Riad Noor Charana

We stayed for four lovely nights. The place is right in the thick of the Medina, yet surprisingly quiet inside. Our windowless room stayed cool and dark, which was welcome after a day out, and the AC worked really well. Breakfast was very nice, and the host was warm and welcoming. The other staff were friendly too. The only downside was that Wi-Fi didn’t reach our room, though it was available in the lobby.

Cockroaches everywhere, be careful. Read this carefully before booking. We’re a young couple who travel a lot, are open to other cultures, and have always adapted to different situations. We booked five nights after being drawn in by the glowing reviews, especially from fellow Italians, who can be pretty critical. It turned out to be a terrible mistake. The first room was meant to be home for two nights, but the shower drain didn’t work and water flooded the room whenever we showered. It was also full of ants. We asked to move and were given another room, which had cockroaches and broken AC. We killed two, while the others ran off. I attached a photo for anyone who might doubt it. At 11:00 PM on the third night, we requested yet another room. There were cockroaches there too, and the AC still didn’t work. Since it was late, we had to spend that night there, taking turns keeping the lights on to scare the roaches away. It was unbearably hot inside, cooler outdoors, so we left the door open. We left in the morning. The host speaks only a little French and Arabic, so he wasn’t much help. Also, when we paid the tourist tax, he gave us the wrong change and kept 50 DH. Was it deliberate or an honest mistake? Decide for yourself if you dare stay here. Don’t trust the very positive reviews. Those guests may simply not have realized they were sleeping among a colony of cockroaches.

The staff were very welcoming and nice, but that was the one good part of this riad. Everything else fell below average. The rooms are tiny and badly laid out, the internet is extremely poor, and we could hear even the slightest noise from other rooms. The terrace is ugly. If you want even a minimally nice experience, don’t pick this place or you’ll be disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend staying anywhere in the Medina, either. It’s horrible.

Mr Abdul was kind and helpful. On our last day, he arranged a taxi and walked us to the pickup point. The location is great, only a few minutes’ walk from the main square. Use the address shown on Google Maps, since that’s the only correct one. People have trouble finding the riad when they follow addresses listed on Booking.com and similar sites. Trust Google Maps and you’ll be fine. Recommended.