La Tangerina — Hotel in arrondissement de Tanger-Medina طنجة المدينة

We stayed one night in Tangier as we had a flight the following morning. We stayed in Room 6 which has a double bedroom, a bathroom and a third bed in the sitting area. The room was spacious and clean but basic - the only amenities were towels and soap and there was no A/C unit. The hotel has colonial style decor so has a very European feel rather than Moroccan. Breakfast was included and as we had to leave for our flight before the chef would arrive, we were offered a basic breakfast option.

Overall our experience with the hotel was sub-par especially considering the price of €150 per night.

Before arriving we emailed to ask whether the hotel would be able to arrange a transfer from the station and confirmed our time of arrival. The hotel ignored this email. When we arrived we enquired about dinner in the hotel, we were told that this had to be pre-ordered but no information was provided from the hotel in advance on how to do so. The hotel is located at the top of a steep hill and most of the restaurants are at the bottom. We mentioned that my mum is not able to climb the hill, plus it was late and we were tired from travelling so enquired about taxis. The manager laughed and made a comment implying that we were being lazy and that my mum should be able to do it. This was not the start of our problems with La Tangerina.

The booking experience was difficult. La Tangerina is not available through any booking site but their own website only offered the apartments. We had to email to clarify what was available. Room 6 was available but minimal information was volunteered which led to a series of emails. We had to ask at every turn on how the payment needed to be made; which part of the deposit needed to be paid (an invoice was sent in French, all email communication was in English); which currency it needed to be paid in; confirmation that we did indeed have to pay to a Spanish bank despite the hotel being in Morocco and even the check-in process was not outlined. These are all things that should be made clear by the hotel.

We chose La Tangerina despite these difficulties in communications due to the positive reviews, central location and proximity to the airport.

We also emailed and asked whether we needed to pay the remainder by card or in cash and in which currency. This question was ignored. When we arrived we were told we needed to pay in cash and in euros - this is neither the currency of the country we were visiting nor where we are from. We brought the exact euros needed just in case which was a good thing as the hotel said they wouldn't have had any change to give us if we hadn't!

Despite the hotel confirming that the booking was for 3 guests, when we were getting ready to sleep, at around 11pm, we found that there was no bedding for the single bed and just a sheet on the double bed and it was cold. The night manager (different to the manager earlier) provided what was available - a couple of sofa throws which were itchy and small. He also advised to turn on the heating if it was still too cold, but this did not work. As it was late and my family were dressed to sleep, it did not feel appropriate to call the manager into the room to help with this. We appreciate that he tried but this should have been considered when the room was being prepared.

The next day we got in touch to raise a complaint. Farida personally emailed saying that "our experience is very important" and that she and Jürgen (the co-owner) were away for 2 days so would get back to us. We followed up after a week and then again when we didn't hear back. It has now been a month and there has been no response. The worst thing is they never even apologised.

I would not recommend staying at La Tangerina. It is the least hospitable and most expensive place we stayed at during our two weeks in Morocco and the owners did not care that we didn't even have bedding. We spent a very uncomfortable night at this hotel - I have had better...

I first went to La Tangerina many years ago and I am pleased to report that nothing has changed, indeed it may even be better if that is at all possible. The area around the guesthouse has really been cleaned up and there are now bars, shops, cafes and more little hotels and riads. I love the décor, it's old-school antique with Moroccan tiling and simple soft furnishings. There are no TVs in the room which I love instead there's a vintage radio which when turned on pipes out classical, world music, or jazz depending on the time of day. La Tangerina has an in-house Hammam which is the best one I have ever been to in my life. I'm talking proper Moroccan Hammam where you get washed and scrubbed within an inch of your life by the washer-woman; think what it was like when your mum washed you as a child but add luxury soaps and massages. Bliss! Guests can choose to have their evening meals at La Tangerina and these are proper 3-course home-cooked affairs made with fresh local ingredients and they do serve alcohol for those who like a drink. The breakfasts are incredible, proper Moroccan traditional: pancakes, fruits, cheese, honey, jams, cakes, juices, coffee, tea and even made-to-order scrambled eggs and fresh bread. Room, dinner, breakfast, hammam plus fantastic service was all at very little cost. Did I mention the roof terrace? Goodness me, just go there and experience it...

I first went to La Tangerina many years ago and I am pleased to report that nothing has changed, indeed it may even be better if that is at all possible. The area around the guesthouse has really been cleaned up and there are now bars, shops, cafes and more little hotels and riads. I love the décor, it's old-school antique with Moroccan tiling and simple soft furnishings. There are no TVs in the room which I love instead there's a vintage radio which when turned on pipes out classical, world music, or jazz depending on the time of day. La Tangerina has an in-house Hammam which is the best one I have ever been to in my life. I'm talking proper Moroccan Hammam where you get washed and scrubbed within an inch of your life by the washer-woman; think what it was like when your mum washed you as a child but add luxury soaps and massages. Bliss! Guests can choose to have their evening meals at La Tangerina and these are proper 3-course home-cooked affairs made with fresh local ingredients and they do serve alcohol for those who like a drink. The breakfasts are incredible, proper Moroccan traditional: pancakes, fruits, cheese, honey, jams, cakes, juices, coffee, tea and even made-to-order scrambled eggs and fresh bread. Room, dinner, breakfast, hammam plus fantastic service was all at very little cost. Did I mention the roof terrace? Goodness me, just go there and experience it...