Kenzi Farah Hotel

Just got back from a two night stay. Agree with other reviewers that rooms are tired and in need of a refurb but they were clean and of a good size. We took our 3 year old with us and the pool area was excellent for children with a large shallow area where she could play safely. We stayed on a half board basis which included breakfast and either lunch or dinner in the buffet style restaurant. I thought the food was excellent, we had evening meal on both days and could not fault it. We did find a restaurant right opposite the hotel where we had a drink one evening and it looked a good alternative to the hotel. We also took the tour bus which leaves from just outside the Hotel El Andalous which is opposite this hotel. I would recommend the tour to get a good idea of the layout of Marrakech. I really enjoyed this short break and this hotel is ideal for a good value winter sun break.

Just returned from the Kenzi Farah on 26th Feb 07, we had a really good time, and wonder what some people in other reviews where expecting, after all you are in Africa,Having travelled extensively in the past, we just went with the flow, We found the hotel to be clean, comfortable,and a peaceful oasis after a day exploring thr city. The food provided ,was of a good standard with a considerasble choice at both Breakfast and Dinner , certainly if you went hungry it was your own fault We arrived early(before midday) but our room was made available to us within 20 minutes ,Our room overlooking the gardens was clean, with bags of hot water. The outdoor pool was spotless, , we did not use it but did avail ourselves of an hour on the very comfotable sunbeds, late in the afternoon he staff where friendly and polite, and nothing seemed to be too much trouble, and although if they found my basic French a subject of mirth, they also granted me the respect for trying. The hotel is as some have said not 5*, but a very comparable British3* It is ideally situated within a 15 to 20 minute walk of Jemaa El Fna, and the Medina (something that should not be missed), alternatively a Small taxi will cost you about 20 Dirhams. We would recommend this hotel, and as we definitely want to return to explore more of the magical city of Marrakech and the surrounding area, we will certainly stay there again without hesitation.

In short, the hotel is NOT 5* as billed. However, it is fairly clean, functional and reasonably well located in central Marrakech. Here are a few thoughts which may help to influence your decision: - My room was reasonable value - I think it was about £40 a night - The room decor was a little tired and I reckon the entire hotel needs a bit of a makeover. However, my room was quite sizeable at least despite having no view of the gardens and being a good 5 to 6 minute hike from the reception through a labyrinth of corridors and lifts. - I wasn't too impressed by having to pay £2 per day for the use of the safe in the room. It seemed to me that the hotel wanted to chargte for every little thing as an extra. - Life is certainly much easier at this hotel if you are able to speak French - Breakfast seems to be included for everyone in the room rate. I disagree with other comments and found it to be positively average with the quality of the food offered being fairly poor. However, to be fair, there was quite a bit of choice. - Enjoyed the on-hotel restaurants. Although I steered clear of the buffet restaurant which seemed to be full of large tour groups (mainly French and Belgians) on half board. This is a typical tour group hotel! - There is a Berber restaurant in a tent which serves traditional Moroccan food. My mixed starter had to be sent back because it waqs still frozen! However, it was fine when cooked properly. You will be seated at large round tables where you can watch 4 resident berber musicians reel out exactly the same set each night. There is also a slightly wobbly belly dancer 3 or 4 times during the evening and she will come a dance at each table for you (quite pleasant). - There is also an a la carte restaurant which although not being busy was reasonable quality. Again, French will make life much easier here. - Parking available on site which was handy. Dont turn left out of the hotel as you will cross a 'solid line' and you are likely to be pulled over, fined and generally treated like a fool by the police who man the nearby junction. I refused to pay the ridiculous fine I waqs being told I had to and in the end, the policeman gave up and let me on my way. - Internet access at hotel is poor. A small number of PCs near reception have very slow connections and are very over-priced. use a local Cyber Cafe instead. - Location is not bad and you can be at the main mosque within 20 mins and also in the Souks in a similar time. If you are timid of the suicidal traffic whilst trying to cross roads, take a horse and cart or take a cab. There will always be some sitting opposite the hotel. Marrakech is not pedestrian friendly. - The bar is quite average at the Farrah. I felt it to be very staid and impersonal and the musicians played awful renditions of some 70s hits. However, Hotel El Andalous is just over the road and has a very good resident rocky type band playing arabic hits and really got the place swinging on the two occasions that I went there. Very much a locals crowd. If you wait until the band finish, you are likely to be allowed to go down to the night club for free. That was also excellent with a very relaxed but swinging party atmosphere. - The Marrakesh tour bus passes the corner of the nearby El Andalous hotel every thirty mins (about 20 and 50 mins). It is worth a tour although quite unimaginative narration is be earplus (in 6 or 7 languages). - If taking a cab from outside the hotel, dont allow them to rip you off. 20DH should be plenty to get you to the souks or the mosque. 20DH shhould also get you to the heart of the Nouvelle Ville. The taxi driver will ask for 10 times that and act completely arogantly. Offer what you are prepared to pay and if they start to bargain go and ask the next one. Be aware that they will selectively not speak any English which I saw for someone was a struggle. Hope all this helps someone. In summary, I wasn't upset with the hotel but I dont think I would choose to stay there again.

Having returned from this hotel today after a 5 night stay,I feel absolutely compelled to share my positive experience.I was so worried prior to my holiday having read so many horror stories! I was a travel agent for 12 years and have been working for an airline for 11 years as longhaul cabin crew.I have travelled the world and have stayed at hundreds of hotels.This hotel is as you would expect for a 5 star in this part of the world.I found the staff very friendly (I spoke both French and English,no problems at all with the latter),the food was fairly typical buffet fayre and the two speciality restaurants were superb.We were half board and used our credit (100 Dhs pp) towards the Moroccan restaurant twice and the gourmet restaurant once.I cannot recommend these a la carte restaurants highly enough.Yes,the hotel could do with a lick of paint here and there,our heating didn't work and the massage I had was a waste of money! This isn't Europe! All in all,it was superb value,a good location and a relaxing hotel. I think you need a certain sense of adventure for Morocco;it's great for the seasoned traveller hence some of the negativity towards quite a few of the hotels here.Even the world's top hotels charge for Internet access and many other 'extras'.If you want 5 star luxury stay at La Mamounia and pay about 5 times as much. Bonnes vacances!

I was so alarmed by some of the recent reports on this hotel, that when I read them just a few days before we were due to travel I actually phoned to try to either cancel or transfer to another hotel. In hindsight I can now say, fortunately, we could not get through! Whilst I would agree that it is not 5star as we know it in UK, we were more than happy with what we got for what we paid. The hotel is well situated in a quiet road in the Hivernage district, about 20minutes walk from the Jemaa el fnah. Our room was spacious and well located, overlooking the very well maintained gardens, and kept immaculately clean by the staff who left fresh flowers throughout our 8 day stay. I was surprised to read in a previous report that breakfast was basic. Our experience was different. Fresh fruit, prunes, figs, cereal, a wide selection of pastries, bacon and eggs, cooked meats, toast and even pancakes made freshly to order were on offer as well as the best freshly pressed orange juice I have ever tasted. We were half board and never needed to spend a penny on food as breakfast was substantial enough to see us happily through the day until the evening buffet in the orangerie. There is the option to go to a second restaurant but because I am on a restricted diet for health reasons the buffet suited me better as it allowed me to pick and choose. The Saturday evening buffet was particularly good with lots of tagines to chose from and made all the more enjoyable by the very entertaining live music and belly dancing. It may not have been necessary but we followed advice given to us and drank only bottled water, even using it to clean our teeth, and experienced no gut problems whatsoever. We did not see any notices to say the staff can arrange daytrips etc and only found this out by talking to other guests. We booked a day to the Ourika Valley, which we would highly recommend, and which cost 225 dirhams each, significantly cheaper than similar trips arranged by some of the holiday reps. The hotel can also arrange tickets for the open top bus which does 2 different routes round Marrakech – a ticket costs 130 dirhams for 24 hours and you can hop on and off as often as you want in that time – a great way to get round, and there’s a stop conveniently located just opposite the front of the hotel. I wanted to have a hammam, and although it’s possible to do it in the hotel, I particularly wanted to experience it with the local Moroccan women. The staff on reception could not have been more helpful and booked it all for me – just as well as I seem to have forgotten all my school French and there was no English spoken. I am so pleased I did it the “hard way” and had a truly unforgettable experience which was the highlight of my holiday. There seemed to be conferences in the hotel on an almost daily basis which in no way interfered with our holiday but we felt indicated that international companies are satisfied with the standard of the hotel. We booked our flights with easy Jet for £60 each return and got what we felt was an amazing deal for the Kenzi Farah through lastminute.com, paying £366 for the two of us for 8 nights halfboard. The weather was perfect for walking and we were able to explore Marrakech thoroughly finding more than enough to keep us well occupied for our stay. All in all a fantastic holiday.

My friend and I booked 7 days in the Kenzi Farah and read the reviews after booking. We were really worried after reading so many bad reviews, and tried to change our hotel but lastminute.com wouldn't do it. As it turned out, I am glad we couldn't, as the Kenzi Farah is a lovely, clean, comfortable hotel and the staff were really welcoming and helpful (especially the staff in the bar). Admittedly the staff don't tend to speak English, but surely that is to be expected when you visit non-English speaking countries?! The hotel is a 20 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi ride (Don't pay more than 20DH, although the drivers will ask for much more!!) from the Medina, which is perfect for when you want to get out of the hustle and bustle, and I can only think that the people who wrote the bad reviews must have visited a different hotel! We had a lovely time and I would recommend this hotel to anybody visiting Marrakech.

Be warned, not an English 5 star hotel, probably the same as a 3* (Just) Service from staff was difficult, unless you were paying for something. Charge for absolutely everything £2 day for the safe, £6 for use of the indoor pool, £6 for a 20 min use of the sauna, £6 for the use of the gym, the “free internet” wasn’t free. Mini bar prices were London prices The overall standard of the hotel was average, and on reflection we would have been much better off in a Riad (local small hotels). The breakfast was pretty basic. Also found it quite difficult to communicate with the staff as they spoke little English (predominantly French), or selective English to get out of helping you. The location was very good and the gardens in the hotel were nice - we really liked Marrakesh itself. If you would like a “Moroccan” experience don’t stay here. Overall the hotel was OK, but it felt a like they were trying to pinch every penny from you.

Booked this through LowCostBeds, didn't have any problems at all. On arrival receptionist booked us in efficiently and even changed up some notes into smaller change. Room was good enough with 2 double beds, could do with a little updating but it's not as if it's falling down, paint peeling or anything like that. it was very clean. Service in the snack bar by the swimming pool was good, food appealing and not expensive. Although we did not go in the swimming pool it looked very clean, gardens are lovely and peaceful and we could always get a bed and clean towels at no extra cost. The hotel let us keep our room until 4pm for an extra £20 as we were not flying until 6.30pm. This hotel is in a good location, taxi to square varied between 15-25 dirhams (£1-£1.75) depending on your bargaining skills. We would recommend this hotel and certainly would stay there again.

We booked through lastmin and hoped as it was a 5* that we had a chance of decent food and no illness. How wrong we were. The food was basic, boring and unimaginative. But to ensure we did not become ill we ate only at the Kenzi Farah. Two days in and we contracted the trots which became a gallop (to put it politely) as I could hold nothing in including water. (this is dangerous) I was in pain and felt extremely ill and at 4am my partner called the night staff and requested the call out a doctor, who came, gave me a couple of jabs and a prescription which he said one of the staff should take to fill immediately, whic to be fair they did. However lastmin contacted the hotel who said they do not remember it (I still have the prescription signed by the doc AND pharmacy). After my recovery we ate only at Mac D's to be safe.On leaving the hotel we discovered that all the cutlery is left out overnight on the tables even OUTSIDE with the kitties who roam the hotel. Not withstanding the smell of raw sewage by the pool AND smell of sick in the lifts. All in all a bad stay, and to top it lastmin offer no compensation.

We stayed over the Christmas period and were generally disapointed with the hotel. The hotel is tired and in parts not up to standard. The rooms were basic, but OK given where we where (certainly not up to standard with other 4 star hotels we have stayed). Our sliding doors that lead to the balcony could not be locked and this was highlighted when we returned one night to find out room full of smoke from the BBQ directly below our room. We were moved, but it is still not up to standard to move at 10pm at night due to this. The toilet did not flush also and made a loud noise after flushing. Breakfast was also disapointed, the milk was off on one of the days. We arranged a day trip to the mountains through the hotel, this was disapointing also (our views were shared with others). The trip involved a drive up stopping at various places that were used to try and sell to us. In terms of location, this was not a problem. It is outside the medina, but the walk or very cheap taxi was fine. I am sure with some further research much better accomodation could be found in Marrackech.