Riad Najiba

The location was good, and so was breakfast. We stayed two nights, and our room smelled strongly of damp, especially like mold. We didn’t ask to move, so I don’t know whether that would have been possible. They gave us towels when we requested them and didn’t charge extra.

I was glad when my five nights were finally over. I didn’t enjoy the stay, and wouldn’t recommend this hostel even for free. The room was cramped, with a small, noisy fan and a short bed. I’m not tall, but even I didn’t fit comfortably. Four rooms shared one bathroom, sometimes with two or three people in each room, and it sometimes ran out of toilet paper. The shared shower sometimes had no hot water, and sometimes no water at all. Someone in another room snored all night, and I could hear it in mine. The staff were unfriendly, or, more accurately, rude. I booked in July for October, non-refundable, so if I hadn’t shown up I’d have lost the money. My booking said taxes and fees were included, as was breakfast, but the so-called manager demanded 200 MAD for breakfast. Finding the hostel inside Rabat Old Market was confusing, with several turns and a walk through the busy market each time. Google Maps calls it a three-star hotel, but what kind of three-star place has one shared bathroom for four rooms and no toilet paper? It’s a hostel. Pay a little more and you can find a hotel with larger rooms and a private bathroom and shower. Rabat isn’t a big city, just average, and most hotels are well located. Anywhere between Hassan II Park and Rabat Beach should be fine.

We were given a different room from the one we booked online, and had to switch partway through the stay. The rooms are tiny, though manageable. The noise was unbearable. Earplugs didn’t help and we couldn’t sleep during our stay. There are shared bathrooms, with the shower in the same room as the toilet. Water pressure is low, and when it’s busy, waiting can be annoying since there are only three showers for the whole Riad. Breakfast was lovely, with more food than we could finish, and the staff were hardworking and lovely. Still, that didn’t make up for the lost sleep.

The musty smell in my room meant I had to air it out often. It wasn’t the cleanest place, and it lacked basic things: there wasn’t even a towel, the shower had no curtain so water went everywhere and my things got wet, and they often ran out of toilet paper without restocking. The rooms are very basic, and I felt the prices were too high for the standard. It needs more care and attention to detail. The rates just don’t match what you get.