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Palazzo Desdemona – reviews, photos

3.0 of 5
12-14 rue Youssef el Fassi, Essaouira, Morocco
Hotel amenities
Palazzo Desdemona
Ranked #30 of 76 hotels in Essaouira
4.5 of 5 stars 29 Reviews
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29 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    14
    9
    3
    3
    0
Date Rating
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Very nice hotel”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 September 2011
3
people found this review helpful

This is a beautiful hotel with charm and character. All the rooms are different and i enjoyed walking around and look at them all.
The location is perfect! Right between the busy shopping streets in the medina, the harbor and the big square with all the cafees and restaurants. No dark alleys to get there at nights, big plus for me as a female solo traveller!
Staff is nice and breakfast is good with orangejuice, coffee, 2 kinds of bread, butter, honey and 3 kinds of jam.
And it´s clean! (unlike most of other places in essaouira..)

Hope to come back someday!

  • Stayed September 2011, travelled solo
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Leicester, UK
2 reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“A haven of peace.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 June 2011
2
people found this review helpful

A beautiful hotel, lovingly restored. It's not your bland Ibis, it has character and a few cracks but in our view all the better. Breakfast is included and a really good start to the day.

  • Stayed June 2011
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Chris_UK_10 about Palazzo Desdemona
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Dorset, UK
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Lovely peaceful hotel”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 March 2011
1
person found this review helpful

We arrived here from Marakesh and I have to say it was great - we had room 5 - which was very spacious with high ceilings, sofas, really comfortable bed with cotton sheets. The room was painted white - spotless, open the windows look over the square to the sea - really lovely and the bathroom had a window ! Breakfast was served downstairs and again was good and very tranquil The girl we met, who I think was the owner's wife was very welcoming and the location couldn't be better - away from the hustle of the medina a very short walk to everything - a lovely peaceful place to stay - would highly recommend it.

Stayed March 2011, travelled as a couple
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East Gwillimbury, Canada
Top Contributor
68 reviews 68 reviews
Reviews in 33 cities Reviews in 33 cities
193 helpful votes 193 helpful votes
“Top Location, Super Staff but Dated & Rustic”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 December 2010

I stayed 3 nights here in one of the upper level "suites" with massive private terrace.

The location of the hotel is excellent, located right on the edge of the venerable and picturesque, whitewashed & blue, Essaouira medina. A 30 second walk from the main square with all its cafes, restaurants and the winding laneways of the medina beyond.

The room had lots of windows and direct access to the private terrace, with an unobstructed view of the harbourfront, clocktower and charming surrounding buildings. Other than the many birds (including a noisy rooster next door), it was very quiet.

The service was excellent-excellent from the manager to the cleaning crew to the wait-staff, it was really professional and friendly.

The restaurant on the main floor is home to a local wifi hotspot and guests get free useage 24 hours a day.

I only had breakfasts here and they were pretty good...Not exceptional but decent.

On the downside, the hotel needs a retro-fit in a pretty major way: The paint is crumbling on the exterior, and the 61 steps up to the top floor are fine for a young, strapping buck like me, but would be a major problem for those with mobility issues.

The finish and decor in the room itself was very dated and a bit worn out. Opening and closing the doors was an exercise in slamming and yanking-hard, and it wasn't just my room with this problem: I could hear other doors slamming around the hotel as well, so they must have all had the same problem. While there were lots of sheets and blankets on the bed, they too had seen better days.

The bathroom was functional, but dated and worn as well, and water temperature regulation was a nuissance at best; a burn or freeze experience at worst. The towels looked like they could have actually been used by Jimi Hendrix himself on his last visit to Essaouira, sometime in 1968.

The room's terrace was massive and clean, but there was only 1 wooden table and ancient chairs present. Given the exposure to ample sunlight, a couple of loungers would have made it a very, very nice place to spend the day.

Listen, I know it sounds like I'm bashing the place, but I really DID enjoy my stay as a solo traveller, as I'm pretty easy-going. With a bit of new paint and some investment in some new ammenities, this place could easily be something really, really special. I paid 75EU/ night incl breakfast and it was worth it for that amazing view and terrace but overall, I would only give it 3 out of 5. I WOULD stay here again however, if that means anything to you.

  • Stayed December 2010, travelled solo
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Casablanca, Morocco
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Very Nice Suprise!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 August 2009

This small hotel is located inside the walls of the old city. Very friendly and helpfull staff (helped carrying luggage to the car parked far from the hotel).
Amazing rooms with very nice local design. The lobby is the "must see" place : each summer, the owner invites an artist to present its work for free. The lobby is then converted to an art gallery. This summer the artist was "Azzedine Abassi". Not only did he present his work, but he used to come to the lobby each morning at 9.00 and work there until 3.00pm (Very nice and affordable painting by the way). Almost forgot : breakfast is served in the lobby :)
And should you need to stay in touch with work or relatives, you have free access to wifi connection.
we spent 6 nights in this hotel and we'll surely go back very soon.

  • Stayed August 2009, travelled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Palazzo Desdemona

  • Palazzo Desdemona Essaouira
  • Palazzo Desdemona Hotel Essaouira
Address: 12-14 rue Youssef el Fassi, Essaouira, Morocco
Price range (per night):* INR3,224 - 4,613

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