Hotel Belere - Rabat, Morocco

On my recent trip to Morocco, we stayed at six hotels over our two week tour of the country. We arrived in Casablanca early afternoon, which was followed by an hour ride north to Rabat, the capital city of Morocco. Our first hotel was the Belere Hotel, which is currently ranked #13 for Rabat on Trip Advisor. Our tour guide met us at the lobby where we were given our keys and advised of a meeting on the sixth floor later in the evening. We were also advised that the drinks in our room were free (no alcohol, but several sodas and water).

The hotel was somewhat basic, with staff that were friendly and accommodating. The room was typical size for American travelers. A bit tight, but roomy enough for travel purposes. I have found that beds in other parts of the worlds are not nearly as soft as North American hotels. This held true for Morocco. The bed was on the hard side. The room had a small refrigerator, safe, television (which we never turned on) and a work station. There were ample outlets for charging our electronics. The air conditioning was not turned on, making the room a bit warm for our liking. It also appeared the unit might have been leaking as their was a wet spot in the carpet near the doorway.

The bathroom was a bit atypical. First, the bathroom had a bidet. The other odd thing about the bathroom was the tub/shower combination that short people certainly must have trouble navigating. It is a very high step up to get into the shower. It was not an issue for my wife and I, but it seemed a bit steep for older travelers. My biggest complain about the hotel room was that wi-fi was practically non-existent. I could sporadically hit it for light use (checking email), but it was pretty much worthless beyond that. The signal was adequate in the common areas. The wi-fi was free if you could find a signal.

Source

The hotel stay included free breakfast in the mornings. We stayed two nights at this hotel, so we had breakfast twice. The breakfast room was always very crowded and it was difficult to find a clean table in the morning. The food was also constantly being replaced, which meant it was fresh, but also meant that it ran out at times. The crew of workers in the dining area were constantly on the move. They worked hard. With a large number of guests all hitting the dining room at the same time, they did their best to keep things cleaned and stocked. The food was relatively good, with a decent selection of fruits, hot items, salads and breads. The coffee came from two nespresso machines that constantly had a line. I would have been fine with a carafe of ready-made coffee. That might be a good suggestion for large groups to keep things moving.

(rooftop view)

The hotel has a decent location. There are numerous restaurants located two blocks down the street, and a couple of smaller joints within a block. The Medina is within walking distance (about twenty minutes or so) and taxi fare is cheap. You can get around Rabat for fifty cents to one dollar. The tram is also located near the restaurants two blocks away. It is fairly easy to navigate. My wife and I took a cab to the waterfront and took the train back. It was sixty cents each for the train ticket.

(waiting area in lobby)

The hotel is priced online at about one hundred dollars per night. Trip Advisor has this hotel listed as a four star hotel. I would only interject that the rating is subjective. It appears to be based on the local area and price point rather than basic quality factors. It is a nice hotel. One hundred dollars is a fair price point for what you receive. But I would be remiss if I did not "lower expectations" for anyone expecting an actual four star hotel. The hotel has friendly staff, it felt very secure, the rooms were not as tiny as some I have stayed in, the hotel is clean, the wifi is free if you can get a signal and the breakfast is good. The location is fairly good, with cheap transportation making the location minimally important. There are plenty of restaurants, shopping and public transportation within a short walking distance. I would consider staying at this hotel again, but would likely check my options first.

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