Heure Bleue Palais

“Worth a stay! Not quite 5* but could be!”

Amazing service, lovely experience but hotel in need of some investment to make it true 5*. We had a 3 night stay here as part of an 11 day trip to Morocco. The staff were amazing and so helpful, lovely rooms (if not a little dark), great breakfast in a beautiful setting and great private free park… more

Amazing service, lovely experience but hotel in need of some investment to make it true 5*. We had a 3 night stay here as part of an 11 day trip to Morocco. The staff were amazing and so helpful, lovely rooms (if not a little dark), great breakfast in a beautiful setting and great private free parking. However, there are aspects of the hotel that are lacking lustre- especially the rooftop pool. Not sure if they are doing renovations to it -there was some building work going on and they had invested in beautiful sun lounger cushions but the rest of the pool was a little shabby, the movie room - whilst a great touch was a few DVDs in a room with a projector and the bar, billiards room and communal areas could have just done with some refinements. All in all a lovely hotel and a great stay but needs a little more to make it amazing.. it has so much potential!

less

“Lovely oasis!”

This is such an interesting property with respect to the history of the building itself. It was originally built as a private palais for a wealthy pasha, but later it fell into disrepair and was even used as an orphanage at one point. More recently, it was purchased by another private buyer and com… more

This is such an interesting property with respect to the history of the building itself. It was originally built as a private palais for a wealthy pasha, but later it fell into disrepair and was even used as an orphanage at one point. More recently, it was purchased by another private buyer and completely renovated, later to be purchased by the current hotelier and renovated further by adding a third floor and a rooftop pool. The location is excellent, steps from the medina and the port, yet still remains a quiet oasis inside the walls of the hotel. We requested a room with a balcony and were a bit disappointed to find that the view from our balcony was of a parking lot and the busy street beyond. But further inspection revealed that there are only three rooms with balconies and none have particularly scenic views. Regardless, our room was spacious and comfortable. But it was the gorgeous English gentlemen's bar that we particularly enjoyed each evening. Truly stunning. And taking breakfast in the courtyard is a treat, as well. We tried to use the pool one afternoon, but it was just too breezy and chilly. We had been told that it's always windy in Essaouira, and they were not wrong. Even still, I hope to return because it is a truly special place.

less

“Great location”

Great location, lovely staff. Good but not exceptional food. Very pretty and clean. Standard rooms small.

“Beautiful hotel and lovely staff”

We stayed 2 nights here and had a deluxe room . The room was large and comfortable with good amenities. Bathroom large with good shower . Lacked a makeup mirror and not enough hooks to place towels The bed was comfortable not huge , was quiet , has a safe and good tea and coffee making facilities.… more

We stayed 2 nights here and had a deluxe room . The room was large and comfortable with good amenities. Bathroom large with good shower . Lacked a makeup mirror and not enough hooks to place towels The bed was comfortable not huge , was quiet , has a safe and good tea and coffee making facilities. We had a lovely welcoming from Mamadou with freshly squeezed orange juice and delicacies. We had dinner at the main restaurant and food was ok , not amazing. Breakfast served as a buffet was nice , good choice with local breads and homemade jams and spreads. We had lunch which was nice enough but not wow. The staff are all lovely and helpful and it’s walking distance from the town. Unfortunately did not go to the rooftop as weather was awful. Just lacked a bit of je ne sais quoi that you’d expect from a R &C But overall would recommend

less

“Very Conflicted About L'Heure Bleue Palais”

We were guest of the hotel for 2 nights in a classic room. It was one of 9 hotels we stayed in during our 17 day trip to Morocco. This is the most conflicted I have ever felt about a hotel. The hotel was not busy or close to being fully occupied and it would have been nice to be upgraded fr… more

We were guest of the hotel for 2 nights in a classic room. It was one of 9 hotels we stayed in during our 17 day trip to Morocco. This is the most conflicted I have ever felt about a hotel. The hotel was not busy or close to being fully occupied and it would have been nice to be upgraded from our classic room. It was small and cramped. The bathroom was in very poor repair. There were cracks in the sink and toilet. Housekeeping was poor. Toiletries were not replaced and the wastebasket in the bathroom wasn't emptied. Even when we called to address lapses, only some were addressed. The rooftop patio restaurant Le Grille de la Terrasse was a disaster. Service was abysmally slow. The patio floor was filthy dirty, paint was chipped, and wood scraped. The seat cushions had food crumbs and stains on them. The food was just edible. Front desk service was uneven. On the one hand, due to a misunderstanding, a guide we thought had been booked through our agent wasn't and the front desk rose to the occasion and arranged an alternative. And we were always greeted warmly by staff at the front desk. Both check-in and check out went smoothly. On the other hand, I asked to borrow an adapter for a hair straightener and the desk took my name and room number and admonished me to be sure to bring it back. I was made to feel like a thief rather than a welcomed guest. Never was I treated this way by any of the hotels which had lent me the use of adapters. Now some positives. Breakfast was good with a nice selection of western and Moroccan dishes. Sitting outside for a cocktail and breakfast was very pleasant. The hotel makes the best negroni we've had anywhere in the world. And the restaurant - Le Salon Oriental Restaurant is INCREDIBLE. I can't say enough superlatives about the food and service. We went there 2 nights and were over the moon. It's hard to unconditionally recommend the hotel given our issues, but I'll say it's worth a try. And the fine dining restaurant is a must.

less