Dar Zemrane

The Riad is very traditional and there was a real taste of Morocco when staying here, rather than a nameless faceless hotel chain. Mohammed was so welcoming and gave great advice to help us manage around the old town and dealing with people in the Souks. He even shared his amazing tea recipe! The location is right in the heart of the old town, with a 10 minute walk to the main square. It is a little hard to find at first but this is part of the charm of a real Moroccan experience. If you want the real Morocco, then this is a perfect place to stay.

dar Zemrane is a place to stay for a night and that's it! This will vary depending on the purpose of your trip and overall personality. For starters the rooms do not lock, which doesn't provide you with a secure vibe at all, especially in a foreign country. The vibe here feels a little off, although it's quite and secluded in the medinas, there's something about it that seems odd. Meriem was welcoming and provided help and guidance at all times, however with Mohammed it felt a little off and I felt uncomfortable. For the price we paid, I would much rather choose a different riad or hotel that provides different quality of services and more reliability. When it came to breakfast, it only provides a pretty much high carb breakfast (same menu everyday; 4 diff breads, jelly,jam,orange juice,coffee or tea). The riad is very secluded from the actual plaza which can be dangerous walking back late at night (we usually came back by 8 pm), on the plus side it's very quiet and can be of interest for those wanting to rest. The utilities weren't as good, the shower's drain would get flooded very quick and water would soak the bathroom; as far as towels, there wasn't any evidence of towels being washed every day, other than being laid out over the ledge to dry with the sun. Although the pictures may show a spacios riad, it's quiet small and there's nothing to do inside other than to just go to bed or go to the little rooftop. It was annoying to want to enjoy the rooftop while some staff kept "cleaning and organizing" it felt like a prison at times not knowing where to lay down or just relax, other than the rooms. It is not a kid friend o family friendly place, nor a couple stay either. It has an awkward vibe that one doesn't really know if one can make noise or be walking around. For the prices listed, it best to find another place than can provide other services and variety. The riad also offered "excursions" which I found very off because it did not list a phone number or email address or even a website to search the quality or references. We originally told Mohammed that we were interested and he said he would "call" to arrange, that night I felt very unsure and insecure so the next day I told him I didn't feel good and if it was possible for him to give me a phone number to call, he answered "No, I will call". I asked him again, if I could do it, and he said, "no, I call him". So that made me more suspicious of whether the excursions were reliable. The owners of the riad were there at all times and they were friendly with us. It is important to ask before travelling whether you need to pay a "tourist tax", we had to pay 220 euros i think, that we were not aware off, not sure if it was a booking mistake or just overall planning that we were not aware off. Overall, I would not rate this riad what the ratings show. There are other places for a much better price and location with services that are more welcoming and reliable. Personally it was a learning experience staying here, and would not repeat it.

Really enjoyed our time at Dar Zemrane, we had a lovely welcome and were very well accommodated during our stay. The room was great, with a nice hot shower and both a heater and aircon. Personally loved waking up to bird song every morning with the 2 or 3 little birds that reside somewhere nearby. The Riad is in a quiet location but has little shops nearby and a great little place for a msemen and hot tea just down the road. Short walk to the medina. It’s very safe and secure- we happily left the room wide open whilst having breakfast in the mornings- where we were served half Moroccan delicacies, half French (croissants, brioches etc). We would personally have preferred just the Moroccan breads but that’s the only thing we would change in this charming little Riad. Our highlight was Mohamed and his spiced Moroccan tea- wonderful gentleman and, for us, the best tea in Morocco.