Hotel Darna

At checkout they raised the price by using a very high euro to dirham exchange rate. It felt like a complete rip-off. Finding parking was also horrible: spaces were hard to find, and when I did find one, a guy asked for an outrageous fee that felt like theft. When I arrived to check in, the hotel was closed and the receptionist was asleep. He woke up after I knocked, but nobody helped with my luggage or showed me to the room. The bed was okay, though the room wasn't well equipped and had nowhere to hang clothes. The bathroom was clean but awkwardly laid out. There was almost no hot water, and I had to wait a long time just to get lukewarm water. I don't recommend this hotel at all. It's one of the worst in Morocco.

After wandering around for a day, I spotted this restaurant on the main road. It was quite busy, with people watching football on the big TV. I had the sardine tagine and mixed salad, which were nicely presented and tasted very good. The service was good and the meal was good value, 45 mad for both.

We paid 710 dh for two nights, which was very affordable. My brother and I found the staff really nice, the room spacious, the bathroom clean, and the AC worked fine. It was a great hotel, and I'd recommend it to anyone coming to explore Rabat.

The rooftop breakfast is simple, but good. I first stayed here for two nights while travelling through Morocco, then came back many times in the years after. It feels like my second home.