Firstly, the area. Out front is a major, chaotic road intermingled with a building site for the new Metro. The other 3 sides look out onto areas that are rundown to say the least. This being Morocco, it felt safe enough as long as you keep your wits about you. Unfortunately, if you are female, it's best no to go out without a male companion as you will get hassle. Very handy for the Medina. Decent restaurants nearby - they do take a bit of finding though. Try La Corrida - out of the hotel, turn R, keep going for a km, it's on the R. Doesn't look much from the outside, but great food (no alcohol).

My room was ok, but a little bit worn and tired. The towel rail was falling off the wall, but the plumbing worked ok. Bed was comfortable. The room safe was already closed - when I asked about it, the reception staff said it was a problem throughout the hotel. This turned out to be [--], as colleagues that checked in later than me were given rooms with safes that worked. I suspect that they have lost the overide key, and as people check out leaving the safes shut, they become unusable. Not good - if they had a problem, they should at least have been honest about it.

Breakfast was ok, but the service is poor. Very hard to get a cup of coffee, almost impossible to get a second one. You have a 50% chance of a chipped cup.

By contrast, the service in the bars and the restaurant 'next door' (but actually part of the hotel) was exemplary. The food was good, if typically 3 times the price of the same meal outside the hotel. You can get anything from the restaurant delivered to the bar if you ask - don't rely on the bar menu.

The internet access was ok, but allow plenty of time if you want the archaic printer in the business centre to churn out any documents!

I didn't pay for the room so can't comment on value for money.

The Farah Hotel is part of the Golden Tulip chain and appears to cater to tour groups. The one thing going for it is that it's across the street from the Medina, a 20 minute walk from Rue des Consul, and a 30 minute walk to the Kasbah. I enjoyed waking up early and walking through the Medina before it got crowded.

The hotel advertises an ocean view, but the view is more of the mouth of the Bouregreg River, which has some charm but also a lot of construction. Unfortunately, the hotel is very noisy since it is on a busy thoroughfare and doesn't have very much land that would buffer it from city streets. The traffic is so noisy, that I would not keep the room window open.

The restaurant is average, serving a boring buffet. The menu is better than the buffet, but not worth the price.

The rooms are comfortable and clean but nothing special. There is a small pool on the roof, with a bar that doesn't serve food. While it has a very nice view of the Medina, it is very noisy due to the constant traffic passing by. I would not stay at this hotel again.

decent place in a pretty good location, the city isnt much but if u have to go there and u want to feel decent go there. service was only average which for morroco is quite good. the view from the rooftop pool is cool to see.

all in all a decent place and a safe bet for western comforts

A 5* business hotel in a good location in Rabat: The Golden Tulip Farah Hotel is just adjacent to the Place Tour Hassan and the medina, with views over the medina to the Kasbah Oudaias, and over the Bou Regreg river to Salé, from the rooftop terrace and poolside.

There are several restaurants, several bars, a gym and indoor pool - whatever you expect from a 5* hotel. You can walk to most sights. The 193 rooms look like business hotel rooms elsewhere, but are clean and well-equipped. Service is okay, and the breakfast was truly the most remarkable we had on our trip, with fruit and cheese and freshly-made eggs and yoghurt and ... Only coffee was as bad as elsewhere. Stay with mint tea.

Surely an excellent option in Rabat, though not very Moroccan in style. Check out my personal travel diary for more details:
http://www.pangolin.li/travel_sites/morocco06/