Jaal Riad Resort

Honest Review of Jaal Riad Marrakech – 4 Nights

I’ve just returned from four nights at Jaal Riad and wanted to share an honest review from the perspective of an avid traveller who values comfort, cleanliness and style

In my opinion, this is *4 stars at best and nowhere near the standard I would expect from a 5-star hotel

First impressions -The hotel is beautiful at first glance, with lots of lush greenery throughout the property and the staff are genuinely very friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately, however, when you look a little closer, there are several issues that significantly affected my overall experience

Room - I booked a garden view room and reminded reception of this (based on reviews from here about guests facing the road instead of garden), but the room I was given had more of a street view than a garden view, with noise from neighbouring hotel very apparent. Due to overgrown greenery I was unable To see this when I first got in.

The condition of the bed was particularly disappointing. The mattress/bed was noticeably tilted to one side. On closer inspection, I discovered that two slabs of wood had been placed underneath the bed to try to balance it and one side had actually collapsed. I weigh only around 60kg, so this was concerning and certainly not what I would expect from a 5 star property!

The shower water pressure was also very poor and the standard of cleaning in the room was not what I would expect from a hotel of this rating. Very unpleasant for allergy suffers.

Cleanliness & public areas -One of the biggest disappointments was the condition of the cushioned seating around the hotel! Almost all of the cushions and upholstered seating appeared to be dirty, stained or visibly worn. The indoor pool (for which you have to pay extra) was really dirty with black chalk like substance in there!

This made me reluctant to sit in many of the otherwise beautiful areas of the hotel. For a property presenting itself as a 5 I would expect much higher standards of cleanliness and maintenance.

Food & breakfast - Unfortunately, the food was another major disappointment. It was often cold and very repetitive even within the first 20 mins of service which became frustrating after several days and other guests shared the same experience.

Breakfast is advertised as starting at 7am which is particularly important for guests going on early excursions. However, on my stay, even at 7:30am staff were still setting up!

On more than one occasion, I had to find cutlery and glasses myself from the staff area simply to be able to have breakfast. This is not the level of service I would expect.

Overall - There are definitely positives: the property itself is attractive, the gardens are lovely and the staff are friendly. However, the maintenance, cleanliness, food quality and consistency of service fall well below what I would expect from a 5 star.

For me, Jaal Riad is 4 stars at best. The hotel has the potential to be beautiful, but it needs considerably more attention to detail and much stronger standards across the board.

As someone who travels frequently and enjoys comfort and style, I would not return or recommend.

My 3rd trip. It won’t be my last. We arrived on July 17th for 12 nights. A few days later our son and daughters partners joined us. The food was amazing. I love meat and every day they had lamb, chicken and beef dishes. In the evening Yussef the head chef would do an Indian dish on top of all the other dishes. He varied it around every night. One night he did chicken tikka kebabs with pilau rice and lentils and I must admit it was probably the best Indian I ever had. So ironic it takes a Moroccan to make the best Indian dish. You can tell he is passionate about his food. Any time I had a small issue I would go to Kahlid at reception. I like to call him Mr Fix It. Always helpful and sorted everything out. The entertainment in the evening was brilliant this year. From African Tribal Dancers to Latin Dancers. Belly dancers karaoke and singers you had something to do every evening. The bar is the real prize of the resort. Saleem, Nouredinne, Idriss and Amine. Great guys and very helpful and great service. Last year Idriss was away on holidays so I didn’t get to meet him. He is a great character. He made me laugh so much and is very helpful. Amine is a credit to the hotel. A very mannerable young lad and very helpful. Saleem and Noureddine. The best bar men. The pool bar ran really well this year and a big shout out to faoulu ibrahim sakari ikram Mohammed and rachid. Kept every fed and well hydrated. Meal times in the buffet, I really enjoyed this year, I didn’t eat outside the hotel. A big shout out to Monchiff. Always makes sure we are well looked after. Aleshia, Christ and Prince were always there for your needs and to make sure you were topped up with drinks. The concierge in the morning, Driss. Absolutely fantastic. Great character and always helpful.. sofiane the night porter, sofiane at the buffet and Riddian . Great lads and always helpful and gave you their time. I always say the true strength of the Jall Riad is their Staff. Looking forward to coming back next year. I had the most relaxing holiday ever. Thank you Jall Riad.

We’ve just returned from a one-week stay at Jaal Riad Resort and can honestly say we had the most amazing time. From the beautiful grounds to the fantastic friendly staff, this hotel really does have something special about it.

The hotel itself is beautiful. The grounds are stunning, peaceful and beautifully maintained, making it feel like a little oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech.

🍽️ Food & drinks We thought the food was really good, with a great variety on most days and plenty of choice. But the sweet treats deserve a special mention — they were absolutely outstanding! 🍰😍

🏖️ Pool / Entertainment /Spa The pool area is ok and we managed to get sunbeds with an umbrella, although on some days you definitely need to be up early if you want to secure your preferred spot.

The Aqua Aerobics and Aqua Zumba were brilliant fun and created such a great atmosphere around the pool. Definitely get involved — even if you think you won’t! 😂

Evening entertainment was good and we loved the African dancers. We indulged and had a Spa treatment also.

🇲🇦 Exploring Marrakech The hotel is ideally placed for exploring Marrakech. Taxis were really easy to get, and it was simple to head into the main square, wander through the souks and soak up the incredible sights, sounds and atmosphere.

We also visited the YSL Gardens, which were absolutely beautiful and wonderfully tranquil. A lovely escape from the business of the city and definitely worth a visit.

🍹 And then there was Salim… We have to give a massive special shout-out to Salim at the bar.

Salim was absolutely fantastic. He made everyone feel so welcome, was incredibly friendly, chatty and always greeted us with the biggest smile. He makes amazing cocktails and genuinely seemed to love making sure everyone was having a good time.

He became one of the highlights of our holiday and we looked forward to seeing him every day.

And Salim… if you’re reading this — you really are the Tom Cruise of Marrakech! 😂🍹❤️

He is an absolute credit to Jaal Riad Resort.

❤️ Would we return? Without a doubt!

We had such a fantastic week and came home with some wonderful memories. The beautiful hotel, gorgeous grounds, lovely food & drinks and most importantly, the genuinely warm and friendly staff made our stay so enjoyable.

We would 100% recommend Jaal Riad Resort and really hope we get the chance to return one day.

Thank you to everyone at Jaal Riad Resort for making our week in Marrakech so special.