LOCATION - 4
Hotel is located on the western end of the medina, near the sea and the Kasbah. There are enough public parking areas nearby.
ROOMS - 4
Rooms are very small, but nice and clean, all but one face into the courtyard. You can’t lock the rooms from outside. So there is not much privacy. There is neither a safe deposit box nor a TV in the room.
SERVICE - 2
The staff gave the impression of only guarding the property instead of serving the guests. We did not need anything special, therefore we didn’t really mind. Nobody spoke English.
FOOD - 3
Breakfast was ok and served in the courtyard. Some dry fruits and some water were in the room.
FACILITIES – 4
The Riad has a great roof terrace, but nothing more. Internet access was not possible.

It is a rather cheap (but be aware that prices on the homepage are without taxes and the mandatory breakfast!), nice and clean place. Although service is non existent I might stay there again.

Dar Al Batoul is a lovely place - a real gem on the outer edges of the Rabat medina, close to the Qasba des Oudaias, the river, and the sea.

The riad itself is a gorgeous place, done up in not-so-traditional colors and with each room having its own color scheme, name, and vibe. It is remarkably low-key - it took me until the second day I stayed there to realize that there was a television in one of the downstairs lounges.

The rooms are quite comfortable and spacious, and there is a very mellow reception for guests. The family who runs the riad is quite lovely - very nice, even if a bit non-communicative (mostly because only the gentleman who greets guests speaks French; the rest of the family speaks only Arabic, I believe). They are remarkably unobtrusive, and really make it clear that they are there as background to the house, the medina, and the city of Rabat. I guess this can be translated as "not a lot of service" - but if you are the kind of traveler who wants a lot of service, the more upscale riads and hotels in the ville nouvelle are going to be more to your liking.

Likewise, if you are looking for a great deal of privacy, riad living like this is probably not for you. While there are doors and windows that would probably block out invasive eyes and sounds (and would be useful if, as when I was there, there's a heavy snorer down the hall), in the summer, they're pretty much useless. You should be prepared to have doors and windows open so that you can get air into your rooms, particularly since (unfortunately) the owners have covered most of the small windows in the bedrooms with gorgeous Moroccan lanterns - it gives a beautiful aesthetic to the room, but doesn't do much for sleeping on hot days.

Nevertheless, this is a very lovely riad, and if you're up for what it involves, you'll really enjoy your stay.

We only stayed for two nights at the Riad and overall enjoyed our stay. The riad is in a Moroccan palace and has very beautiful features like mosiacs and stained glass. The rooms are individually decorated and comfortable. Our only complaint was that the service was pretty low key - we were lucky to get a 'Good Morning'! But we felt safe and were promptly served a nice breakfast albeit without a smile!