We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly.
We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.

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
Show the lowest price for this hotel*
Show Prices
*from our partners
Write a Review

29 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    14
    9
    3
    3
    0
Date Rating
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
Was this review helpful? Yes
See 2 more reviews by spmm for Essaouira
Ask spmm about Palazzo Desdemona
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
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Gerbouz about Palazzo Desdemona
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Devon
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
“Palazzo? Don't think so!”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 March 2009

This hotel is well situated, and the common areas are beautifully appointed. However, the welcome we received was less impressive. Despite the fact that the ground floor is a Salon de Thé, we were not offered any refreshment on arrival after our three hour trip from Marrakech. In fact, we were not even offered a seat while we filled out the tourist forms. This was in direct contrast to our experience at the riad in Marrakech, where we had just spent three days, and we were quite shocked.

Our room was equally disappointing. The hotel prides itself in having open views, yet our room overlooked a brick wall of a building being renovated eight feet away on the other side of a back alley. The shower room was particularly shabby and was in dire need of renovation, which would not cost the earth in Morocco. We were, in fact, shown three rooms, all at the back of the hotel and all of an equally poor standard.

We asked if we could upgrade to a room at the front of the hotel, but were told they only had suites left. The rate we were quoted was Dh 1700 a night, ie Dh 1000 more than we were paying. We subsequently discovered, by looking at the list of rooms and prices displayed at reception – by law all Moroccan hotels have to display current prices at reception - that the dearest suite in the hotel was Dh 1400 a night. When we pointed out to our host that one of the rooms at Dh 900 a night would be ideal for us, he maintained that they were all booked. Yet the hotel seemed very empty.

We were made to feel very unwelcome by our host, and while the situation of the hotel made up for this to some extent, the substandard room was another negative.

  • Stayed February 2009, travelled as a couple
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask LovetotravelDevon about Palazzo Desdemona
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
NZ
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Not worth the money”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 January 2009

I spent 2 nights in this hotel. The rooms were spacious and clean, and the staff were friendly. The breakfast was good, with the typical fresh orange juice, coffee and pancakes.

Unfortunately on both mornings, there was no hot water for a shower. This was dissappointing when we were paying the equivalent of 90 pounds a night for a double room.

The location was excellent however. It is just inside the medina walls, with a carpark very nearby on the outside of the wall.

  • Stayed December 2008, travelled with friends
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask 36mouse about Palazzo Desdemona
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
zurich, suisse
1 review
“almost a true palazzo”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 October 2008

walking around in search of a nice place to stay, we found this palazzo by accident. the rooms are all unique and spacey, the terrasse is awesome (we had the whole place to ourselves), you can see the ocean and the harbor and don't really need to go to the beach if it's too windy.
the staff was very very nice, friendly and helpful.
we had 9 great days and would recommend it anytime.
greetings from switzerland!

  • Liked — the uniquness of our room
  • Disliked — nothing
  • Stayed October 2008, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 2 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask lgazelle about Palazzo Desdemona
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Travellers who viewed Palazzo Desdemona also viewed

Riad Chbanate
5 of 5 stars 166 Reviews
Essaouira, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Region
Show Prices ABS:HotelCheckRates-d1490667?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_AlsoViewed
Riad Malaika
5 of 5 stars 245 Reviews
Essaouira, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Region
Show Prices ABS:HotelCheckRates-d1582606?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_AlsoViewed
Riad Baoussala
5 of 5 stars 247 Reviews
Essaouira, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz Region
Show Prices ABS:HotelCheckRates-d518420?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_AlsoViewed
View all 76 hotels in Essaouira, ranked by popularity »

Been to Palazzo Desdemona? Share your experiences!

Write a Review Add Photos Add Videos

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

Owners: What's your side of the story?

If you own or manage Palazzo Desdemona, register now for free tools to enhance your listing, attract new reviews, and respond to reviewers.

  • Manage your listing
Palazzo Desdemona
Show the lowest price for this hotel (from our partners)
Show Prices