Riad D'or

The place is beautifully and tastefully decorated, with a fantastic terrace and incredible view from and great areas to sit and relax. We didn't use the pool because it was too cold, but it looked clean. I can't speak to how the air conditioning would be in a hotter season, but for us in November the room had two different heaters (though one was a bit loud) and we were plenty warm. It was nice and quiet at night. The location was great, easy to find using Google maps or to have someone meet you at Bab Mansour. Staff were friendly and the breakfast was always served professionally and promptly. The breakfast was better than the typical Moroccan standard. There was bread and jam, of course, but also a bowl of fruit, some different pancake style breads, and eggs baked with tomatoes and olives. We had dinner one night for €15/person and it was a multiple course meal, tasty with fairly small portions. Worth trying for sure but a bit pricy for us.

The bed was quite hard. The whole place had a faint but pervasive musty odor, almost like cat urine and the surfaces in the room were a bit dusty. People with strong allergies may want to avoid. The bathroom needed some repairs to be sure. The toilet was leaking water out the back. The shower didn't drain well so we were standing in water up to our ankles by the time we were finished showering. The water heating system was badly regulated so that the water did not maintain a set temperature but cycled between lukewarm and scalding hot, which made for an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous shower. The staff were friendly but perhaps not entirely honest. When we enquired about trips to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss, we were offered a private taxi for 500 MAD ($50), which seemed a bit much to us. After walking to the grand taxi stand, we received multiple offers of the same route but with more time to see the sights for 250 MAD...a $25 mark-up for the convenience of having someone call for you! So there seems to be a bit of a commission racket going on. Not exactly new for Morocco, but disappointing to encounter in an otherwise professional seeming place. The other thing that was mildly annoying was being charged extra for the "welcome tea" and the tea we had with dinner. The first was given seemingly as a gesture of hospitality and wasn't really framed in a way we felt like we could turn down without being rude (as in, "Here, sit down and rest and drink a tea. Welcome!") Also, €15 each and no drink included? Really? My problem in the end isn't the amount being charged but the underhandedness of it. It's very poor business practice to offer a set menu at a set price, ask what the client would like to drink but NOT offer any kind of menu or price list for that service, and then charge for it. A bit of advice to the owners, most American travelers will very much resent this kind of behavior.