Abelia Riad - 2024 Traveler's Choice Award

What an amazing Riad, located in the heart of the Medina, for this first time visitor to Morocco. Calm. Quiet. A respite from the chaos of the Square and souks. Walid was a joy, making sure everyone was happy and had what they needed. Even though I did not know Arabic or French, communicating was great. And the staff are friendly and thoughtful and thorough. A great way to begin my Moroccan experience.

Very disappointing experience — poor management and unacceptable attitude We arrived at the riad and found no one at reception. No welcome, no instructions, no basic information provided. We had to figure everything out on our own. During our stay, the only staff member present was a kind girl who prepared breakfast and cleaned the rooms, but due to the language barrier, communication was very limited. The main issue, however, was the manager, Walled. He behaved in an authoritarian, impolite and disrespectful manner, especially toward us as a group of women. We asked him to arrange a taxi to the airport. He gave us a price, which we paid. Hours later, he returned claiming the cost was higher, without apologizing for the incorrect information and refusing to let us ask any questions. The tone was rude and final. The next day, he messaged us on WhatsApp, calling us “the worst clients” and wrongly accusing us of leaving without paying for a bottle of water, which had never been mentioned. Back in Italy, we found that the riad had cancelled our reservation on Booking, falsely stating that we never checked in — clearly to avoid reviews. We behaved respectfully throughout. The treatment we received was unacceptable.

We were absolutely happy when we stayed at Abelia Riad for my partner's birthday away celebration. Perfect room for us, love the ambiance and the place….. The birthday surprise was absolutely amazing! Bespoke and indeed unforgettable !!! We were truly grateful and appreciate the gesture. The hospitality was above and beyond. Faisal is so knowledgeable, accommodating, kind, funny and a wonderful host. Guided Brett and I where to go complete with a map…. Impressive! The Receptionist at Dar Salam Palm where we supposed to be staying were very welcoming, made us feel comfortable and relax. Respectful, informative and knows how to protect us as guest of the property. Highly recommended!!! A million thanks once again.

Having booked this Riad for a few days while in Marrakech after arriving we became to feel unsafe due to the location so we had to use taxis everywhere which we went didn’t mind about. However the staff on reception was extremely unprofessional, unhelpful, everything was a problem for him to help us with and he would disappear for long periods when needed. He made us both feel uncomfortable as two women With how over friendly he made us when he would appear. The was dressed in gym clothing too which is extremely unprofessional but that set the stone in how this business is run. He pretty much bullied us to give him a 5 star review also which he hasn’t got the skills for that hence their one star ⭐️. The riad is very dated, dusty, nosey with building work which we were not told About. There is damp and mold everywhere which gave me a chest infection, the place is not to a clean standard at all and the breakfast was so slow, basic and not worth the time for. So after a 1 and a half’s days we packed up and left and moved to a safer, cleaner riad with staff who wanted to help its customers. As females I would advise to avoid this riad.

Fantastic Riad - I have to admit that it was with slightly mixed feelings when we walked down the small alley late at night, which was not very inviting at first - but wow - when the door was opened - the riad was so beautiful and our room was fantastic. Very authentic - and nice and clean. Subsequently, we changed our opinion about the small strait to think that it was incredibly authentic. A special warm thank you to Fayssal who was exceptionally sweet and helpful - we really felt taken care of. We can only recommend it warmly!