Hotel Blanco Riad

The patio was a lovely place to settle in, quaint and welcoming, and the riad is only steps from the Royal Palace. We were glad we'd chosen to stay in the medina. It gave us a useful feel for the city as we plan future itineraries in Tetouan. This was our first visit to Tetouan, my husband Mohamed's and mine. We came with two clients on behalf of our boutique company, My Morocco Travel, since we like to experience a place ourselves before arriving with clients. Riad Blanco made a warm, intimate first impression, and our clients left happy. We ate there too. Mohamed had the goat tagine, which was tender, rich and full of flavor, and we shared a fresh, nicely prepared salad.

The architecture, decor and design are beautiful, and the place captures traditional Tetouan Moroccan style so well. That makes it painful to see such an iconic spot in the wrong hands. Our experience was awful. The staff were rude, disrespectful and unhelpful, the rooms smelled, and the food felt like a scam. For the price, you'd expect decent traditional Moroccan food, but the meal wasn't even finishable. I hope this review is taken seriously.

I had the fish tagine of the day in the Riad Blanco courtyard restaurant. It was good, and I had no reaction afterward. They also have a separate menu with gluten-free choices.

The good parts were the location, which was easy to find, and the friendly staff. The shower was spacious with hot water, and the heater worked. Tell your driver to leave you at the Cinéma Espagnol. The rooftop wasn't somewhere we wanted to spend time. There was a big smoking section, and by late afternoon smokers filled the whole terrace, so the non-smoking area wasn't enjoyable. It wasn't decorated either. Breakfast was dull, with some items wrapped in plastic, including mass-produced mini muffins. There was very little jam, not much milk for two people, and the server never came back with more coffee. The stairs were tricky too. A couple of steps were very narrow and angled, which made taking luggage down feel difficult and precarious. Compared with the other riads we stayed in, the internet was the least pleasant part: it was terrible, and most of the time we had no connection even after trying to reconnect several times.