Riad Dar El Malaika

After touring Morocco on a fast paced tour we landed in Casablanca and wanted to end the vacation with a couple restful days. This place was the perfect oasis. House Manager Hafid and the entire staff here are truly committed to hospitality excellence. The accommodations are absolutely beautiful. El Jadida doesn’t offer enough for tourists to see or do for more than a couple days. We spent a lot of time at the Riad though, and it delivered on all measures.

We started our Morocco visit here. For three marvelous days , we stayed at the beautiful, wonderous Dar el Malaika in el Jadida. We stayed in the traditional garden suite which is really more like a little palace with walls covered in intricate hand sculpted filigree, and lit by a stunning overheard chandelier. Outside we both had a lounging couch in the magical garden with a lotus pond. We had a generous, delicious breakfast by this pond and we give a special thanks to the kind ladies who made this happen. At night all the lantern are lit, and the riad glowed. Afid, the efficient and good humoured manager guided us to the Capitainie restaurant in the nearby Portuguese Citie and it was perfect dining. This is a singular outstanding welcoming place and, rather than pour more superlatives into this review, I'll end with a recommendation to book this!

This is an oasis inside the city- truly magical!

Inside the Riad is gorgeous. The small lily pond in the center was serene surrounded by other plants and trees. The reception was very welcoming and helpful when determining where to visit El Jadida. It was a little bit noisy during the night, but overall the property was a hidden gem within the city.

Dar El Malaika is one of the most beautiful riads I have ever visited in Morocco (and I should know because I own one.) The residence of a former governor, it has large, luminous rooms with exquisite Orientalist decor. The rooms, despite being "beldi" have every modern convenience. The double garden is simply splendid. The breakfast is copious and first-class. The location is perfect for touring, The riad observes all Covid protocols. Now for the areas for improvement: We had a hard time finding this riad even with a professional driver, GPS and Google maps. A neighbor sitting at a cafe finally helped us out. The riad is in a pedestrian only zone, so don't stop there if you have lots of luggage. When I arrived before the three other persons in our group, I was greeted rudely by a young man speaking poor French, He announced that we were expected the following night and would not let me across the threshhold of the door. He later apologized. I am not sure if it was a language, gender or education level problem. After the initial poor start, he really tried hard but he needs hospitality training. The Moroccan woman who made our breakfast was very helpful. I bet she could cook a wonderful tagine or two. Although we arrived in the late afternoon, our rooms were not ready. My husband and I had a large and perfectly decorated room as well as a lavish bathroom. Our friends' room was smaller, had a shower and looked like a 19th century *******o. The young couple with a child who arrived after us were given a huge suite. We were the only guests in the riad. Unlike many riads, you cannot order a home-cooked meal at Dar el Malaika. We ordered carry-out from a local restaurant called Eric. The food was awful, in fact, it was the only bad meal I have eated in my 50 years of visiting Morocco. The order from "Eric" was not accurate. To their credit, the two staff members arranged our dinner on the large dining room table in the ornate salon. It was a pleasure to eat there. Here are my recommendations: -Train staff and improve their language skills. (My husband and I speak Darija, French, English and Spanish.) Add another staff member. -Provide the opportunity to order Moroccan food ahead of time to be served in the Riad. -Have the rooms ready by check-in time. -Set up an error-free reservation system. -Provide directions to reach the Riad by car or bus.

Morroco is the place where nothing is at it seems. We arrived in al Jadyda late afternoon and parked the car in a questionable lot walking distance from the riad. Riad is less than 3 minutes walking distance a d when the doors opened: WOW! what a beautiful place. Used ti be where the governor entertained his guests, the rooms are just royal in nature, staff was extremely helpful and breakfast was superb in the downstairs garden.