Hotel and Ryads Barriere Le Naoura

unfortunately we did not have a good experience. We chose to stay in a riad, thinking it would be charming. It was not. Our riad was a vertical townhouse with a nice common area but our room was tiny. The photos on the website do not show the riad guestrooms. We did not have a closet, drawers or anywhere to put our suitcases. You get one room key you cant get another. You can't get an extra towel. There was no do not disturb sign so we were woken up by housekeeping. Worst of all, we were 3 flights up with no elevator. The hotel delivered our suitcases to the bottom floor of the riad, not to our room. We carried them up and I hurt my knee. It still hurts ( I am not young). Of course we tried to change our room but it was not possible. On the positive side the pool lounges were nice and the flowers were pretty. Breakfast was good.

The hotel has a few positives and some negatives. I liked the room, a junior suite with two separate sink rooms, the lobby bar, and staff. However, the breakfasts and dinners were average at best. The overriding issue was a persistent sewage odor in the toilet room, the hallways, and outdoors near the pool. Management expressed sincere concern about the stench but claimed that they could not smell it.

My daughter and I stayed four nights in Junior Suite 115 in June 2026 having previously loved the hotel in September 2025. This time, our view was that the hotel was not as good. Location, the room itself, and the staff were, in the main, genuinely excellent. The pool area is lovely (though some cabanas have been added since our last stay which were not popular with guests, take up space and make it less attractive). Our stay this time was diminished by:

1. the hotel refurbishment. This meant only the service lift from the ground floor and tight stairs down, both from around corners on the outside of the building. This was highly inconvenient and the stairs felt dangerous. It also meant the reception area had been moved to the forecourt, and the bar moved to what was previously the breakfast area. There was much less avaliable internal space and some builders/work. Breakfast was delegated to being entirely outside by the pool. It did not seem hygenic given the temperature and the large number of wasps and flies enjoying the buffet. We ended up with mild food poisoning on our trip, and wonder if the outdoor breakfast buffet hygiene was the cause. It was diaappointing not to be warned about the work being undertaken during our stay and the consequences before arriving. I would have expected a hotel of this quality to have done so prominently and offered the ability to amend or cancel a booking regardless of booking conditions.
2. We booked a hotel transfer from the airport. It is only a short distance but we wanted the security of someone being ready to meet and drive us, even though the cost was €40. When we arrived there was no signs of anyone for us and there was no reply to the three messages sent to the hotel's conceirge, having been provided with no other means to contact or information about the driver. The man with the Naoura sign eventually turned up just under 30 minutes after we arrived, which was stressful. This was really poor for a 5-star hotel although, to their credit, the hotel did not in the end charge for the transfer.
3. laundry. This is a same day service for return before 7pm. After two phone calls chasing, the laundry was actually returned at 7.40pm, which was poor as one item was required for that evening. Shirts were returned on hangers, not folded as requested, and when I queried it with the staff member he told me to "take it up with reception". Again, poor service.
4. room service. We placed an order one evening and were given a reasonable time estimate. Unfortunately, the food took just under an hour and was mediocre. French fries arrived cool and soggy and we had to wait more minutes for a replacement. Ice cream accompanying the creme brulee was melted. When I called to request updates about our food and to request the table removal after dinner, the Room service line rang out before going to a strange Maroc Telecom message. We were really disappointed by this experience, given that on our previous stay the food had been excellent.
5. lunch at the pool restaurant. It felt as if the menu had been downgraded since September and the food, while adequate, was not of the exceptional quality which it had been.
6. Noise. On our final afternoon and evening the music was very loud. This was unpleasant and distracting and not what I would expect from a hotel of this refinement. The hotel balcony doors are not at all soundproof and need to be if the music is going to be played at the level it was.

Overall, this remains a very good hotel. However our admittedly high expectations of it were not met this time. I would hesitate to stay again for the time being because the hotel is not currently of the exceptional quality which it was 9 months previously. I hope it returns to that level of quality and service very soon.