Hotel Argana — Hotel in Agadir

So my fair and honest opinion this is my 1st time in morocco and at the argana Hotel.||We arrived late at night there was an issue with check-in, so asked to sit and wait wasn't long we was given our room. |The room was ok. we weren't happy as we were on the ground floor with no balcony with a sitting area right outside our room, and it felt like we had no privacy. We asked for another room and was told to go back in the morning, and they will sort it ok thats fine. |Went to reception was told room will be ready by 2pm put our luggage in the holding room. |2pm came our room wasn't ready asked to wait another half an hour ok so went back at 3pm room still not ready our tui rep was not helpful. |As we wanted to get changed and go out, this was holding us back from doing what we wanted to do. I complained that it wasn't acceptable to keep us waiting and I wouldn't ha e minded if I was just told a later time in the 1st place.|So we were allocated another room and told us it was a better room. |Yes, with a view, but other than that, we had a flickering light in the bathroom. The toilet roll holder is missing from the wall, the bday was blocked. The draw handle was hanging off and it went from 2 single beds to sharing a bed with my son.|The phone didn't work. |I reported the light 3 times and still didn't get fixed. I had to ask maintenance myself to fix the light. |No warm water off an evening so was cold showers. The shower flooded every time you used it. |The towel rail was loose. |The rooms are not the cleanest for a 4 star hotel.||Breakfast there is not much choice in food it gets really busy from 9.30 you have to wait for glasses and plates long queues for anything that is being cooked omelettes and pancakes etc.|If you go down at 10.20 there is nothing left and they don't refill so it's only whats left||I crnt comment on lunch or dinner as we were bed and breakfast.|The hotel lunch was ok. There isn't much choice to choose from and I found the drinks more expensive than the uk even though the shop next door you can buy 6 drinks for the price the hotel charges for 1 but they are ran by the same people from the hotel.||Most of the staff are very friendly and the waitering staff are helpful and friendly 1 lady seems to work harder than the rest was always happy to serve and always guessed my order as we almost always order the same drinks unfortunately I didn't get her name but a massive thank you for your hospitality me and my son are greatful ||I found the reception staff rude, but maybe that's cause I complained when my room wasn't ready on time.|And also on my departure day they was told my flight was delayed and didn't bother to pass the message on to me when I asked them to call me a taxi as my transport hadn't turned up just allowed me to get a taxi this is clearly no mistake as we was the only ones leaving at that time and to be told by the rep they was told twice to pass this information on. ||Pool area is clean we never struggled to get a bed even though people would put towels out from 8.30 am and not use them untill 10.30 11ish.|The entertainment staff are very good and friendly will do anything to get you involved they are a fantastic bunch. ||The noise from the hotel next door is very loud of a night but it didn't stop me from sleeping ||The spa is very clean and the staff are friendly would recommend using.||We also booked so trips with the hotel.|The 4x4 safari day was fantastic would highly recommend.|The horse riding I would not its basically in the middle of nowhere with nuffink to sea or look at. there are better options out there where you can ride on the beach|Quad biking was also very good but my son loved it so much we booked again but with a different company outside of the hotel and again was 100 times better we road on the beach and in the desert so again just think before booking and we also booked crocparc either way I don't think you can go wrong.||Overall we enjoyed our holiday cause I'm a believer its what you make of it but with a few minor things making me feel that some of the staff don't like English people I wouldn't return to this hotel some changes...

Argana Hotel: A Shadow of Its Former Self

Location-wise, the hotel is well-placed and easily accessible, with just a 10-minute walk to the beach. However, it’s important to note that the hotel is not directly on the beach, as one might assume from its descriptions or photos.

It’s apparent that the Argana Hotel has seen better days—long gone, unfortunately. While its exterior may suggest a sense of luxury, the reality is a stark contrast, revealing a concerning lack of attention to both infrastructure and service.

Having stayed in hundreds of hotels worldwide, I rarely feel compelled to write a review with this many critical points. Sadly, this experience was an exception.

For context, Argana positions itself as a mid-range hotel, charging over $150 per night for a double room during the low season. Such a price point creates certain expectations—expectations that were consistently unmet throughout our stay.

Check-In and Initial Impressions Our reservation voucher stated a check-in time of 3:00 PM and a check-out time of 12:30 PM. However, despite arriving on time, we were kept waiting until 4:00 PM to access our room.

Once inside, the issues began to accumulate: • Amenities: The bathroom had only one towel, despite the room being booked for two guests. • Room Condition: The sink tap was dripping, the toilet paper stand was broken, and one of the light bulbs in the room was burnt out. • Phone: The in-room phone was non-functional, leaving us unable to contact reception. • Fittings and Equipment: Many fixtures were loose or falling apart, and the in-room safe was unusable.

When I returned to reception to report these issues, I encountered what turned out to be the most frustrating aspect of our stay.

A Cynical Approach to Security Prominently displayed on the monitors at reception was the following message: “Please be advised that the hotel cannot be held responsible for any lost valuables in your rooms. Fortunately, there is a viable solution in the form of an in-room safe, which is available for a nominal fee of 20 dirhams per day.” This approach is both baffling and deeply disappointing. A hotel admitting its inability to secure guests' valuables while using this as an opportunity to sell a “solution” is nothing short of cynical. It begs the question: Are thefts being used to market safes?

Service Shortcomings The poor service extended beyond the initial issues. When I requested an additional towel, I was initially told I’d need to pay extra. After insisting that a double room should include two towels, a second set was eventually provided. This unnecessary confrontation was both exasperating and avoidable.

Facilities and Amenities • ATM: An ATM is located in the lobby with a disclaimer that any issues with it are not the hotel’s responsibility. If so, why have it? • Breakfast: The breakfast service emphasized quantity over quality. Approximately 50% of the plates had cracked edges (photo attached), and the eggs were either reboiled or overcooked to the point of turning black. Pineapple “juice” was not juice at all—it was a thick, sugary solution with no discernible connection to actual pineapple juice. • Additional Charges: The gym costs 50 MAD per use, and towels for the swimming pool incur an extra charge.

Final Thoughts While I understand the concept of add-ons, there is a limit to what guests will accept—especially in a mid-range hotel. Argana’s pricing model feels more akin to a budget airline than a reputable establishment.

Furthermore, it takes a lot, yeah, a lot, before I leave a review this negative. I fully understand that an overly negative review can have an unnecessary adverse impact on someone's business. Hopefully, the management will take this feedback in the spirit it’s intended—as honest input aimed at helping them improve. That’s why such a detailed review.

Argana Hotel urgently needs to revisit the fundamentals of hospitality. The current state of its services and facilities not only undermines its reputation but also fails to justify the...

Room has basic needs met, beds clean with a firm mattress, 2 pillows with different firmness, bathroom has minimal stock of shower gel and soaps. Towels & toilet roll provided. Hairdryer supplied. |Kettle & 2 small cups but no tea/coffee or spoons. Water as a general human need is only supplied on arrival or purchased at the bar or restaurant. |Wardrobe door slides shut whilst using. Had to prop open whilst trying to hang up clothes as room on a slant. A few hangers provided. Plenty of drawer and cupboard space. Extra blanket and pillows available. |Apartment door had to be slammed as the door latch not working correctly. Balcony door not safe as one side did not lock. |Bar staff not table watching. |Ordering drinks at mealtimes is hit & miss. You’re not given a bill and the staff are so busy that you have to pay them at the end of your meal. The restaurant is too small to facilitate the amount of guests at breakfast and dinner. Lunch is quite laid back and less busy due to not everyone has full board. |Service slow and they seem to gather together to chat. |Waiter service in the restaurant is much to be desired. |Food service needs reorganising, tables left with plates and finished meals, waiters wandering around not really focussing on setting tables for new diners, people left waiting for drinks, cutlery and service. No set routine for waiters. |Good selection of hot and cold food available. Pasta, rice and fresh salad. Fruit and deserts delicious. |Food displays untidy and serving spoons left dirty or completely missing as been used for other food. A wipe down by the chefs could help the area remain a little tidier and more organised. Food area felt rushed as people just grabbing food with no thought of other guests. Reasonable turnover of fresh hot food brought out into the restaurant. |Breakfast has fruit juice and a coffee machine. But no cups or glasses available. Cups did become available but are too small for a normal cup of coffee as the machine will overflow the small cup as the machine is not set up for small size. |Entertainment crew were brilliant during the day. Poolside activities well organised. Slip and slide and aqua fit and ping pong tournament. |Sun beds available but need to hire towels at reception for a small refundable deposit. |Nightclub adjoining the front of the hotel. Open Saturday nights 9pm-6am. Noise and traffic associated with that. |Door and windows need upgrading/soundproofing. ||Overall laid back atmosphere and service could do better. It’s a work in progress. Definitely not a 4* The pool needs a deep clean as the floor is literally green with algae or so it appears. We didn’t get in the pool as it looked so filthy. Also the detergent/slippery fluid used for the slip and slide is just washed into the pool during the activity. Staff seemed very friendly with the French quarter. But seemed less enthusiastic about help/service for English. This was mentioned by several guests throughout our visit. We just felt that the staff were overun and no direction from senior staff was being given. |Staff seemed to not want to take orders from you around the bar area. We had to go to the bar to order. Which seems pointless as they are waiting staff. Not watching staff. Also after waiting and hour for them to come and take my payment for drinks. I decided to take the payment and receipt back to my room and pay in the morning. As I didn’t trust the money to be safe from others taking it. This resulted in being woken at 11:30pm. By waiting staff (that didn’t want to take my money whilst I was actually in the bar). And DEMANDING payment for drinks I had not paid for. I gave them the receipt with the payment wrapped inside. As I was prepared to pay it in the morning. I found this intrusion TOTALLY UNNECESSARY. As it was caused by THE STAFFS inability to do their job. And not me try to get free drinks. You will also find better quality food and drink in the Toro restaurant for 50% cheaper than the hotels food and...