Riad Marco Andaluz

The rooms were comfortable, and otherwise quite nice, but I still feel really uneasy about this place two weeks later. There were six of us, all women, and the manager was unfriendly from the start. He wouldn't let two friends share a room with one bed, and only reluctantly showed us a fourth room after we insisted we'd booked four. He argued with my friend while she spoke to him in Spanish. She later said he seemed to have been drinking. Then he led us through dark hallways, so we had to use our phone lights to find the rooms. It was a warm night, but the AC units had no remotes. Only one of the four rooms had a controller, and it didn't work with the other units. We were hesitant to open the interior windows because of how creepy the manager had seemed. The glass doors facing the inside of the building had curtains that didn't quite cover them, which made us feel exposed. Around midnight, the owner woke us by noisily moving heavy furniture or boxes, with all the interior lights blazing. I don't know why those lights hadn't been on when we checked in. Breakfast was disappointing: a chocolate croissant and one small pastry, rather than the fuller Moroccan breakfast you usually get at guest houses. I couldn't wait to leave, and won't book here again when I return to Morocco.

The location was great and the people seemed nice at first. We were happy to find the Riad, but after a few unpleasant encounters we didn't feel that way anymore. There were kids walking around above us at 8 in the morning while we were still asleep, which felt disrespectful from that family. We left early, and the manager or owner kindly offered us breakfast, but we were too unhappy to accept. Hospitality is at the heart of this business, and we didn't feel it was there.

I was there for about a week in March 2019. It was hard to find after dark in Sale's little winding streets, but after a good night's sleep and a filling breakfast, I started to appreciate the location. The ocean is about a 10-minute walk away, and the tram stop for crossing the bridge into Rabat is around 15 minutes on foot. If you don't get sidetracked by Sale's charm, that is. When the weather's good, the slow walk over the bridge is nice too. The place was clean and comfortable. I can't remember the owner's name now, but he'd make time to chat over breakfast when he could, which gave my stay a really good start.

The service was outstanding. They made breakfast for us at 5 in the morning before our early flight, found us a well-priced taxi to the airport, and exchanged our dollars for dirhams above the market rate without a commission. The suite was comfortable thanks to its two powerful air conditioners, and the rooms were spacious and colorful, even nicer than the photos. It's a clean, authentic place, a real hidden gem.