Dar El Hayet

Mr Jamal made everything feel easy and welcoming, and was a wonderful host. The building is lovely, the rooms are great, and the view and location are both excellent.

The rooms are basic, but just right for sleeping. The roof decks sit high on the hill, so you get lovely sunrises and sunsets. It's not a riad with an inner courtyard, but after 11 days in Morocco, these were my favorite hosts. They were attentive and communicative, and felt more genuine than hosts at some fancier places I stayed. The guest house is a fantastic find near the ferry. We walked uphill with our backpacks past the city wall. At the intersection with Rue Bibane, look for Rue Oued Kerman, go past it to the right if you're facing uphill, then follow the little zigzag and bend. It's currently beyond a big empty lot, with no other identifying signs. A large sign at the top entrance lets you know you're close. The staff were welcoming in several languages and helped us get oriented without pushing anything on us.

The rooms were clean and the terrace has a lovely view. I'd come back just for the service from Jamal and Oussama.

Jamal and Mohamed were great hosts, both speaking English, and Jamal also speaks Spanish. The rooftop terrace looks out over the bay and city, and they welcomed us with Moroccan mint tea. Breakfast up there costs 4€ per person. They got me a hair dryer when I asked, recommended La Terasse de La Medina for dinner, and arranged a taxi to the station for 100 Dinhar. It came almost to the hotel. The decor is nice, it's good value, and I'd stay again. The lighting was so dim it was hard for my older eyes. The two pads on the bed left a dip in the middle and made it really uncomfortable for me. One larger pad covering the whole bed might work better.