Mosaic Hostel

The eight-bed dorm has a door that doesn’t close properly. Each bed has a locker big enough for a 45-liter backpack, but bring your own lock. There’s an outlet at the foot of each bed, though no reading lamp. There’s no air conditioning, just fans. Bathrooms and toilets are shared by all rooms on the ground and top floors. Hot water in the shower is plentiful, the Wi-Fi is fairly steady, and there’s an open kitchen. You reach the hostel through two or three alleys. Watch out for people hanging around, mostly young locals, who act very “friendly” and ask the hostel’s name. They may insist on guiding you before you can even answer, even when you have Google Maps and know where you’re going. If you don’t give them the name, they keep bothering you. The hostel does mention this in its email, but the warning should be more prominent, perhaps highlighted in red.

It’s a simple hostel with comfortable beds and clean linens, but I thought the price was very high. We stayed in separate rooms with bathrooms and all the services for half of what they charge here. The location is convenient, three minutes’ walk from a place to park by the medina entrance, and the neighborhood itself was quiet at night. The noise came from wooden boxes on wheels when neighbors moved them, and it was very loud. Towels cost 15 MAD to rent. The kitchen was open only until 10pm, and it was hard to find dishes and cups. The rooftop closed at 10:30pm. There was only one toilet on the first floor and two on the top floor, shared by lots of people on each floor. Wi-Fi was so-so.

The staff were the best part of my three-night stay, really nice people. Thanks, miriam and everyone else! I’d add some pleasant lighting downstairs in the common area. It was dark and didn’t feel very welcoming for chatting, and better lighting might help make it more social. A reading lamp in the bedrooms would be useful too, and curtains around the beds would give a bit more privacy.

The staff were kind and attentive, and the Medina location made it easy to reach the main streets and taxis. For the price, it’s a fair, straightforward place to stay. The facilities and bathrooms are dated and could use restoration. Some rooms face the central courtyard, where there was occasional late-night noise. It wasn’t unhealthy, but don’t expect top hostel facilities.