El Minzah Hotel

The nice staff, good menu and drinks poolside made this an excellent stop during our exploration of Tangiers. They had just closed the buffet when we arrived but what was left looked great. Did not stay or see rooms.

Upon checkout the reception surprised members of our group of extras which was the belly dancer which we, as guests, never been informed of, her presence or that she is an extra we will be paying for and for soft and alcohol that was already on the table upon arrival to the dinner venue. Many members of our group do not consume alcohol. And to our surprise when we asked each other we found out that the sun was negotiable. Not every couple paid the same! Upon check-in I found someone in my room. Emotionally, I was so distressed. They didn’t react until local members of our group stepped in and accommodated with grace. Last but not least, the hotel was full of photographers. They were everywhere shooting, in corridors in the dinner venue. Our privacy and peaceful atmosphere were affected.

One of the worst hotel experiences I have ever had anywhere in the world. I genuinely cannot understand how this hotel is still considered a 5-star property. Even more disappointing is that El Minzah is supposed to be one of Morocco’s most historic and prestigious hotels. As someone who loves Morocco and is proud of my country, I felt embarrassed that visitors could leave with this impression. The swimming pool was practically unusable. There were no sunbeds, no pool towels, and not even umbrellas. There was absolutely no pool service. Nobody explained what facilities were available to guests upon check-in, so I had to figure everything out by myself. The phone in my room didn’t work for the entire stay. I wanted to reserve a table to watch the Morocco vs Scotland match on the big screen, but the staff member would only speak French to me. I was speaking Arabic, yet he refused to communicate in Arabic. Unfortunately, this happened repeatedly with different members of staff throughout my stay. I do not speak French, nor should I have to while spending my holiday in my own country. I stayed for five nights, and my room was cleaned only twice, despite placing the housekeeping sign outside my door. Service throughout the hotel was virtually non-existent. I sat at the bar waiting for someone to take my order, but nobody ever came. I then went to the wine bar, where once again the staff member insisted on speaking only French, walked away, and never returned. After waiting over ten minutes, I simply left, despite being a paying guest. Only one lift was working, and it had just been painted, creating a real risk of getting paint on guests’ clothes. Since my room was on the third floor, I ended up using the stairs for almost my entire stay. Breakfast was extremely poor for a hotel claiming to be five stars. The selection was very limited, and even the coffee machine wasn’t working. In four years, Morocco will welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup. Hotels are one of the first impressions visitors will have of our country. If this is the standard offered by one of Morocco’s most famous historic hotels, then we have a lot of work to do. This hotel has incredible history and enormous potential, but at the moment it is living only on its reputation, not on the quality of the experience it provides. I cannot recommend it to anyone.

Our three days and nights here were wonderful. From the moment we checked in until we checked out, the staff were efficient and friendly, There is always someone who speaks excellent English, French (obviously) and Spanish - maybe even a few more. I had a couple of special requests for a birthday celebration and the staff at El Minzah really came into bat so thank you all very much. Our room was quite spacious and always very clean with a range of toiletries and slippers provided. Towels were replaced if wet or dirty. A special mention to the Moroccan/Mint tea lady (Yasmine/Yasmina?) who remembered our likes at breakfast and was very proactive providing them. The breakfast was really enjoyable with the Msemmen provided with a number of condinments, fruit in syrup, fresh fruits, breads, biscuits and cakes, pastries, hot egg (scrambled), sausages and veggies and ratatouille. Really, you won't be starved of choice. However, we ordered fried eggs and poached eggs and omelettes which the staff prepare for you fresh. There are fresh orange and beetroot juices, tea, mint/tea and coffee, My only criticism is the coffee. It is frankly diabolical and I chose to drink anything but that. That is something that needs addressing. The restaurant is certainly pricier than most other restaurants but then you are getting the entertainment and spacious eating area. That being said, I observed that my beef and vegetable tangine had "too much beef and not enough vegetables" for me so that is partly the reason but the copious quantity of meat was so soft that a knife felt unnecessary. The pool area was lovely and while mostly sunny, there were s few shady spots and of course you could order food and drinks to be brought to you. I do have to mention that the live entertainment around the pool every night and some days was not what we expected and would have preferred silence or background music not to feel like we were at an Ibiza nightclub. But this was in summer over a long weekend so may be different in winter without all the guests filling it up. Location is very Central for access to the Medina and Nouvelle especially (where there are good currency exchange booths and little shops for snacks and a lot of restaurants open late) and the Kasbah is past Grand Socco and a walk up the hill. I would return here.