Hotel Riu Tikida Palmeraie 4*

We’d had the luck that our son had stayed at the hotel a few years ago so we had some background to utilise. What he didn’t say was it wasn’t just hot, it was 44 degrees every day, only dipping under 40 degrees at night time. The hotel is about a 25 minute drive from Marrakech airport and again we were lucky in that there was us and another couple to book in and not a coach load. First impressions were good, even though our rooms weren’t ready we used the bar until they were. A quirk of a few hotels we’ve been too recently is that the bar area is quite dark whilst reception is bathed in light. Once we got our rooms which the porter had driven us too with the luggage (he expected a tip but we hadnt used the ATM in reception to get currency the dram then so we went and found him the next day.) There are 4 meal times. (You can also book once a stay, for Moroccan food, which was beautiful and Italian which was poor.) there is something for everyone at meal times. We tried a few Moroccan style food and they are tasty. It’s down to personal taste, If you want chips and dippers then that’s fine too. We found out as we went along that you can pick early or later times to suit your plans. As per the standing joke you weren’t meant to put down towels on sunbeds. This rule was ignored and even when busy and not going down early you could find some beds. Drinks are available in the reception and poolside bar until midnight. There is also Zumba and Aquaaerobics in the main pool. There’s also a toilet block nearby. There’s also a spa, indoor pool and Childs pool. There is an entertainment board but all that seemed to happen in the designated room was music to get the children running around. There were a few room niggles, the toilet flush mechanism was half broken, the bed for us wasn’t used to the firmness, the mirror is old in the bathroom and the sink is crazy cracked. There’s was a spider and general dirt at the side of the setee. Apart from this the room is fine and the maid came everyday. There’s plenty of space, big bottles of warmer, small fridge, tv, phone and 4 usb charger points.theres also a shaded outside patio with 2 chairs and a table. There’s also the chatter of crickets, North African toads and birds at nightime. If like me you are afraid of cockroaches, there was only 6 and 2 of them where were swimming in the toilet bowl much to my shock. Then to nighttimes and we were happy to sit in the reception/bar area playing games, cards, talking and making up quizzes. This leads me to mention the staff, specifically the restaurants and bar. They were so friendly, waiter service and they knew the rounds of drink after your first time. They were so warm and friendly that even my mr grumpy photo hating husband asked for a selfie with one of the staff, wish I’d got his name. The shot of gin wasn’t large and the topped up soda was at different levels during the night. The local lager is quite weak but drinkable.

We stayed at Riu Tikida Palmeraie Marrakech and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. The hotel did not meet the standards we expected from a RIU all-inclusive resort. There were several maintenance and cleanliness issues, including broken stairs, a dirty swimming pool, poor room cleaning, uncomfortable beds, and a minibar that was never refilled. We also noticed loose electrical cables and lighting around the pool, which raised serious safety concerns. Service was below expectations. We had to carry our own luggage to our rooms, and there was no shop where guests could buy drinks or snacks—only souvenirs. To get a sunbed by the pool, guests had to wake up before 6:00 AM, which is unacceptable for a relaxing all-inclusive holiday. We reported these issues three times during our stay, but very little was done to improve the situation. Sadly, this was one of the most disappointing holidays we have experienced, and based on our stay, we cannot recommend this hotel.