El Andalous Hotel

“ suitable for families with twin double beds, swimming pool and hotel's own sauna, hammam, small gym and a massage room, for self or couples. Being a 4 star hotel it should have had at least a fridge in the room. Good restaurants are within 10/15mins drive. jama al fena is about 15/20min walk from the hotel

“ Top Tip: good hotel, away from all the hustle and bustle of the souks, but within close proximity though.

“ We booked this hotel for 2 adults one 5 month old and a 22 month old. I would defo recommend this hotel staff were very polite and helpful. We did request a cotbed when placed holiday but there was none available. Hot water was difficult to get as room service took a while. Breakfast is nice however we went for 10 days and it was the same evening meal changed every day so it gave us the opportunity to taste different local food.

We found the location perfect as it was. A fifteen minute walk to old city Jena al fans and 15 20 mins from new city. We got a taxi to atlas mountains cist 400. We went to Casablanca on train code 140 each way children under 3 free. We took a tour to eusourria we went with supratours which is not far from train station cost 100 dirhams each way kids free! Kids enjoyed themselves so did we. We had a twin macleren buggys seemed to go through doors souks etc fine if the road was too bumpy we went on the road and it was fine no one ran us over lol!

“ Top Tip: Jena al fans
Hotel spa very good book in advance to avoid dissapointent defibYely try a hamaam very nice I also had pedicure and a algae body wrap

If you want something closer to the souks I saw a hotel on the door step of koutounia mosque was called the chems but didn't gobinside or nothing like that.

“ I have stayed at El Andalous Hotel on two or three occasions before.

It has the feel of an informal family run hotel rather than one of the big chain hotels. The furnishings in the room were a little tired and need to be upgraded and the paint work on the balcony needs a facelift. The balcony chairs have seen better days, but the hotel is well located and in a quiet middle class area.

The beds were comfortable, with extra blankets available and the sheets and pillow cases were spotless. There is a nightclub attached to the hotel so ask for a quiet room if you can only sleep in a totally silent environment. Our room was on the third floor and overlooking the pool and garden and it was fine.

The hotel is a great little hotel and just needs some investment / upgrade. It feels more like a 3 star hotel rather than a 4 star. Bring an electric kettle if you want to make your own tea and coffee and buy coke and water in the shops in Guilez for half the price.

If you like to walk, you can walk to the Menara Gardens, to Guilez and to the Medina (and souks). You should be prepared for a 20 minute walk. If you need to take a small taxi - do not pay more than 20 dhms (2 euros) during the day and maybe 30 dhms (3 euros) at night. Taxi drivers will always want more, but I have been in Marrakesh a million times and I know the real prices if they used their meters.

Would I go back to El Andalous - yes of course. The only problem for this hotel is that some of the bigger more luxurious hotels are jumping into their price bracket and so this hotel may have to reduce its prices further.

“ Top Tip: You can walk to Le Comptoir, Palais Jad Mahal and Theatro nightclub (at El Saadi Hotel), from this hotel and do not pay more than 20 dhms during the day for the journey....

“ Having read previous posts I was a little concerned about the hotel; I shouldn't have been. Although it was a little dated in decor I liked it a great deal because it felt Moroccan rather than a hotel with a corporate identity which could be anywhere. The gardens were lovely, the rooms and pool very clean, hot water constant and the food extremely good. I worry about those who are unable to find something to eat from the extensive and fresh range of foods on offer although you won't find fish fingers and chips here. I would agree that occasionally something ran out but it was never long before the dish was replenished. The staff were extremely kind but it took time to get to know them. Their first language is Arabic and their second French so they can struggle to understand strong regional accents and the nuances of our language although the concierge spoke good English. However my (mostly forgotten) school French was enough to get by on and have some fun with. Our room was huge with a separate toilet from the bathroom which was great. The Wi-Fi was spasmodic but I managed to get my Blackberry tablet downloading and functioning from it with a little patience. I tried out the TV and the reception wasn't great on the only English channel but I didn't go to watch TV. The walk to the Square did take about 15 minutes but it was the best way to explore and get to know the city. I would definitely stay at this hotel again as it was situated just into the quieter residential area and it suited us both a great deal.

“ Top Tip: If you want to explore take a copy of the 'Rough Guide Map - Marrakesh & Essaouria'. You won't have any problems finding your way about with this. Take a little Moroccan loose change with you everywhere. It is customary (and hope for) to tip approx 10 - 15% for good service. Try to eat out at least once in the square - the food is great! Also if you occasionally see someone sitting with their hand out asking for money (begging) if you can spare a few coins please do. They don't ask unless they have no option and if you watch you will see that they are being given money by local people too.