Dar Tinjâa — Hotel in arrondissement de Tanger-Medina طنجة المدينة

Dar Tinjaa . Looks better in the booking.com site. If there is one saving grace for this Dar, it's the size of our room, which had quite a spacious living area. The bedroom, however, was tight (difficult access on each side of bed) as well as the bathroom ( no real door, only fabric curtain) .

The person who opened the Dar entrance for us spoke no French, English, Spanish . I will refer to her as the "M" , a domestic helper.

Since there was a very serious language barrier between household staff and me, I resorted to Google Translate but it became tedious. In the end, she suggested we call the owner and that was when I finally got to converse at length with someone. In fairness, the owner gave me information I needed about traveling to Chefchaouen after Tangier.

The room is on the third floor and the steps are steep. So you gotta be in the pink of health 😂. Quite dangerous especially going down. One false move and your vacation is ruined.

She pointed to the last flight of stairs saying " terrace! terrace!" So we go up excitedly... indeed a wonderful view BUT it has been transformed into laundry area. There was a woman ironing clothes in a small enclosed "room", some cushions piled on a table, and a laundry hanging rack was laid open. (see photos). This terrace which greeted us was definitely NOT what we saw in booking.com photos of the Dar Tinja, with colorful cushions here and there, making for a lovely sitting area.

Anyway, after the helper went back down, we realized we wanted some water so I tried the intercom, no one answered . For the price, why not include complimentary water, right? No glasses even. Those thoughtful details don't cost much but counts a lot. Several attempts to communicate via intercom went unheeded.

I found out from the household staff that the owner manages a bigger property ( 10 rooms as opposed to Tinjaa with only 3) and no longer goes to this one. I've been reading booking. com reviews of various places in general and more often than not, the comments are about great service. Well, here it is an extreme disappointment. I was looking forward to having conversations face-to-face with the owner, asking for advice etc.

For breakfast ( included in rate) , there was an assortment of bread, freshly squeezed orange juice, jam, cheese spread, hardboiled eggs. The thing is, on day 2 we were given bottled water and some fruits with cream, which came as a surprise because on day 1, none. Again, inconsistency of service.

It is very obvious that this property is not a priority of the owner given the poor service and the state of the terrace, a star-shaped table missing the lower part of two legs, overstuffed hard pillows, among a few things.

Lesson learned: Always lower expectations to avoid disappointment. But if you re-read my observations, I wasn't asking for the moon, right?

To sum up: for 100 usd a nite, not value for money deal. Service is something that needs drastic improvement. It's all in the details and care, which don't cost more money, but can make a difference and offset negative experiences there ( like the terrace turned...

An absolute gem of a boutique hotel in the heart of Medina (old town). They only have 3 rooms so yes, you will get very nice and personalised service unlike in huge hotels. The breakfast contained 3 different types of traditional maroccan pancakes that i would not have a chance to try otherwise. It is clean and very nicely decorated in authentic style. Such a lovely place to stay, almost like a secret oasis in the medina. The terrace is a must to spend some relaxing time and observe the city from above.

If you need a ride to the door or an elevator, there are many other options available and this one is probably not for your needs. It is definitely as central as you can get in Medina but if you need to be central in Tangier look for something closer to the train station.

I personally could not ask for more. This place played a huge part in helping me get immersed and experience maroccan beauty.

Tip: walk around in Google maps street view before your trip to get familiar with surroundings, it will be easier to find...

Beautiful building in the heart of the Medina. Only three rooms, we had the one on the top floor nearest the rooftop terrace. Splendid views across the city and out to sea. It didn't bother us at all but there are sixty five steps to the top! The lady who looked after us was incredibly kind and helpful, spoke French as well as Arabic. She served us with a truly magnificent breakfast every day. The whole building was cleaned from top to bottom every day. If you want authentic Moroccan hospitality this is the place. Yes, the Medina is a maze but you soon get to know your way around and the very friendly...