Marrakech Ryads Parc Spa — Hotel in Marrakesh Prefecture

This hotel was not quite as we hoped it would be from the pictures. We booked through loveholiday. The photos look amazing online. Clean, chic and beautifully appointed. In reality, this hotel is very tired. |Our journey to the hotel was also a bit harrowing. Not just because of the crazy driving that goes on in the city, but also because our taxi driver ended up taking us off road through a building site and across "waste land". We ended up where we needed to be, but we did wonder what we had got ourselves into. ||RECEPTION|We got a warm and friend welcome. The receptionist told us all the essential things with regards to out 3 night stay. Where the dining room was, where we could find bars and opening times of pool etc. |Seating in the hotel lobby is worn, and seat cushions are in need of rejuvenating. ||ROOM (406 Rose)|Unfortunately, we were disappointed to find we had been given a twin room. But this is minor. The room itself was smaller than we thought. Shower holder was broken. Each time we used the shower, the water pressure sent the head flying up to the ceiling soaking the bathroom and yourself. There was no real seating inside the room, except for one uncomfortable seat at the dressing table. Our room was ground floor, and had a small terrace which we were unable to sit and use because the hotel is plagued by ants. You daren't leave the sliding door open because other wise they all file in! Hairdryer has very little power, so be prepared to spend hours trying to dry your hair! Safe is locked upon arrival, I was advised by receptionist to ring down to reception in order for them to send someone over to unlock it with a master key... I tried multiple times to call down to reception with no answer. I gave up and ended up having to carry our passports on us for the whole time away! If you enjoy sleeping on the floor, the beds are perfect for you. We, however did not find them comfy at all. ||EXCURSIONS|Love holiday have a rep table in the lobby on the left side. I am writting this because no one told us! |Reception advised excursions were booked through reception, which we have no issue with. |We booked to go to the Ouzoud water fall, which was £50 for both of us (600 Dirham). We asked if there were any costs when we got to the waterfall, we were told the only thing we would have to pay for if we wanted to go on the boats that take you to the falls. |THIS IS NOT THE CASE. |Firstly, the trip to Ouzoud is almost 3 hours. And be prepared for an arduous journey. The minibus they use is not designed for adult people with kneecaps! You cannot sit in this bus with any comfort. We were lucky in that there was only 6 of us in total going on the trip, and after the driver made a pit stop, we were able to spread out a bit to try and make ourselves more comfortable. If this was a full bus it would have been hell! |The driver dropped us off and handed us over to our "tour guide" which we were promptly told was going to cost an addition 40 Dirham each. At this point we had no option to except seeing as we had already been driven 3 hours to the destination. And if we had refused we would have been left our own devices to find the waterfalls and navigate our way back with no contact for the return journey. |In all fairness, our guide was lovely. He took us to see a Berber house where they made argan oil cosmetics and treatments. Took us for a tour around the village olive groves and explained how each one belonged to a different family. However, it came across as very much he stopped at the house/shops/restaurants that he had a vested interest in. Be that friends or family. He didn't allow time to brows the hundreds of shops up and the down the climb to the waterfalls. |The boats costs 25 Dirham pp. |Again, our guide dropped us off to a restaurant that he wanted us to use. (Having walked passed several) The meal was lovely, but were not given prices to the end, which we were slightly concerned with. (Bread, salad, kebab/tagine, fruit, water and mint tea) The cost was 250 Dirahm per couple which was very reasonable. |The issue that there was with all of this, though, was one of our party had not brought money with her. Because she was told she wouldn't need any. Which left her companion paying for her. An arrangement that they happily sorted between them. But one that could end up very awkward in different circumstances. So this is your warning! ||We also went on the Marrakech at Night excursion (£60) which included a horse and carriage ride, and then and hour to spend walking around the souks of the main market. It was a nice experience, but not convinced it was worth £60. |The journey into Marrakech takes 30-40 mins. ||FOOD AND DRINK|It was varied. It was tasty. But if you are hoping for an all inclusive that includes anything resembling British food. You will not find it here! So go knowing that you are experiencing cultural food. The tagines were lovely and served every meal. |The closest you will get to home fare would be in the pool bar, where they had chips, chicken nuggets, burgers etc... at lunch time. |Drinks, they had your standard spirits (local) cocktails were pre-made and help yourself in the evenings. Beer was bottled San Miguel, but not served at dinner. Only soft drinks and wine. ||All in all, we had an OK holiday at the Marrakech Ryads parc and spa. Our stay was let down by the uncomfortable rooms and how far out of the city it was. ||They do offer a shuttle bus service into marrkesh, which is 30 Dirham pp. But you have to prebook your slot the day before and know what time you want to go...

What the hotel does well:|The food in the main restaurant was fantastic. Always something traditional on offer, usually a tagine (beef, fish chicken or veg) and cous cous or angel hair pasta (one of my faves) The traditional dishes were always of a fantastic standard, well seasoned and very flavoursome. |Steak or lamb chops on the grill and loved the beef koftas on bbq day! Fabulous! Many thanks to the Morrocan fried bread lady in the mornings - she was always worked so hard because her bread was so delicious. (To be eaten with the sweet stuff) even got the recipe for at home. |They also had fresh pizza (could do with a plain cheese and tomato instead of the tuna that never seemed to go down well) a pasta station chips and great breads. There was something for even the fussiest. Even though allergy signing was an issue.|Service standards always high from everyone - Reception was super helpful always, even offering to lend me her phone at one point. Restaurant workers offering their own salad plates up when we commented on how fabulous they looked. And an amazing staff member even told us to come eat with him when we got there after dinner finished and were very hungry. |Friendly fantastic team!|Organisation of pool time entertainment - small pool used for activities and big pool more chilled. Loved this as could decide what sort of day we were having and choose our Sunbed location based on this. |Entertainment - animation staff so full of energy! Absolutely Amazing entertainment staff! |No pressure but asked if you want to get involved and if no, that’s cool have a great day. Bert loved the darts competition! |Loved the cooking lessons and cocktail classes too. |Show time was great. |Flash back and variety show hilarious |Apartment was stunning! |Beds so comfy and great air con. |||What the hotel could work on |Communication - no dinner when we arrived as restaurant times advertised on on the beach, were not as run. |Open times of restaurants wrong on door card so this was confusing for first day or two.|Pool bar shut with no notice - the opening times should also be on the room card. |Having smaller change at reception so we could gift and tip extra special service when we wanted too. Which was often because all staff amazing!! |Definitely an ant issue at the hotel - literally mutant red ants looking at you on their hind legs most of the time! But you’re in a hot country so I spose this is part and parcel! |Advised there would be a mini bar but we had an empty fridge with water on the side. This was never stocked other than the water .|No coffee making facilities in room - this would be a great addition. ||The big one for me was allergy and cross contamination. This needs to be seriously looked at. Minimal signs on the food in the restaurant, and no allergy signs with ingredients. Obviously in England this is a legal requirement which makes dealing with our daughters allergy easy. But here she lived off pizza and chips because the risk of cross contamination was far too high. She didn’t know what she would be eating but most importantly when she went for a piece of grilled steak, the chef used the same tongs to turn over the shellfish stew as well as turning the steak - daughter has anaphylactic to all crustacean and mollusc so this paved the anxiety for the holiday. |On this - I have no doubt that if I was to have spoken to the chef they would have made special meals for her, but she didn’t want me to do this as too much fuss. |The pizza chef made a plain pizza for my ultra fussy daughter so I know this would have been the case. ||Market |Amazing experience. Agree price with guide before he takes you into market. Abdul did a great job for us but we felt over charged at the end because price wasn’t agreed. Different parts of the market sell different things so the smells are amazing in the spice area and food area, but not so great in the leather part where they are preparing the skins. |Hot air ballon ride is a must. We went sunrise over the Atlas Mountains - advise to book for at the beginning of your holiday just incase has to be postponed due to wind conditions so gives you time to rebook. ||Thank you to everyone at Ryad park and spa for a fantastic break, your hotel family made our stay and we look forward to...

Review for Marrakech Ryads Parc & Spa – 0/5

I am writing this as a deeply concerned mother whose daughter’s graduation trip to Marrakech turned into one of the most distressing and dehumanising experiences I’ve ever heard of.

My daughter and her four friends — all young women aged 20–21 who had just graduated from university — arrived at midday after a 7am flight from London. They were exhausted, hungry, and one of them, a diabetic, urgently needed internet access to log her blood sugar levels before eating.

When they arrived, the reception staff informed them the Wi-Fi was not working due to an “external problem” and would be fixed later in the day. They were told to wait until 2:30pm to check in, so they sat in the Medina (restaurant area). While waiting, other guests revealed the Wi-Fi had been down for over a week.

About 40 minutes later, they politely asked the receptionist if she could briefly hotspot my daughter’s friend’s device to log her blood sugar. She refused, claiming her data had “finished.” Yet, when it came time to pay the holiday tax, she instantly offered her hotspot so they could transfer money — proving she did have data when it benefited the hotel financially.

When my daughter asked why she could do this for payment but not to help a sick guest, the situation escalated horrifically. The receptionist began shouting at them in front of more than 20 guests, belittling them, trying to intimidate them, and making them feel completely powerless. Another receptionist joined in, speaking in their language, laughing, giving dirty looks, and even cursing at them. They refused to give their real names, wore no name badges, and ignored requests to speak to the manager.

It became clear very quickly — they only cared about money. They had no compassion, no professionalism, and no respect for their guests.

Then it turned threatening. They threatened to cancelled the girls’ booking, threatened to call the police, and had five young Black women cornered in a public area, surrounded by security guards who laughed at them while they cried. They were publicly humiliated, dehumanised, and racially targeted — made to feel unsafe and unwanted in front of other guests. The staff’s behaviour was cruel, intimidating, and morally disgusting.

This hotel is also 25 minutes from the city centre, and the staff were prepared to throw them out onto the roadside with nowhere to go. If it hadn’t been for the kindness of other guests — including a Nigerian family celebrating a birthday and some mothers with daughters the same age — I dread to think what could have happened.

Later, they discovered the Wi-Fi issue was not external at all. Another guest came down furious after missing an important conference call. When told the same excuse, he pointed out that his friends in the hotel next door had working Wi-Fi.

Other issues: • The food was awful. • The “all-inclusive” drinks were watered down beyond recognition. • The bathroom floor was filthy, and the tub — which should have been white — was stained black. completely outdated rooms. • Reception/front-of-house staff, showed zero professionalism and clear racial bias.

As a mother, I will never forgive the way this hotel treated my daughter and her friends. They left feeling unsafe, degraded, and deeply hurt on what should have been a joyful celebration of their hard work and success.

If you value your dignity, safety, and basic human respect — do...