Dar Ness in Essaouira

Booked in February, but they cancelled our booking a few days before we arrived in August, they refused to cancel it with the operator, forced us to request free cancellation to get our money back, so we got charged by the operator for their fees.

I will make this review as concise as possible. Things that need improving...

- Cleaning. On arrival there was a distinct smell of cat and urine in the stairway. There is dust on every lamp, and there were two pairs of old underwear in the seating area up stairs. There is a lot of bird droppings on the seating area on the terrace, the seats and cushions look like they have been dragged out of the ocean and also have bird droppings on them. In the room, there is bird droppings on the curtain, there was an old toothpick in a dusty vase and there was mould in the bathroom.

- Maintenance. The curtains in the room do not fit the door so there is limited privacy in the room. The shower is attached half way down the wall making it's use needlessly difficult. The light in our room flickered constantly. The lighting itself was extremely poor and it was difficult to see in the room. The front door to the road was rarely locked meaning anyone could enter the property and the front desk was rarely staffed decreasing the security.

Staff - the staff seemed nice enough but uninterested in their jobs with the building in the shape it did. There is a lot of work to do in this Riad but most times I saw the men just watching football on their phones or playing on a Playstation. However, when communicating with the hosts and cleaners they were all very polite.

I hope this review can give some direction as to how the owners and staff can make the most of their property as it's location is fantastic.