Jaal Riad Resort

"Jaal Riad Resort Review: Impressive First Impressions but Falls Short of Its Five-Star Claim The Positives Our holiday began smoothly with the airport transfer service. We chose the coach transfer option, which was efficient, punctual, and well organised. Communication was excellent throughout, both via text messages and through the representatives at the airport, ensuring we had all the information we needed. Upon arrival at Jaal Riad Resort in the early evening, our first impressions were very positive. The reception area and communal spaces were spacious, elegant, and well maintained, creating an immediate sense of luxury. Check-in was relatively straightforward, although there was a minor issue connecting to the Wi-Fi in order to access and forward our hotel voucher from the Jet2 app. The hotel's location is another significant advantage. Situated approximately 5 km from Marrakech city centre, it is only a short ten-minute taxi ride away. The distance is also walkable for those who enjoy exploring on foot, which we did on a couple of occasions. The pool area was one of the highlights of our stay. It was clean, well presented, and equipped with ample sun loungers and parasols, providing a relaxing environment to enjoy the Moroccan sunshine. Several members of staff also deserve recognition for their excellent customer service. The team at the dining room entrance consistently welcomed guests warmly and professionally, while K Christ, who regularly served our table, provided attentive, friendly, and exemplary service throughout our stay. Areas for Improvement While there were several positives, a number of aspects fell well below what would reasonably be expected of a hotel marketing itself as a five-star resort. The most immediate issue occurred on arrival. After check-in, the concierge escorted us to our room, only for us to discover that it was already occupied by other guests. Although the concierge promptly arranged an alternative room, it was disappointing that neither reception nor management offered an apology for what was a significant oversight and potential security concern. Our reassigned room was spacious, comfortable, and serviced daily. However, it would have benefited from a more thorough deep clean. In addition, the tea-making facilities were incomplete, with tea provided but no coffee or milk available. We ultimately purchased these items from a nearby supermarket. Dining proved to be one of the more disappointing elements of our stay. While we appreciate the challenges involved in catering to a broad range of tastes within a buffet-style service, the menu became repetitive after only a few days. Furthermore, food was consistently served lukewarm regardless of when we dined, even after adjusting our dining times in the hope of improving the experience. The food service at the pool bar also raised concerns. Hot food was frequently left uncovered on serving counters, attracting birds that helped themselves to the food while staff appeared largely unconcerned by the issue. This fell significantly short of expected hygiene standards. Guests should also be aware of the pool towel system. Towels are obtained through a token scheme that requires a deposit at reception. While charging a deposit at an all-inclusive, purportedly five-star resort is questionable in itself, our experience was made worse by difficulties recovering the deposit at the end of our stay, despite attempts to resolve the matter with management. For this reason, I would strongly recommend paying any required deposit by card rather than cash. All-Inclusive Plus Package The biggest disappointment of our stay was the All-Inclusive Plus package. We upgraded specifically for access to advertised international branded spirits and premium drinks, having previously found local alternatives underwhelming on other holidays. Unfortunately, the reality did not justify the additional cost. The selection of branded spirits was extremely limited, and from our observations, guests on the standard all-inclusive package often appeared to receive the same drinks. As a result, we found very little value in the upgrade and would not recommend paying extra for the Plus package. Overall Verdict We enjoyed a relaxing holiday and there are certainly aspects of Jaal Riad Resort that deserve praise, particularly its location, pool area, and the professionalism of several staff members. However, the resort consistently fell short of the standards expected from a genuine five-star hotel. While it presents itself well and offers comfortable accommodation, shortcomings in room allocation procedures, food quality, service consistency, and the value of premium package upgrades mean that it does not currently deliver the luxury experience it advertises. For these reasons, I would consider it a mediocre four-star resort rather than the five-star destination it claims to be. Rating: 3.5/5 – An enjoyable stay overall, but not the five-star experience advertised."

"The Good: The location is good, offering easy access to the town centre within 10 minutes via taxi. The hotel is generally clean throughout, and the rooms are a decent size and well-maintained. The pool area is clean and decent sun beds. Be aware you have to pay around £15 for a pool card which entitles you to a green towel for the sun loungers, however you are not informed at check in. This refundable if you dont lose the card. The Bad: Misleading All-Inclusive Package: The dining options were highly limited and repetitive throughout the week. Furthermore, the poolside bar and eating areas have menus on the tables with no prices listed. We ordered food only to be handed a surprise bill, later being told that the all-inclusive food only starts at 2:30 PM. When available, the food is basic at best, the beer is watered down, and it is served in half-glasses. The complimentary Wi-Fi is practically non-existent, requiring you to log back in every 10 minutes just to get a few minutes of connectivity. We eventually complained to the visiting Managing Director during a walk-through. It turned out the hotel was deliberately hiding the proper login details from guests—something the MD was shocked to discover. He kindly gave us his personal password, but management's handling of this was completely unacceptable. Poor Staff & Management: The service here is miles behind industry standards. The majority of the staff actively avoid eye contact, ignore residents, and seem undertrained and unmotivated. Verdict: This hotel has the potential to be great, but it is currently functioning as a 3-star property, not the 5-star experience it claims to be. Management desperately needs to visit other successful establishments to learn how to properly run a resort and treat paying guests. I would highly recommend DO NOT visit this establishment. Be aware regarding local currency, try to spend all be your departure, as this is not excepted at the airport, except for local Moroccan goods. All duty free is card or Euros cash only."

"Jaal Riad is a wonderful blend of a traditional Moroccan hotel with modern features, built around a large central courtyard with a large pool and lots of trees and plants, and with several other small courtyards and sitting nooks throughout the property. Everywhere was kept spotlessly clean throughout our stay. ROOMS: Bedrooms are spacious with plenty of storage space and separate rooms for shower & sink and wc & bidet, which is very convenient. The decor has a definite Moroccan feel. The bed is extra large and, while we found it fine, some may find it on the firm side. There is an indoor stating area and also a small balcony with a table and two chairs. We had a garden room in block 2 which meant we were away from any noise on the main road which garden rooms in block 1 might experience. POOL: It is large and kept spotlessly clean, and is open from 9am to 6pm each day (so no noisy late-night pool parties!). There were more than enough sun beds when we visited in October, and we always found a parasol too. - though there is also lots of shade from trees. Towels can be obtained by paying a deposit at reception in exchange for tokens which you hand to the pool boys in exchange for your towels; hand the towels back at the end of your session and they give you the tokens back. Repeat each day and hand back to reception at the end of your stay for a prompt refund of your deposit. One thing to be aware of is that the pool bar does not open until 11am; so until that time there is nowhere to obtain water (a point that hotel management might reflect on!). Two bottles of water are put in your room each day however, so we kept them in the fridge and brought them to the pool to tide us over until the pool bar opened. RECEPTION: incredibly polite and helpful staff who were always available to deal with any questions or issues. RESTAURANTS AND FOOD: The buffet restaurant is your main place of eating all meals. We stayed for a week on an all-inclusive basis which entitled us to use one of the speciality restaurants (Italian or Moroccan) once during our stay, but booking for them is essential. We chose the Italian and the service level there was of a wholly different order. The main restaurant has a choice of indoor or terrace dining. All meals are buffets and servers simply take your drinks orders and clear your plates. We had read some fairly negative reviews of the food before going - and the reality is that if you go on holiday to eat pie and chips or burger and chips, you will be disappointed as the food is predominantly Moroccan, which we personally found delightful. There were lots of various tagines and a wide range of salads, but also Indian and Italian stations too. At breakfast chefs cook eggs to order. If you only eat pizza, burgers and chips, it's probably not the hotel for you; but if you go on holiday to try out new foods, then you will love it. A big shout-out to our favourite sever - Khadidatou from Senegal. She's the only female server in the restaurant and sets the guys a real example of how serving ought to be done! Nothing was too much trouble for her and she was incredibly attentive and noticed things (unlike some of the guys). We became good fiends. One thing to be aware of concerns the O2 pool bar/restaurant. It provides 'western-style' food (burgers, pizzas) - BUT this is NOT included in your all-inclusive package. It is at additional charge - and (management take note!) there is nowhere that makes this clear. I discovered it only by probing questions. Food IS served by the pool but only from 1430 (once the main restaurant has closed) and it takes the form of a much smaller section of self-service buffet items, but not any items from the pool bar menu. BARS There are two bars - the pool bar which, as noted previously, doesn't open until 1100 and the main bar with delightful lounge and patio that doesn't open until 1800. The basic all-inclusive package covers soft drinks, wine, spirits and mixers - but a surprisingly tiny cocktail menu of just 7 drinks, some of which I had never heard of. If you want something as common as a Margarita, you'll pay extra, which was disappointing (and is something that again management might look at). You can upgrade your drinks package but a fellow guest who had done so said it wasn't worth it. ENTERTAINMENT: It is very much a low-key hotel as far as entertainment goes, but we found it just right. There was something every night - a mixture of solo-singers, group, a light-hearted quiz and a wonderful evening of Moroccan music and dancing. LOCATION: The hotel is well-located - just a 10 drive from the airport in one direction and a 10-minute drive from the Medina in the other. Of course, that closeness to the airport has its advantages and disadvantages - you're at the hotel quickly after arriving; but the flight-path is very close to the hotel and planes pass close by at just a couple of thousand feet. Personally we didn't find it a problem and there are no night flights. If you think early morning take-offs might disturb you, take ear plugs. There is very little near the hotel - a new mall including a Carrefour supermarket that is a 10 minute stroll away is about it. So you need to be prepared to travel. Taxi drivers are notorious for inflating prices for tourists (ok, we expect to pay a little more, but not over double), so we used the Uber app and found it worked brilliantly - very fair prices, smart vehicles and great drivers. OVERALL: we had a fabulous time at Jaal Riad and would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants a real taste of Morroco in terms of ambience and food."