Palais Claudio Bravo — Hotel in Taroudant

Guests cannot be expected to sit in their bedroom all day. We booked this hotel, so that we can go out of our bedroom and enjoy the gardens, grounds and lounges in the hotel — something that we thought we are entitled to do as guests of the hotel, having paid them €123. The staff clearly had problems with us going to those areas. In the first evening, after we went to the pond and menara, we were politely brought back to the room, and were told in broken English that “by the way you need to have a paid guide”. Because it was dark anyway, we had dinner and did not go to the garden again.||||On the following morning, before breakfast we enquired about the cost of the guide and what it entails, we were told that it costs 100 dirham and that it would take 2 hours. We declined. We did not want to spend 2 hours there with a guide, and we were not particularly interested to learn every detail about that artist. So, we decided that after breakfast we would simply walk through the gardens, grounds and lounges ourselves. However, as soon as we started walking, every single staff member took the opportunity to tell us that we need to have a guide — effectively we were told to pay to walk within the hotel lounges or grounds. But we already paid this hotel €123.||||Eventually the receptionist allowed us to walk through several lounges, but it was made very clear that we are being afforded exceptional treatment. Frankly I fail to understand what is exceptional in allowing guests to walk within the hotel grounds and lounges. Other customers have made negative comments that “staff are oppressive, too much hanging around us”. Indeed, I formed same impression. We felt that we were pestered by the staff members — we were constantly in fear that staff members would approach and demand something. If you want to charge for guests walking to all parts of the hotel, then charge €130 instead of €123 per night, and then just leave those guests alone. Pestering guests destroys the whole stay.||||Another disappointing experience was when I came to pay. Firstly, I had to stand there and wait while the receptionist took an inordinately long time to produce an invoice — he claims he had to amend my invoice to remove the cost of the paid guide. Given that I had never even requested a guide, why was there such a charge on my invoice in the first place?||||Secondly, when I was eventually given a printed invoice after a long wait, it turned out that the receptionist demanded more money than had been agreed in a reservation. After I made a reservation, the hotel sent me a confirmation that I would need to bring €2.60 as tourist tax. Both the amount (2.60) and the currency (euro) were clearly specified. Therefore, I prepared that exact amount even before coming to Morocco. However, the receptionist revealed to me that I would need to pay 42% more than had been agreed, and in dirham (as opposed to euro). I objected to that: if the hotel wants to charge in dirham and a different (greater) amount, they should have informed me as a customer. The receptionist dismissed my attempt to demonstrate that it is unethical behaviour — he said that it is not my place to stand here and teach him a lesson and show him documents from the hotel on booking.com website, which (as he flippantly observed) he “had seen a thousand times”. This behaviour clearly demonstrates that this hotel fails to appreciate that it must honour its own agreement which it sends to clients. The hotel must learn that it is improper conduct to agree one amount and in one currency, and then demand a greater amount and in a different currency.||||Breakfast: there were two of us, however, they gave us only one small pot of tea. When I requested a second pot of tea, they refused to provide it unless I pay 30 dirham on top of the already high cost of the reservation (€123 for one night). I really dislike their constant attempts to get more and more money from guests during their stay. The breakfast is quite poor for the money: it is not filling and consists of few items (no fresh fruit, no amlou, no cheese, no meat produce).||||Dinner: we were given a menu only in French. They do not have a menu in English, which made it difficult and stressful for us, as they demanded that we order a meal promptly, as they had little time to cook. Given that they portray themselves as a luxury hotel and charge correspondingly high prices, they should have the menu translated...

In 2002, the Chilean-born hyperrealist artist Claudio Bravo built a palace and working farm in Agwidir, about halfway between Taroudant and Tamaloukt. If driving or taking a grand taxi, this magnificent property is located approximately 10 kilometers (seven miles) north of Taroudant. In total, the estate encompasses an area of about 75 hectares (185 acres).

In his last years, the renowned hyperrealist artist spent most of his time painting at his art-filled home in Taroudant, with his loyal family and staff, rather than at his villa in Tangier.

Bravo had lived and painted in Tangier since 1972, first in a house on Rue du Village on the Marshan with views of Merkala Beach and the Strait of Gibraltar, and later he bought a beautiful 3 hectares British Colonial estate in Sidi Masmoudi on the Old Mountain, with views of the Strait of Gibraltar, Malabata and Mnar.

Sadly, Claudio Bravo died at age 74 from a heart attack on June 4, 2011. He is buried in a mausoleum on his Taroudant estate. His home is now a museum and luxurious yet affordable hotel with fine dining, impeccable service, gardens, interior courtyards, stables for 20 Arabian horses and two large swimming pools, one of which is 40 meters long.

The Claudio Bravo Museum is open to the public by reservation for an entrance fee of 200 Dirhams per person for a comprehensive guided tour.

At his palatial home north of Taroudant, Claudio Bravo entertained his prominent friends and international and Moroccan luminaries amidst tranquil splendor. His home is filled with many rare art objects, antique furniture, ancient marble statues, fountains, pottery, jewelry, and many of his own paintings. Bravo was served by a large faithful staff, some of whom still work on the estate.

There are unobstructed views of the majestic High Atlas mountains, and there is a full-scale reproduction of Marrakech's famed Menara set next to a vast adjacent square reservoir

Palais Claudio Bravo is well worth staying in as it is unique in Morocco. There are at least 17 air-conditioned bedrooms and four spacious suites. The rooms are all luxurious and comfortable. The suites have fire places and sitting areas. The three salons, formal dining room and library are filled with art works, beautiful carpets, antique furniture and objets d'art. Most reception rooms have high ceilings and large Moroccan ceiling lights. There are at least five large interior courtyards, most with gardens and water fountains. The entire place is relaxing and quiet. Of interest are ancient marble statues and beautiful landscaped gardens with walking paths. The large domed mausoleum where Bravo is buried is filled with displays of antique pottery.

There is Wi-Fi throughout, but no televisions and telephones to ensure a restful and undisturbed stay, far away from the stress and hustle and bustle of large cities.

Palais Claudio Bravo is one of the finest places to stay in Morocco, and everything is perfect. Breakfast is included in the room rate, and delicious lunches and dinners are available (at extra cost), either outside in a courtyard by the square swimming pool or inside in the large main dining room, depending upon the weather.

The owner is Bachir Tabchich, who inherited the property from Claudio Bravo after providing over 30 years of faithful service.

Many Claudio Bravo's paintings are in the permanent collections of major museums around the world and in private collections. Bravo was represented by the Marlborough Galleries in New York for many years.

Palais Claudio Bravo is, in my opinion, one of the finest private estates in all Morocco. I really enjoyed my various stays. I was pampered by the professional and helpful staff.

I will definitely return for a longer stay in the future. I was happy to meet Bachir Tabchich and his daughter Najoua, as well as Amine, Mohammed, Brahim, Mourino, and (formerly) Khalid, who were all kind and polite and who gave excellent service. Thank you...

We have just stayed here for a week, most only stay a couple of nights. I do not recognise the place described by Hugh. I can only think the language barrier must have caused misunderstandings. We arrived, with some consternation the day of the review. |The weather was uncharacteristically bad for 4 days. Cold and wet. This did present a challenge. We were upgraded to a suite so we had more space and it had very effective heating. The lovely Moroccan lampshades meant it was too dark to spend long periods in there, so they suggested we went to the pavilion by the lake where they lit a patio heater for us and we spent a very happy day with views of the lake and snow covered mountains (and rain).||The main museum rooms are not available to lounge around in because they are just that, a museum full of valuable furniture and artefacts, there are plenty of other places to sit and spend time. The museum rooms are opened before tours and guests can join any tour they want and have a private one if they prefer. We did both, with no charge. ||Meals were delicious. We ate in every night, we had planned on eating in Taroudant but to eat in most riads you had to book a day in advance (2 hours for Claudio a day for fish because it was brought fresh from Agadir - and was fantastic by the way!) and I couldn’t see any reason to eat in the town restaurant when such lovely food was waiting at the hotel. It is more expensive than a town restaurant of course, but less than similar offerings and much less than anything comparable in Europe. (£16 for a 3 course meal). There is no license, so bring enough wine to last your stay because you cannot buy it in town. Of course drinking your own wine greatly reduces the cost and I can’t understand why the hotel doesn’t get a license for their own benefit. I particularly recommend the postilla. ||So, well prepared Moroccan food, a good choice (from an English menu) and no worries for anyone (like me) with a sensitive stomach). Bottled water was complimentary. Breakfast was lovely, you had to ask for eggs but after the first time of asking they were brought every day. Lovely honey and Moroccan Nutella (slightly sweetened peanut butter) and freshly squeezed orange juice. We did not need lunch. ||The bill was prepared promptly and was accurate. There had been a misunderstanding over a course one evening and they had, unnecessarily removed it from our bill. Also no charge for mint tea and biscuits brought to the pavilion on our freezing day. ||My only slight carp is that communication was a bit difficult. Staff were available all the time and we could have asked for anything and they would have done their best, but we didn’t know what to ask for as there was no preliminary briefing. So I advise that if you are staying for any length of time you seek out the manager and sort things out at the beginning. |The hotel was almost empty, no complaint! But I do not...