Kasbah Bab Ourika — Hotel in caïdat d'Ourika

Identity crisis & definitely not 5*… What type of offering is this place trying to be?

On one hand if it wants to be a quiet, zen, luxury boutique spa retreat, then it needs some major improvements. Perhaps should either not allow children or at least give them a dedicated pool etc. so as not to disturb other guests. The location and views are really fantastic, but not remotely used to their full potential. The communal swimming pool has no view whatsoever, with children screaming whilst other guests are trying to relax. The spa is not very extensive, no gym, hot tub, sauna, plunge pool, ice room etc. and also doesn’t capitalise nearly enough on the view nor the beautiful gardens. They charge each guest, every single time you use the steam room (which I have never encountered in my life). There were no activities such as yoga or ceremonies. The breakfasts & dinners are served inside (under a hideous plastic roof), again with no view of anything, which is hugely sad given that the sunsets are so beautiful. In terms of decor, shabby chic is all well & good and the place definitely has charm, however certain spaces look rather tragic. The food itself was hit & miss, generally bland, bordering on school food at times.

If on the other hand it wants to be an energetic, bohemian, family fun hotel, then it needs work on the whole atmosphere and guests should be forewarned to expect children running around and some general joviality. There is no music anywhere, during meals you can either hear a pin drop or listen to every word of other guest’s conversations. There are no arranged events, such as live music, film night, bbq etc. If anyone uses the bar, it disturbs the rooms above it! And there isn’t an operating outdoor bar. It took 3 days and 3 attempts for us to have some cushions & rugs put on a roof terrace for sunset drinks.

For the price we paid, the room (#17) was not up to any form of 5* standard (see photos): The rustic feel is absolutely fine, however our room was just dirty, with big cobwebs and damp patches on the walls and ceilings. Broken basin plug, which has to be unscrewed fully just to open it. You can’t fit under the shower head if you are taller than 5’9”, it nearly took my eye out and is plain dangerous. I’m 6’3”, which I know is fairly tall but surely not punishable by decapitation! No bath, which wouldn’t be so disappointing if the shower was fit for purpose. Terrible to non-existent WiFi. No telephone, which would be fine if you could use your mobile to call the reception desk, but the WiFi is so hopeless it is impossible. No fridge nor coffee machine, which might not have mattered if the room was near the main building, but it is far so you’re left with warm drinking water & no room service. No iron, which again would be fine if you could get hold of housekeeping. No luggage rack. The safe isn’t attached to the wall, and is light enough for anyone to just pick up and walk off with! No privacy, as this particular room has all its windows and doors (not double-glazed) opening onto a public path. No bathroom extractor & no air conditioning, meant the only source of ventilation was to open the windows onto the gravel pathway, thus having even less privacy and the noise of people constantly walking past. There wasn’t even a ‘do not disturb’ sign, so housekeeping could just show up at anytime unannounced.

I must say the staff were very kind & friendly for the most part, however the hostile management leaves something to be desired, and I can see there are already enough reviews regarding the owner & his demeanour, so I needn’t say anything more...

GAS LEAK IN ROOM - poor maintenance and bad management

I have written a short and long version of our experience staying at Kasbah Bab Ourika. Would strongly suggest reading the long version if you’re contemplating a stay at this hotel.

Short version:

My partner and I woke up after our first night both with strong headaches, which ultimately turned out to be the result of a gas leak in our room (room 10).

When notified, the staff were all unusually indifferent about the situation and just made us wait for the manager. After waiting for nearly 2 hours (and a bit of arguing), the manager ultimately refunded our whole stay and paid for our car back to Marrakech. This was professional in the end but needless to say the whole experience was horrible and very dangerous.

Long version for those interested:

I will start with the positives - the hotel is beautiful and in a magnificent location. The Atlas Mountains surrounding the hotel are stunning and the gardens are really lovely.

Now to the downsides…

My partner and I woke up after our first night both with strong headaches and a general feeling of nausea. It kind of felt like a horrendous hangover but we had only had one drink each the night before. We also felt very dizzy each time we stood up, and found painkillers didn’t help. After breakfast we went back to our room and opened all the windows only to notice a strong smell of gas coming from the bathroom window. We reported it to the staff who confirmed they could smell it too, so we packed up our things and let the concierge know that we didn’t feel comfortable staying in that room for our second night, particularly since we realised there were no detectors (smoke or otherwise) in the room at all. We were advised that the manager would be arriving shortly who would be better placed to assist us, so we sat outside while we waited. A lady we understood to be the manager arrived approximately 45 minutes later but proceeded to speak to someone else (a wedding planner it turned out later…) right in front of us for about 15 minutes before walking off into the gardens with them. Given the seriousness of what we had experienced, I would have thought we would be a number 1 priority upon her arrival and it really added insult to injury to watch her casually chatting to someone else instead. We also weren’t offered any sort of refreshments or service the whole time we were waiting (which ended up being close to 2 hours). Once we were able to speak with the manager she advised it was possibly due to damage from the recent earthquake and offered us an alternate room, which for reasons I will go into further, we declined.

Ultimately we were able to negotiate a complete refund of our two night stay, as well as transport back to Marrakech, which was appreciated and was ultimately a professionally handled outcome.

Separate to the gas leak incident, my partner and I had also been kept awake all that night by dogs barking and cats fighting. Our room was western facing over the valley so all sounds from the neighbourhood below echoed badly. While the views were nice from those rooms, I would strongly suggest not staying on that side of the hotel if it can be helped - otherwise bring ear plugs. The negative reviews from other past guests should also be believed (regarding the staff, the noisiness, poor wifi and the somewhat shabbiness of some...

I wouldn't say this was a meritless hotel, but the very wide disconnect between how it presents itself, what it actually is, and how much it costs, is going to put many visitors' noses seriously out of joint. We came as a family of four and were disappointed enough in the first couple of days to consider leaving early. Unfortunately, to do so would have been ruinously expensive, and so we stuck it out, and once we'd learned to live with its shortcomings, we enjoyed it a little more. Judging from the website you would imagine this place to be a secluded luxury spa/hotel high in the Atlas mountains. Understand that it is none of those things. It's perched on a low foothill at the very, very start of the mountains, but is in no way "in" them. The mountains are visible in the far distance. The hill overlooks a valley which is reasonably pretty, but inhabited by several basic villages, and cut through by a large modern highway which you can hear constantly from one side of the hotel, and which many of the suites overlook. If you are expecting a high-altitude monastic retreat, this is not the place you're looking for. Those who are after luxury will be disappointed to discover that the hotel itself is not even close to the five stars it claims. It would describe it as four at a stretch. There is no room service, no mini bars, no drinking water regularly supplied to the rooms, no baths, very weak Wi-Fi outside of the main area, no TVs, no umbrellas for when it rains - the list is endless. The place is in desperate need of a refurbishment - very much of the wrong side of shabby-chic. Everything from the décor, to the furniture, the menus the room guides, the electricals in the rooms looks like they haven't had a penny spent on them in a decade. The food, is maybe one of the biggest problems, which it shouldn't be, because they can get it right. The food offering is OK at dinner time and lunch - many of the dishes are tasty - but the choice is extremely limited. There are 7 or 8 main courses on a menu which literally never changes. If you're here for a week, expect to eat the same meal again and again. The breakfast and Sunday buffets are downright pathetic - you'd get better in most three star roadside travellers' hotels. As a captive customer this is a bit of a disaster, both for the gourmand and for the picky. As, I said at the start, the hotel isn't meritless, so let's run through the pluses. The staff are friendly and helpful. The ornamental gardens are large, fragrant pretty and well maintained. There are lots of random animals knocking about, which is fun for the kids if they are that way inclined. It is peaceful and tranquil if you stay away from the side facing the road. The actual bones of the main building are good, so it's generally nice to look at. Other points of note: the clientele seem to be predominantly Germans, Americans and Brits. The average age is about 65. It leans towards multigenerational families and older tourist groups rather...