PALACIO DEL SOL — Hotel in Chefchaouen

We stayed 2 nights at the Palacio del Sol in Chefchoauen. I cannot recommend this hotel enough. Why? Because the owner, Mr. Barbara, will take care of you, no matter what!

First, the location is right off the square. The interior is beautiful. It has maybe a dozen rooms, so it doesn't feel crowded. The breakfast is tasty, with eggs made to order and a nice rooftop location. Wifi and AC work fine, the place is clean and bright.

But you could say that about a lot of hotels in the world. What makes this place special?

When we checked in, Mr. Barbara was adamant about sharing his Whatsapp with me. "If you need anything, any time of day or night, text me!", he said. Well, the next day a wild dog lunged at me, and I thought it just nipped my pants. I didn't think the dog actually bit me. But when I took off my pants that evening, getting ready for bed, I noticed a small scratch. I wasn't sure if it was the dog or not. But rabies is something to take seriously. It was about 11PM, we had no idea what to do. So we texted Mr. Barbara, asking him how to get to a hospital. He texted back right away that he would meet us in the lobby in 10 minutes. We went down, and he was there. His English isn't perfect, but he was clear - just follow me. We walked with him out of the medina, then found a taxi stand. He got us a taxi, but us in the back seat, got in himself and told the driver what to do. We went to a hospital. He paid for the taxi. We went inside, he explained everything in Arabic and French to the staff, depending on who he was talking to (we spoke neither). Then he told us to sit down. It wasn't crowded - it seemed like kind of an ER. In just a few minutes, we were called in to talk to a doctor. The doctor and I had to communicate using google translate in French. But the point came across. He wrote out a prescription and instructions (in Arabic) and then Mr. Barbara took us out. I went to a nurse and got what ended up being a tetanus shot. Then he took us out and told us that I can't get the rabies shot tonight (apparently even in the US, you need a specific person to administer the shot), but I would get it first thing in the morning. But the doctor prescribed some meds that we had to get from a pharmacy. Mr. Barbara took us to 2 different pharmacies via taxi (it was now after midnight), and I got the meds (they were antibiotics). Then he told us to meet at 8AM, and he would help us again. The next morning, he met us again and took us via taxi to the rabies vaccine clinic (I guess it's a special place in Morocco). I got my first rabies vaccine there. Mr. Barbara made sure I had all the paperwork and helped explain what I would need to do next about more vaccines. All the while I kept asking him about paying for the taxis, the shots and the meds, he just said not to worry about it. We decided after this to cut our trip short and head home for clearer treatment (it's tough facing life-threatening situations where you can't really communicate). When we checked out, we asked Mr. Barbara what we really owed him. We were so grateful for his help. He said, 150 MAD - about $15! Are you kidding! I gave him $100USD. And it wasn't enough.

So what do you really want in a hotel? You want them to take care of you, especially if you really need it. I have never had better service at any hotel, including the 5* places I have stayed. Of course, I've never faced rabies, either. But when the chips are down, you want them to help you. And Mr. Barbara and the Palacio del Sol did.

PS - lots of wild dogs in Chefchaouen. I'd advise getting the rabies vaccine prior...

We stayed 2 nights at the Palacio del Sol in Chefchoauen. I cannot recommend this hotel enough. Why? Because the owner, Mr. Barbara, will take care of you, no matter what!||First, the location is right off the square. The interior is beautiful. It has maybe a dozen rooms, so it doesn't feel crowded. The breakfast is tasty, with eggs made to order and a nice rooftop location. Wifi works fine, the place is clean and bright.||But you could say that about a lot of hotels in the world. What makes this place special?||When we checked in, Mr. Barbara was adamant about sharing his Whatsapp with me. "If you need anything, any time of day or night, text me!", he said. Well, the next day a wild dog lunged at me, and I thought it just nipped my pants. I didn't think the dog actually bit me. But when I took off my pants that evening, getting ready for bed, I noticed a small scratch. I wasn't sure if it was the dog or not. But rabies is something to take seriously. It was about 11PM, we had no idea what to do. So we texted Mr. Barbara, asking him how to get to a hospital. He texted back right away that he would meet us in the lobby in 10 minutes. We went down, and he was there. His English isn't perfect, but he was clear - just follow me. We walked with him out of the medina, then found a taxi stand. He got us a taxi, but us in the back seat, got in himself and told the driver what to do. We went to a hospital. He paid for the taxi. We went inside, he explained everything in Arabic and French to the staff, depending on who he was talking to (we spoke neither). Then he told us to sit down. It wasn't crowded - it seemed like kind of an ER. In just a few minutes, we were called in to talk to a doctor. The doctor and I had to communicate using google translate in French. But the point came across. He wrote out a prescription and instructions (in Arabic) and then Mr. Barbara took us out. I went to a nurse and got what ended up being a tetanus shot. Then he took us out and told us that I can't get the rabies shot tonight (apparently even in the US, you need a specific person to administer the shot), but I would get it first thing in the morning. But the doctor prescribed some meds that we had to get from a pharmacy. Mr. Barbara took us to 2 different pharmacies via taxi (it was now after midnight), and I got the meds (they were antibiotics). Then he told us to meet at 8AM, and he would help us again. The next morning, he met us again and took us via taxi to the rabies vaccine clinic (I guess it's a special place in Morocco). I got my first rabies vaccine there. Mr. Barbara made sure I had all the paperwork and helped explain what I would need to do next about more vaccines. | All the while I kept asking him about paying for the taxis, the shots and the meds, he just said not to worry about it. We decided after this to cut our trip short and head home for clearer treatment (it's tough facing life-threatening situations where you can't really communicate). When we checked out, we asked Mr. Barbara what we really owed him. We were so grateful for his help. He said, 150 MAD - about $15! Are you kidding! I gave him $100USD. And it wasn't enough.||So what do you really want in a hotel? You want them to take care of you, especially if you really need it. I have never had better service at any hotel, including the 5* places I have stayed. Of course, I've never faced rabies, either. But when the chips are down, you want them to help you. And Mr. Barbara and the Palacio del Sol did.||PS - lots of wild dogs in Chefchaouen. I'd advise getting the rabies vaccine prior...

Our experience with Palacio del Sol was deeply disappointing and dishonest. We had a confirmed reservation through Booking.com, and after a long 7-hour drive from the desert, we arrived expecting a warm welcome. Instead, the owner met us outside in the street and told us there was no hot water, and that he would be relocating us to another “hotel.”

What he offered us was not even close to comparable—more like a run-down roadside motel with a view of a construction site on a loud, busy street. It was in shockingly poor condition, worse than a 1-star hotel. We immediately declined and had to scramble to find a last-minute alternative with the help of our driver.

To make matters worse, the next morning while walking through the medina, we looked inside Palacio del Sol and saw that there were, in fact, guests staying there. It became clear the owner had lied—either overbooking the property or forgetting our reservation altogether.

This was a terrible experience that nearly left us without a place to sleep after a long day of travel. I cannot recommend this riad to anyone. The lack of honesty and care shown to us was...