception at checkout, by the campsite entrance, and there are no extra towels for the pool. Having a bathroom curtain instead of a door only confirms that you can’t really call this a hotel. I say some of the bedsheets were not clean, and I have a witness who can confirm it. I regret not taking pictures. The only fabrication I see is the claim that everything was immaculate. I hope someone looks into the fact that they only accept cash but require card details before arrival. I also hope they treat their Moroccan workers better than they treat customers. The owner can’t take constructive criticism or apologize, even when the obvious fault was shown. I left a low rating on booking.com because not all the bedsheets had been changed. The cleaner used old, dirty ones when preparing our room. They smelled of sweat, there was hair on them, and a pillowcase had makeup marks. That’s unacceptable anywhere. Instead of addressing it, the owner dismissed my review, saying I didn’t like the place and was making things up. It was one of the most ridiculous replies I’ve ever seen. Maybe check that your workers meet the standards you claim. We didn’t sleep there for free.