Barcelo Palmeraie

For my 8th time in Marrakech, I decided on the Barcelo Palmeraie Palmeraie. I was not disappointed. From the beginning to the end, I was impressed & treated like royalty. Everyone working there is so attentive and helpful. The whole hotel is well kept, updated when needs be and decorated in the moroccan style. From breakfast to supper the food at the main restaurant, the Oliveraie is delicious and varied. Whether you want to go for Moroccan food or more Internationale, it has a full salad bar, a whole dessert/fruit bar and loads other dishes to please everyone from tajines, to risotto, fish, pastas & chips.. The other à la carte restaurants (extra £), are delicious and very easy to book. Every bar (x3) offers a wide range of drinks from fresh juices, iced teas/ coffee & alcoholic too, that you can customise If you want & easy to work out, depending on the option you chose like All inclusive. There is light entertainment every evening: latino night, DJ night, moroccan night on Tuesday, live singers etc. Both the swimming pools are of good size, clean & in good state. The famiy pool has all the activities/music & the zen adult pool (+16y) is du or you if you prefer a quieter relaxed atmosphere. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous and are well looked after by the gardeners, you see going around all the time. The rooms are clean daily & in good state. You get small bottles of water daily left in your fridge & can easily ask for more. The spa is absolutely amazing & not too miss. At reception, there is also a cash machine, a customer service desk if you had be questions etc, a shop where you can find what you forgotten and an desk where you can get books and book activities. Also, there is a free shuttle taking you to near Jrmaa el fna/back. There are too many people I could thank, but especially: Rokaya & colleagues at reception, Sarah & colleagues at the main bar, Youssef the friendliest bagagiste. Already reserved for August 2027.

Shame I can’t give 0 stars.

What was supposed to be a special birthday trip for our daughter, booked by my husband, turned into an absolute nightmare.

For a 5-star hotel, the condition of the property was shocking: humidity in the rooms, poor maintenance, torn towels, cockroaches and other insects in the rooms — and even toads around the hotel at night. This is simply unacceptable for a 5-star property.

The pool area was also poorly maintained, with dirty and damaged sun loungers, many of which were reserved early every morning.

The food was repetitive, with serious hygiene concerns. We repeatedly saw uncovered pizzas and tagines with birds coming directly into the food.

The worst part was our daughter becoming seriously ill after eating a slice of pizza, suffering from vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. Despite our repeated complaints, the hotel provided no meaningful assistance or support. We had to take her to the emergency department and deal with everything ourselves.

What was even more disappointing was the attitude of the Guest Experience managers. No empathy, no real support, and no feeling that our concerns were being taken seriously.

This was supposed to be a beautiful birthday celebration for our daughter. Instead, it became a nightmare we will never forget — for all the wrong reasons.

Definitely not 5-star standards. We deeply regret choosing this hotel. Our advice: STAY AWAY!!!