We booked a short romantic break that was offered at a sensible price.
After reading the reviews we were a little apprehensive but as experienced travellers we always try to keep an open mind.
Unfortunately things were not good, when we arrived the room was not ready, although there were only 10 people staying at the hotel. We were offered the tea and biscuits which was part of the deal we had booked, this was a small glass of mint tea and 2 biscuits, this was shown on our bill as costing £10 each !
Eventually we were shown to our room by a very friendly member of staff, the room was freezing cold and smelt damp and un-aired. We put on the heating on full and went out into the gardens, we returned in a couple of hours and the room was still no better, the air conditioning/ heating just could not manage. We rang reception and asked for another heater, a girl arrived with two additional toilet rolls, I explained we were fine for them but needed a heater, she eventually got one from another room. There was no bottled water in the room or fridge, the beds were very uncomfortable and only one poor pillow was provided.
It was now late so we decided to have dinner in the hope that the room would warm up. The resturant was very quiet with only two other couples there who had also arrived on this day. The restaurant staff were very helpful and friendly but the food was a disappointment, I had the soup to start which was nice and warming, I followed this with the beef kebeb which came with a very small amount of sliced vegetables and was only just tepid. My wife had a local starter which was fine followed by the chicken and lemon tagine, this was warm, the sauce had dried out and the chicken was dry and stringy. At a cost of over £20 per person this was a joke.
The restaurant, reception and bar were also very cold, there was absolutely no heating on anywhere which made spending any time in any of these areas very unpleasant and uncomfortable.
The next two days we spent as much time either out in the gardens or in Marrakech itself where we found a lovely hotel and resturant called Les Jardin De La Koutoubia, the food was about the same price but the quality was in a different league, the ambience was great and there was always traditional entertainment or music during dinner.
As part of our travel arrangments we had a free hamman treatment included, after asking for this to be arranged for three days at reception, I eventually spoke to the staff who worked at the hamman to get it sorted. I wish I hadn't bothered, the room was only warm not hot and after 40 mins we were told our treatment was over, all we had done was sit in the equivalant of a steam room with hardly any steam and this was meant to be a £20 each treatment.

It was obvious that they were preparing the hotel for the start of the season so they were constantly cleaning, repairing and painting around us, even in the restaurant whilst we were eating breakfast. The hotel advertised local entertainment but there was nothing available during our stay. I appreciate that it was early in the season but if you open the hotel for business you should provide what you advertise and especially basics like heating.

All in all, very disappointing and not what I would expect from what is purported to be a quality 5 star hotel.

We went on a big family holiday ...7 adults and a 3month baby! Our first impression was that the hotel was beautiful,we were upgraded to the 4 bedroom royal villa which was a lovely gesture...as soon as we walked towards the royal villa....we were surprised to see topless sunbathers,not impressed! very embarrassed,as a muslim family in a muslim country we were shocked to see this.
However we plodded along to our villa.,and must say again it was lovely.As we settled in I realised there was no kettle in the room...with a small baby...this was not good news...how was i going to warm milk....I expected a kettle...as you do in any basic hotel in the U.K.

Breakfast-minimal not even 2 star standard.. and were accompanied by the local birds that were in the dining room!

However staff were friendly,but did not speak English,apart from one poor stressed manager!
The hotel could be great,if they could provide basic services.Marrakech itself was a great experiance,would love to go again,but stay somewhere else!

Below is my honest account which I wrote whilst still at the hotel, luckily one day a nice man walking by asked if everything was ok, I found out he was the owner Adam Fassil, so I arranged to have a meeting with him to discuss all the problem areas and things that needed improvement, he listened and made notes and was grateful as he had no idea that things were so bad. He has since kept in touch by email assuring me that all comments were taken on board and steps to improve things were taking place. I would like to go back soon to see the difference as this place could be a great escape for relaxation. Please note my rating is based on how it was in October but things may have changed !!

My Review
My friend and I arrived at Marrakech airport where we found the terminal modern and organised and we did not have to wait long for our bags, upon exit we were met by our pre arranged hotel car pickup who grabbed our cases and led the way to a very old and tatty minibus, it was an extremely hot and humid afternoon and we were melting and looking forward to an air conditioned ride to the hotel, oh dear no air con in the bus only open windows that blew warm air on us as we sped our way for 30 minutes to the hotel. As we approached our hotel it dawned on us that we were in the middle of nowhere and a long way from Marrakech town. The building looked very Moroccan as described and once inside the small main and no aircon reception we checked in with little fuss and were then shown to our junior suite that had been booked. The room smelt great with the scented candles burning, also a nice bowl of fruit on the coffee table and some hard and non-descript biscuits. There was also a bottle of water on the side. The room is large and clean with a seating area a nice large bathroom. Once our porter left us we looked around, empty fridge, so where is the mini bar? No balcony or windows to open? The room, even though the lights were all on, was so dark that I thought they may be a chance the I may misplace my friend in there during the next few days!! There was no kettle or tea and coffee making facilities and wi-fi although advertised failed to mention it did not exist in the rooms, however it was perfectly fine if you were in the main hotel reception or by the pool. So off to dinner we went, the menu was shown as a set dinner with a choice of 3 starters, 3 main courses and 2 deserts at a cost of about £20 each, ok we were so hungry we went for it as no other option, we had soup for starter, which was fine and then my friend ordered chicken and that is what she got, and all she got, 2 pieces of chicken and nothing else, I ordered beef steak and that arrived as 3 small pieces on a plate with a small piping of mash on the side, desert was caramel crème. We looked around and began to wonder why there was nobody else around, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, by the end of the evening we had counted 15 people including ourselves that we saw!! Well off to bed we went with the giggles wondering what on earth tomorrow would bring.

Had a reasonable nights sleep however with only one pillow each and no spare ones, and a very poor air con system, I think it was only due to the days travelling that we slept well.

Next morning we were up bight and early as Morocco is hour behind the UK, off we went to breakfast at 8am, time advertised to start, however a few people sitting and waiting and now us, 15 mins later a small plate of sliced kiwi fruit and orange arrived, no juice tea or coffee in sight and nothing else come to that, after a while orange juice arrived, then finally croissants bread jam and cheese, so where is the tea and coffee? well I finally went and hunted down someone and after 10 mins it arrived Yey. So that done we went to reception to find out where the nearest shop was, ok here it is you can take the hotel bus to town for 25 dirhams and then 3 hours later catch it back for another 25 dirhams, take a taxi and back for £20, so we decided although the drink was so expensive in the hotel by the time we popped to the supermarket for £20 it really was not worth the effort, the hotel has got you by the short and curlys and all drinks work out around £5 each, a glass of wine is a quarter of a glass when served so don’t buy a glass buy a bottle, at least for £20 you get more value that way.

Around the pool- all very nice with beds and umbrellas and free towels to use, service from the bar and food is also served to you by the pool, usual burgers, pizza, salad etc, and probably better than the evening dinner ! which is what we did on day 2 was eat by the pool around 3pm and miss the strange dinner which by the way, we found the menu is the same every day, chef appears to be only able to cook 3 main dishes.

So second day back to the room after our day by the pool to find no nice candles burning and a room that stank of drains, no extra pillows that we asked for earlier in the day and no water, fruit etc!! Oh well cant be bothered to argue at that time of the night.

Next morning asked the manager for pillows they arrived within 10 mins, water you have to buy after the first free bottle, the smell, well we just have to live with it!!

So off to the luxury spa we go for our booked treatment.. Okay I know we are in Morocco but neither of us ladies in our latter years were asked any medical questions or had to sign anything, and it is no way a luxury spa, so on we went through dark corridors to dark rooms where we could see diddly squat, only to have our massage, which was ok and the sort you would get from anyone not trained but playing the game, all I can say that if I had to pay the £40 for 30 mins for it, I would have been disgusted

So to sum it all up, if you want a few days of a great deal of peace, quiet and relaxation, with plenty of money in your pockets for food and drink, this is the place for you, and it will definitely give you that unwind feeling, however I would suggest that there is nothing at all here for children other than the pool which really is not suitable for any child that is not a good swimmer.

Hope this honest and how it is, review has helped

We booked this place late having found it on a search website.
The hotel is an oasis in the desert approximately 15 minutes from the wonderful madness of Marrakech.
The staff are wonderful - friendly, welcoming and always willing to help - you really can't knock this place for service.
While we were there the main pool was being refurbished but we used the secondary pool and were given quality attention throughout.
Breakfast is basic but fresh / quality and best served on the terrace with a spectacular view of the snow-covered Atlas mountains.
We will be going back - its such a relaxing place and an ideal spot for winter sun.
Finally, the rooms are great and, for what you get, excellent value.
Don't be put off by some of the snobby reviews on this site - if you embrace the culture and are friendly then you will be rewarded with excellent service and will have a great time!