Palm Plaza Marrakech Hotel & Spa

“Wouldn't return - expect scalping, staring and more harassment here if you're a woman”

This is not 5 star, by any means. We've had more of a 5 star stay in 2/3 star hotels! Positives: The hotel was opposite a mall that had a Carrefour supermarket and some clothes/beauty shops etc. Also a cinema and bowling nearby so good for kids. Recommend visiting Stah rooftop bar a 5 min walk... more

This is not 5 star, by any means. We've had more of a 5 star stay in 2/3 star hotels! Positives: The hotel was opposite a mall that had a Carrefour supermarket and some clothes/beauty shops etc. Also a cinema and bowling nearby so good for kids. Recommend visiting Stah rooftop bar a 5 min walk away for very nice vibe with some local entertainment. Enough distance from the medina for relaxing, but only recommend staying if you are a couple, older, or male. Clean hotel areas and room mostly. Female room service/cleaners couldn't have been friendlier and polite. They did an amazing job and turned the room over in next to no time at all. Front doormen were polite too and opened front doors for us which was nice. The pool area, though not in perfect condition, was aesthetically pleasing with flowers, palm trees and the sound of birds, aside from the issues we experienced as below. Cute sparrows and pigeons bathing in the pool. It was nice to have a fridge in the room for cold drinks. Came with free toiletries. Towels smelt clean. Bed was too stiff for my liking as I have wide hips and am a side sleeper, but my friend liked it. Linen was very clean. Shower was good. Nice to have a safety deposit box which we didn't have in the riad we stayed in. Had a bar but not much atmosphere so we didn't visit. Negatives: I rarely complain about any hotels I stay in. I've been to 3 and 4 star hotels that did a better job overall. We were mislead on prices by a taxi driver and wanted advice. The reception staff didn't even ask for our side of the story before clearly gossiping with the driver and eye-rolling, then barked at us with no eye contact that it wasn't their problem. We were made to feel awful, so much so a manager stepped in eventually. We had been aware of this general increase of fees for naive tourists before travelling and they clearly also didn't care as I read from another review that this hotel also adds on a premium if arranging through them. We got a cheaper taxi parked opposite the hotel, so they're just taking advantage of people's wallets. As two women, we had men constantly harassing us in Marrakech, & hoped the hotel would be safe to retreat to. We appreciate that this is a different culture to UK and covered up as much as poss but assumed swimwear by the pool would be okay. I didn't feel comfortable to uncover the whole time by the pool. 2 men filmed my friend in her bikini, we were told we were being watched by another man, could feel stares the whole time, men sat right by to flirt and more. We've never had this in any other hotels we've stayed at before. This wasn't staff luckily but it would be nice for there to be a no harassment/staring rule that is enforced. The breakfast, though large, was decimated by the time it was 10am (ends at 10.30am). Not everyone wants to get up at 6am for a 7am breakfast on holiday. You have to get up early or miss out. Huge selection of salad which was mostly untouched. Cornflakes were the only cereal, lack of fresh fruit like bananas, pineapple, melon, mango etc (we assumed variety was hard to come by but all could be purchased from Carrefour opposite). The juices were not fresh, more like juice drinks. Toaster machine doesn't work properly. 2 teas to choose from. Not tasty food.

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