Name: Riad Freija
Address: Ait Lazza Sidi Abd El Kader 83000 Freija, Tamaloukt, Tamaloukt, Tamaloukt, 83000, Morocco
Rating: 7

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Heating

Express check-in/check-out

Terrace

General

Room service

Family room

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Toiletries

Rooms

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Internet access

Internet

Airport transportation

Car rental

Transfer services

Transfer

German

English

French

Languages Spoken

Bike rental

Hiking

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Event facilities

Business

Cycling

Sports

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Pets allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Riad Freija

Tamaloukt

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

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27-beds

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3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

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37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

We three guys decided to try a more historical lodgings after a two very cheap nights in basic accommodation in Taroudant. My friends had been to this Riad as visitors to it as a building but not staying overnight a few years ago.

We booked ahead a double room suite with a double bed in each. The best available with seemingly huge rooms. £33 the lot per night including breakfasts. It was off season (start of November) and we have been used to being in empty or near empty hotels. 

We had seen the riad advertised on an A4 tryptich flier from the quite classy Hotel Tiout in central Taroudant. It offered classy accommodation and restaurant food at reasonable prices. The hotel Tiout and its own restaurant was advertised on the same flier along with Café Restaurant Bab El Kasbah so it seemed maybe the same owners. The Tiout restaurant was closed (according to the hotel receptionist who referred us to the El Kasbah restaurant). 

We three checked of the Roudani and made our way via the Tanneries to the grandtaxi terminal by the coach station. We found the Freija bound taxi and squeezed into it (5 in  back, 1 in front) for 11 each. It took us to the Riad and the place looked pretty impressive! On checking in and being shown the two mirror image rooms with a shared tiled 'fountain' lobby (with big wooden door) certainly was impressive! Grand tiled and ornately arched ceilinged rooms, big Arabic lanterns, big beds with cone lamps, huge rugs, big LED TVs with cable boxes, ornate furniture, chez longues, clean and spacious toilet & sink & bidet and shower rooms with a surfeit of good quality towels and toiletries. Wow! All at £11 each! Unbelievable!!

The courtyard was also impressive with central fountain and on exploring a huge dining room. A couple occupied another room and we got chatting, their having been there a couple of days already and liking it. Views from the terrace and very top roof are wonderful and one can see the old walls of the outside buildings.

On chatting and exploring more the cracks appeared. This place is faded grandeur! Ex high ranking military commander's residence, local government office, conference centre now hotel. The brochure and website and Bkng.cm promise so much (see screenshots and pic of flier). Little except the sheer grandeur is delivered. It IS clean too, no faults there (the cleaning woman makes sure the rooms and wet rooms are clean) but there are many cheap fittings (locks especially) that have not been 'tuned' or repaired. Ceiling emulsion splashes on the beautiful tiles, dysfunctional plugs and adapters to tv and satellite settopbox (rendering each useless but I swapped bits and remotes around to get one working system - very few channels in English - only Euronews), no hot water, missing or dead light bulbs (shaving lamp and shower room in one room, central fountain crumbling and just about working occasionally, broken floor tiles, dead potted plants, door locks falling off with badly working locks, uncomfortable (ex conference) chairs in courtyard. So sad! But still an amazing place. This overrules all the bad points! 

We might have been able to eat there (according to flier one should be able to) IF we had expressed an interest on checking in as there turned out to be nowhere local except a relatively expensive taxi ride away to Ait Laaza, the junction town 2.5km back towards Taroudant. The town has a few sit down eateries and stalls. No tourists! If you walk back at night mind the dangerous pavements in the shadows as my friend broke his fibia, grazed his knee and tore his trousers falling into a hole in a dark shadow cast by a lorry from a street lamp.

Breakfast was confirmed by other guests as being provided in the courtyard, although it defaulted to the dining room for all of us on our first morning and our own lobby room on the second morning. Breakfast was lots of bread, laughing cow cheese triangles, honey, apricot jam and olive(?) oil, mint tea, coffee and hot milk, chocolate powder. No orange juice unfortunately.

Wifi is only in reception unfortunately as very thick walls! In November it was a bit cold and draughty!

The final bill was MAD380 each night for three of us. 20 tip. So 800 total = £66!

I am the sure how busy this place gets in tourist or conference seasons but it needs money to keep it going and improve it. It is an experience so take a chance. It is worth it!

Another faded glory but well worth staying at!

Our two double bedroom suite had two good bathrooms, twenty foot ceilings and over 60m square of space. Decor was stunning tilework. However the pool is out of action, and odd things dont work eg no hot water. Despite that it is a bargain at £32 for three people with breakfast. Direct buses, grandtaxi and taxis from Taroudant.

Riad Freija

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